Tom Harley
Tom Harley
Personal information
Full name	Thomas Harley
Date of birth	18 July 1978 (1978-07-18) (age 31)
Place of birth	Adelaide, South Australia
Recruited from	Norwood (SANFL)/Port Adelaide
Draft	Zone/Concession, 1996 draft Port Adelaide
Height/Weight	193cm / 95kg
Position(s)	Centre Half Back / Defender
Club information
Current club	Geelong
Number	2
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1998 1999–2009	Port Adelaide Geelong	1(1) 197(11)
1 Playing statistics to end of 2009 AFL Grand Final season .

Thomas 'Tom' Harley (born 18 July 1978) is former Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A medium-sized defender at 1.93 metres (6 ft 4 in) and 95 kilograms (209 lb), Harley was a dual premiership captain of the club. He will commence work as a project consultant to the Western Sydney Football Club in February 2010.^[1]

After a successful junior career which culminated with selection in the under-18 All-Australian team, Harley was drafted to the Port Adelaide Football Club as a zone selection. Although an inaugural member of the club, Harley struggled to force his way into the senior team and spent much of his early years playing for Norwood in the SANFL. After making just one appearance for Port Adelaide, Harley was traded to the Geelong Football Club in exchange for the 37th draft pick in the 1998 AFL Draft.

Harley quickly established himself within the Geelong defense and received a range of accolades and club honours, including multiple Best Clubman awards. Prior to the 2007 AFL season, Harley was appointed club captain and has since enjoyed great individual and team success. After leading the club to its first premiership in 44 years, Harley has gone on to be participate in the AFL Hall of Fame all-star game, been awarded an All-Australian guernsey as vice-captain of the team, won the AFLPA Best Captain Award, and been inducted into the Geelong Football Club Hall of Fame.

Away from the football field, Harley is an ambassador for the anti-violence program 'Just Think' and a regular panellist on footballing television program One Week at a Time.

[edit] Early life

Tom Harley was born to Rick Harley and Trish Rofe in the city of Adelaide, South Australia.^[2] Harley was a talented junior footballer growing up, and played much of his junior football for the Walkerville Junior Football Club and St Peter's College from the under-11s to under-15s.^[3] Despite being regularly overlooked for the elite South Australian junior state squads, Harley continued to follow the rest of the squad to training sessions.^[2] Harley's persistence was rewarded when he was called up to the under-18s squad as a late injury replacement a week prior to the National AFL Championships. Playing at centre half back, Harley's performance in defense earned him end-of-year All-Australian honours and brought him to the attention of AFL scouts.^[2]

[edit] Career

[edit] The Port Adelaide experience (1997-1998)

Following their entry into the AFL, Port Adelaide drafted Harley to the club as part of their zone selections, which entitled them to recruit uncontracted players from the SANFL prior to the 1996 National Draft. Struggling to break into the Port Adelaide senior team, Harley often found himself playing in the SANFL reserves for Norwood during the 1997 season. There, he helped the reserves team reach the Grand Final, where they were defeated by the Port Magpies. Harley's contributions in the reserves team throughout the year saw him promoted to the senior Norwood side, where he featured in two of their SANFL finals before missing selection for the Grand Final.

Harley continued to ply his trade in the reserves during the 1998 season, before being rewarded mid-season with a senior team debut in round fourteen against Geelong. The team opted to use Harley sparingly off the bench, with Harley's only meaningful contribution being a late goal scored with his only kick for the game. Returning to the Norwood reserves team, Harley helped the team reach their second successive Grand Final appearance against the Port Magpies and capture the reserves premiership. However, after struggling to break into the senior side, Harley was traded to Geelong during the off-season for the 37th pick in the 1998 National Draft.

[edit] Mixed success (1999—2006)

Tom Harley kicks the ball during a game

Harley made his debut for Geelong in round fourteen of the 1999 AFL season against Adelaide, and kept his position in the senior team for the final nine games of the home-and-away campaign. The following season, Harley helped the Cats achieve a 12-9-1 record to qualify for the finals series. Harley made his finals debut in the First Elimination Final against Hawthorn, where he gathered 7 disposals and took 2 marks in the Cats' nine-point loss. Harley's consistency throughout the year, during which he played in all 23 games for the first time in his career, was rewarded when he won the club's Most Determined and Dedicated Player Award. Harley made his 50th senior appearance for the club the following season, and again featured in all 22 games over the next two seasons. Despite the club's inability to qualify for the finals series, Harley's consistency in the backline was recognised with successive top five placings in the club best and fairest award. During this period Harley was also awarded the Coach's Award and Best Clubman Award respectively.

[edit] Captaining the Cats (2007—2009)

At the beginning of 2007, Harley was appointed as club captain of Geelong. Harley was recommended by the club's board of directors following a comprehensive review of the football department undertaken in the previous year. The club noted that Harley "was a player who would dig deep and stand up when it counts",^[4] and was also chosen to help improve communication links between players, coaching staff and the board of directors.^[4]

Tom Harley walks around the MCG after the 2009 AFL Grand Final

Harley endured a difficult start to his inaugural season as captain, as he ruptured a finger tendon during the club's Round 1 loss to the Western Bulldogs.^[5] After undergoing surgery on his finger, Harley made his return through the club's reserves team in the VFL but failed to earn a recall to the senior team until Round 10. After playing the majority of his career at Geelong as a centre half back, Harley struggled to find his niche in the defence following the emergence of the younger Matthew Egan in the key position. He soon adjusted himself as a floating defender capable of playing on small forwards, and retained his position in the side after achieving career-best averages of 14 disposals and 5 marks a game.^[6] Harley helped the team compile a 18-4 record at the conclusion of the home and away season, earning them their eighth McClelland Trophy and securing first position on the ladder leading into the finals series. After wins against North Melbourne and Collingwood in the Qualifying and Preliminary finals respectively, Geelong earned a spot in the Grand Final against Harley's former team Port Adelaide. Collecting 13 disposals and 7 marks, Harley helped the club to an AFL-record 119-point win and secure its first premiership in 44 years. Harley became the first Geelong premiership captain since Fred Wooller in 1963, and achieved the rare distinction of becoming a premiership captain in his first year at the helm.^[2]

Harley's leadership qualities and influence on the club as captain was commended early on in the season after his handling of teammate Steve Johnson's off-field discretions. Johnson was banished from the team during the pre-season and demoted to the reserves for first five games of the season. However, he successfully returned to the team and finished the season as a Norm Smith Medallist and All-Australian.

In 2008, Harley was rewarded with selection in the All-Australian team and named as vice-captain of the side.

At the conclusion of the 2009 season, Harley announced his retirement from AFL football. His legacy at the club was pronounced by Thompson as being "one of the great captains in the history of the Geelong Football Club".^[7]

[edit] Player profile

During his playing career, Harley was considered the "general of the most miserly defence in the league".^[8] Harley began his early career as a key position player at centre half back, where he used his physical size to great effect. However, during his later years he played as a floating defender capable of playing on small forwards.^[6] Despite his personal admission to not being "the greatest player"^[2], Harley's play-reading ability saw him recognised as one of the league's best at intercepting opposition passes inside his defensive 50m arc.^[8]

Harley's leadership skills have been consistently praised during his time in the league. Teammate Gary Ablett complimented Harley as being "very approachable ... (and) the key to gelling the team together".^[2]

[edit] Personal life

Harley is the the second of three children and has two brothers, elder brother Sam and younger brother Ben. He is married to Sydney-based journalist Felicity Percival, whom he met while being interviewed for an article in Cosmopolitan.^[9] Percival, the editor for Women's Health magazine, was frequently seen accompanying Harley to games.^[9] She has also made guest article contributions on the official AFL website, providing insight on the pairs' private life.^[10]

After starting his Bachelor of Commerce degree at an Adelaide institution in 1996, Harley transferred to Deakin University and graduated 11 years later in 2007.^[11]

Harley was one of 21 players from the club who witnessed the 2002 Bali bombings first-hand during an off-season holiday to the popular tourist destination. Harley and his fellow team mates were preparing to venture to the Sari night club just moments prior to the terrorist attack.^[12]

In 2008, Harley was named an ambassador for an anti-booze-fuelled violence campaign run by the Geelong Advertiser newspaper, titled "Just Think".^[13] As part of his ambassadorial role, Harley has appeared in numerous advertisements alongside fellow Geelong teammates and ambassadors James Kelly and David Wojcinski.^[14]

As of 2009, Harley is also a regular panellist on the football program One Week at a Time, joining fellow footballers Matthew Lloyd and Matthew Richardson in providing player views on weekly footballing issues.^[15]

[edit] Statistics

Statistics are correct as of the end of the 2008 season

[edit] Honours and achievements

Team

• AFL Premiership (Geelong): 2007, 2009 (Captain)
• AFL McClelland Trophy (Geelong): 2007, 2008
• SANFL Reserves Premiership (Norwood): 1998

Individual

• All-Australian: 2008 (Vice-Captain)
• AFLPA Best Captain Award: 2008
• Captain of Geelong F.C.: 2007–present
• Geelong F.C. Best Clubman Award: 2002, 2006, 2008
• Geelong F.C. Coach's Award: 2001
• Geelong F.C. Most Determined and Most Dedicated Player Award: 2000
• Geelong F.C. Community Champion Award: 2008
• South Australian State of Origin representative honours: 2007, 2008 (Captain)
• Legendary Performers Award: 2009

[edit] See also

• List of Geelong Football Club individual awards and records
• List of Geelong Football Club captains
• List of Australian Football League premiership captains and coaches

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Slattery, Geoff (2007). Geelong - The Greatest Team Of All. Docklands, Victoria: Geoff Slattery Publishing Pty Ltd. pp. 18, 48, 81, 94. ISBN 978-0-9803466-9-5. 
• Townley, Simon (2007). Year of the Cat - The Inside Story. Geelong, Victoria: The Geelong Advertiser Pty Ltd. pp. 19, 33, 81, 101. ISBN 978-0-9592863-7-3. 
• Gullan, Scott (2008). The Mission - The Inside Story of Geelong's 2007 AFL Premiership. Melbourne, Victoria: Weston Media and Communications. pp. 71, 79, 139, 140, 141. ISBN 978-0-646-48985-8. 

[edit] External links

• Tom Harley profile on the Official AFL Website of the Geelong Football Club
• Tom Harley's statistics from AFL Tables