Tara Murray
The moment Cooper Harvey has dreamed of for years has finally come true, drafted to North Melbourne.
The son of AFL games record holder Brent Harvey, Cooper spent much of his childhood around the club.
Now having formed his own pathway through Yarrambat and the Northern Knights, Cooper was taken at pick 56 as a father-son pick.
Speaking on Wednesday along with his dad, Cooper was thrilled to get the opportunity to follow in his dad’s footsteps.
I’m super excited and I can’t wait,” he said. “I’ve been dreaming of that moment since I was a little boy.
“Obviously to play for the great club my old man played for, carry on his legacy. I’m making a path for myself hopefully, it’s my journey now.
Cooper said that he and his dad were similar in a lot of ways on the football field, with Cooper a mid-forward. His missed a bit of football this year with two broken arms.
He said his dad had given him plenty of advice along the way.
“Create my own path,” Cooper said. “What he has done is obviously amazing, but I just have to be myself.
“I’m my own player and I want to create something for myself.”
Brent joked that he still had his son covered for pace, as the competitive juices in both showed through.
Brent said overall, he was just proud of his son and said that it was up there with his best football moments.
“I can tell you one thing, it’s exciting for me just as a dad to see your kid grow up and see just above achieving his dream,” he said.
“We had a chat last night and I told him it’s a journey and getting drafted is just a small part of the hard work that starts now.
“I’m super excited for him. I’ll help him out as much as I can.”
Cooper said he was keen to get down to work, knowing that he has to improve all parts of this game to step up to the next level.
