Robert Harvey is the latest former Saint to return to St Kilda with the 383-gamer signing on as one of Ross Lyon’s assistants on Tuesday.
Harvey’s appointment follows that of ex-teammate Lenny Hayes who also returns to St Kilda, albeit in a non-playing role.
Since retiring, Harvey has worked as an assistant for Carlton, St Kilda, Collingwood and Hawthorn – even coaching the Magpies as a caretaker for nine games following Nathan Buckley’s sacking in 2021.
Having worked for the Saints under Lyon in 2010 and 2011, Harvey says he followed his heart after the newly appointed head coach offered him a role at Moorabbin.
“It was a bit of a whirlwind, and it was a really tough decision because it was so quick,” Harvey said on Sportsday.
“I was as much looking back to going back with the Hawks as well, but I just felt it was the right time with Ross coming back and I had a relationship with him over the years.
“To get back and work with him was a factor for sure … all those things pointed to my heart saying, ‘This is a good thing for me’.
“As you get older and you go longer in the game, you try and follow your heart as much as you can and that just felt like the right time for me to make this decision when Ross rang me.”
Harvey’s decision to head back to St Kilda meant he’d be departing Hawthorn and the 51-year-old said it was a “really difficult” call to finish up under Sam Mitchell.
“The unfortunate thing about this whole thing is that Hawthorn since I’ve walked through the door were so good to me,” Harvey said.
“I’m so appreciative of everything they did and I was so excited about the journey I was on there as well.
“This was really difficult, the situation with the sacking of Ratten and the timing of that made it a bit unique in the fact that it was late.
“I was really aware that this was a really hard decision and hard on the Hawks.
“But they were so understanding of it, Rob McCartney and Sam were so good to me that I’m greatly appreciative of everything they did for me.
“It was over and above and I really appreciate that. Hopefully, they respected me for my work there and it came back the other way.”
Harvey rounds out St Kilda’s coaching panel with Hayes and former Cat Corey Enright all working as Lyon’s assistants.
The new appointments begin work at Moorabbin on November 1.