North champion Wayne Carey says the fact that Brent Harvey is still considered one of the Roos' best players is testament to his ability to adapt to multiple changes to the game.
The 44-year-old, who booted 671 goals in his 244 games for North between 1989 and 2001, played alongside a young Harvey for six years before finishing his AFL career in Adelaide.
Carey said Harvey had been able to change with the game and had adapted to the ever-changing dynamics over the course of his career.
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"He's been a natural progressive player. For anyone that's gone on and played three decades, you've got to remember he's gone through the 90s of semi-professionalism and through until now, fully professional, and that evolution of that time," Carey told NMFC.com.au.
"Clearly his longevity and his ability to be able to adapt from that style of footy through until what he's doing now is remarkable in itself."
Harvey's high training standards caught Carey's attention from the get-go and the speedster "did everything he had to do" to give himself the best opportunity of breaking into the Roos' star-studded squad.
The dual premiership captain said Harvey was determined to get the most out of his ability from day one and was a naturally gifted talent.
"Boomer played in the reserves premiership in his first senior year (1996) and I just remember him being a young, skinny, little kid that was thrust into a team that was on the verge of playing more finals," Carey said.
"He had some work to do, he had to put on a little bit of weight but what stood out about him was his speed and his ability to read what was going on above him and then create and make decisions on the move."
On Saturday night, Harvey will become just the fourth player in VFL/AFL history to reach 400 games, joining Michael Tuck (426 games), Kevin Bartlett (403) and Dustin Fletcher (400) in the exclusive club.
Carey said Harvey would go down as a champion in the history of the Roos and the league.
"He'll be remembered as one of the greats, there's no question about that," he said.
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"He's a great of the North Melbourne Football Club, he's captained the club, he's captained the club through a transition period in some ways and he's been the best player through all of that."
Carey said the notion that Harvey was still regarded as one of the Roos' most damaging players even at the pointy end of his career was no coincidence.
"Even to where he is right now, not towards the end but I guess he's coming towards the end, he's still in the argument of whether he's the best player at this club," he said.
"To have that when you're playing your 400th game is incredible and he's a credit to himself to be able to keep himself in that condition and be able to sustain a level for a period of time that is only fourth in line in the history of the game."
The four-time Syd Barker medallist joined the growing chorus of people to heap praise on Harvey ahead of his milestone match against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba.
"There are not too many messages that you can give someone that's played 400 games other than to say a massive congratulations on the way you've conducted yourself on and off the ground (and) the way you've led this footy club," Carey said.
"He might be a little man in stature but certainly a powerhouse and a big man in what he has provided and given this football club.
"He'll be a giant of the football club, he mightn't be a giant of a man, but he's a giant of this football club and will always be that."
