On a night where St Kilda honoured one of its greatest players by elevating champion midfielder Robert Harvey to Legend status in the Saints Hall of Fame, the humble red, white and black icon says the opportunity to be back amongst old faces made the night so special.

In a manner football followers have become accustomed to and have adored since Harvey first ran out for the Saints in 1988, the four-time Trevor Barker Award winner deflected the attention from his elevation, buoyed by who was able to share the memorable night with.

“More than anything, it’s good to come to a night like tonight and see all the old faces that either I played with or I was with as employees or staff,” Harvey told saints.com.au at Crown Palladium on Saturday night.

“It’s obviously a great honour, but it’s more just to come back and see those faces again, catch up with them and relive old memories that go so quick. It’s just good to be back.”

Plugger: Elevating Harvey a privilege

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary celebration of the 1966 premiership team, Harvey was unveiled as the eighth legend in the club’s 143-year history by St Kilda’s most recent Legend elevation, Tony Lockett. A gesture the eight-time All Australian appreciated greatly.

“It’s a big thrill. He’s the greatest player I’ve ever seen. I was thrilled for him to get up and speak, it meant a lot to me,” Harvey said.

“I played with him for five or six years and I think I saw him at his absolute best so for him to come down I just think it’s good for the whole club for that to happen and to get our old champions back.”

Across his 21-season, 383-game career, it’s the atmosphere at Moorabbin that Harvey still cherishes most and the first thought that entered his mind when another St Kilda legend in Ross Smith called to notify him of his elevation.

“When I was given the call from Ross Smith about this night immediately they’re the thoughts that come back to me, the Moorabbin days. It was just amazing.

“There was only 20 odd thousand people that filled that stadium, but it was an amazing feeling to see Lockett in full flight, to see the social club, to see the whole setup of Moorabbin, just the atmosphere that it brought it was just amazing; I’ll never forget it.

“I wouldn’t give it back for anything it was just fantastic and I’m just glad I was able to experience it.”

Limited Edition History Book: Celebrating 50 Years 1966-2016 The Archives Edition

In a quirk on Saturday, hours prior to his elevation, the dual Brownlow medallist was parked in Collingwood’s coaching box as the Magpies assistant coach, watching on as his old side produced a stunning performance to arrest an eight-game losing streak and kick start their season.

Harvey conceded that whilst the scheduling wasn’t ideal given the emotion charged day, he had no problem shelfing his own disappointment to enjoy a night of celebration amongst old faces, before returning to his role the following day.

“It’s bittersweet for me because I’m on the back end of a belting with the Pies. It’s not ideal to be honest. Even to come tonight after a bad loss for us is hard work but I put all that aside when I see all the old guys that I played with, all the old faces that I hadn’t seen for a long time. It just means more tonight,” Harvey said.

On the back of a momentum building day for the club, Harvey said the Saints are trekking along the right path and would benefit from the energy associated with events like Saturday night.

“But I just think for the club, you can just see where they’re going, to have the ’66 crew back tonight, have the Hall of Fame, I think there’s a good buzz around the place,” Harvey said.

“There’s good momentum and I think the playing group are obviously hungry and pushing into the year. I think nights like this really help it along.”