He's either 168cms or 177cms, depending on which media guide you read, and a bantamweight's 75kg, but in spite of those physical shortcomings has gone on to forge one of the colossal careers in the AFL.

And this weekend, when Brent Harvey steps out for his 426th appearance in North Melbourne's royal blue and white stripes against Collingwood, he will join former Hawthorn great Michael Tuck at the top of the tree for most VFL/AFL games played.

It's an extraordinary achievement for a pipsqueak who was taken at No.47 in the 1995 national draft and, because of his size, has forever been underestimated.

Having played his junior footy at Preston RSL before progressing to the Northern Knights, Harvey was given his first game in the big time by Kangaroos' coach, Denis Pagan, in 1996 - in the final round against Richmond at the MCG.

There was no hint then that the little No.29 had anything special about him, and certainly not the makings of a 20-year career at the highest level. He picked up the grand total of one handball in the Roos' convincing win and was promptly dropped for the next game.

A month later, he looked on as his new teammates took out the 1996 premiership.

Anthony Pearse/AFL Media/Getty Images

As grainy YouTube footage shows, Harvey was even more of a whippet then as he is now, the North jumper hanging loose on his spindly frame.

Yet using his speed, skill and vision - like any smaller member of the food chain, he needed to know where his predators lay - Harvey quickly became a mainstay as a rover/small forward in the Kangas' all-conquering team of the late 1990s.

By 1999, Harvey was averaging 17 touches a game and come Grand Final day, he positively shone, collecting the ball 21 times and kicking a goal as the Kangaroos beat Carlton to take out their fourth flag.

His kicking technique has always been a masterclass in how to execute the most important of footy's skills.

Few players over the past 20 years have been as dangerous when charging through the midfield and looking upfield for a forward to kick to. Invariably, he chooses the right option; almost always his pass ends up on the chest of a teammate in a better position. This is as true now, in 2016, as it was at the turn of the millennium.

Yet for all his brilliance and longevity, Harvey has never been truly embraced by neutral supporters. Of course there is a sneaky admiration and respect for all he's achieved, and everyone understands how devastating he can be on his day, but he's not loved in the way that Gary Ablett is, or say Cyril Rioli.

Perhaps that's because he's seen as selfish and hungry for a goal; maybe it's because he chirps away at umpires and occasionally sooks when things don't go his way.

But that would seem to be small-minded and mean-spirited. Because 'Boomer' embodies much of what is great about the indigenous code: that it is a game able to be played by anyone regardless of size (or, for that matter in 2016, gender).

And here's the interesting thing about Harvey's height: he appears to have grown steadily from the time he arrived at Arden St in 1995 as a 17-year-old. Then, he was listed in the AFL Media Guide at 168cms. In 2005, he had apparently grown to 172cms and this year he's officially shot up to a towering 177cms.

Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images

THE BRENT HARVEY FILE

MOST KICKS: 29 v St Kilda, Rd 7, 2000

MOST HANDBALLS: 25 v West Coast, Rd 3, 2010 25 v Geelong, Rd 19, 2013

MOST TACKLES: 9 v Hawthorn, Rd 5, 2010

MOST GOALS: 6 v Melbourne, Rd 3, 2016

TOTAL BROWNLOW VOTES: 187

HARVEY v TUCK: At a glance

TUCK HARVEY Seasons: 1972-1991 Seasons: 1996-2016 Games: 426 Games: 425 K: 6353 K: 5586 M: 1222 M: 1655 H: 2070 H: 3454 D: 8423 D: 9040 G: 320 G: 509 B: 325 B: 326 T: 260 T: 872 FF: 956 FF: 387 FA: 907 FA: 261 BV: 104 BV: 187 W/L/D: 302/123/1 W/L/D: 233/189/3 Tackles; FF - Frees For; FA - Frees Against; BV - Brownlow Votes

In looking at the careers of Harvey, Tuck and the third member of their 400-game club, Tiger great Kevin Bartlett, it's clear they share many of the same physical attributes. They were/are all sinewy, wiry and lean, with not a gram of spare fat on them. They were/are also incredibly durable athletes who rarely picked up injuries. And they could run all day.

(The other notable aspect of the table below is the number of free kicks paid to, and conceded by, both Tuck and Harvey. The umpires might have been fewer in number during Tuck's career but that clearly didn't mean they blew for fewer free kicks.)

So when the Kangas' diminutive No.29 runs out on to Etihad Stadium on Friday night, in front of a national TV audience, one of the great AFL careers should be acknowledged. Around 12,460 players have represented V/AFL clubs at the senior level over the past 119 years; only two of them have reached game No.425.