Clocked up His 500th Game!

At the age of 46, Justin Harvey (SVC 1990-94 / GYC 1995) recently played his 500th game of senior/reserves football across Hobart and DOSA football clubs in the Statewide, SFL, and OSFA competitions.

Having played football with St Virgil’s and Guilford Young College, Justin made his debut with the Hobart Football Club at both reserves and seniors levels in 1995. He is Hobart’s games record holder (with 382 senior/reserves games at this time), a best and fairest winner, and was co-captain of the Tigers' last senior premiership side in 1999. The previous club record holder (288 games) for the club was Kerry Wilson (SVC 1955-60), who played four seasons with the College’s First XVIII and captained it in 1960. Kerry returned to the College as a coach of the First XVIII for five years – in 1978 and 1979 he shared the role with Johnny Noble and went solo from 1982-84, with 1982 resulting in a State Premiership.

Justin has spent all his adult life at the TCA on the Domain, aside from 119 matches when suiting up for DOSA a few years back, and his family have been on the same ride. His younger twin brothers, Matthew and Trent (SVC 1992-95), also had long careers with the Tigers, playing 150 and 250 senior/reserve games respectively. They also played in the 1999 premiership team and, like Justin, are senior best and fairest winners and life members of the club. Their late father, Brian, was also given life membership for his outstanding contributions and he provided outstanding service to St Virgil’s as a football coach while his sons were students there.

Justin completed Year 11 at St Virgil’s and was in the initial intake for Year 12 at Guilford Young College in 1995. In that year, he captained the GYC First XVIII team to a State Premiership and was vice-captain of the GYC cricket team, which shared the State title with Grammar – the intended final was a ‘washout’. 

All three Harvey boys attended UTAS after finishing their secondary schooling and all three have become qualified lawyers. Justin holds the position of Principal Solicitor at the Office of the Crown Solicitor, is married with a young daughter, and is giving back to the game by previously being the Hobart Football Club’s AusKick coordinator and now coaching the club’s U/10 girls’ team. Sue Harvey, the boys’ mother, is the daughter of the late Harold Rennie and the sister of the late Chris Rennie (SVC 1968-68). Harold was a worthy recipient of life membership of Athletics Tasmania and the OVA Athletics Club in recognition of his service as an official and as a club secretary over many years.