Hawk Headquarters
I'm just plain old Harry D. Miller
 
Written by: Mark Stevens
Herald Sun
17/2/2004
 

Harry Miller wants the world to know his middle name is plain old Douglas.















Harry Miller
No relation: Hawthorn recruit Harry Miller has impressive bloodlines – but they have nothing to do with the showbiz entrepreneur of the same name.
Picture: Colleen Petch

First it was a bit of a joke, but the 18-year-old is tiring of being dubbed "Harry M".

"It bothers me a bit because I don't even know who this Harry M. Miller bloke is, to be honest," Miller said yesterday.

Harry M. Miller, the famous promoter, works the Sydney social set and lives the harbour-side high life.

Hawthorn's new Harry Miller has spent most of his life waterside, too -- only in the less-glamorous South Australian fishing town of Port Lincoln.

His father, Harry Sr, is used to the "Harry M" stuff. But he snapped last year when he realised the nickname had spread to his son.

"I was playing a game for Port Magpies and Dad was listening back in Port Lincoln . . . the commentators were calling me Harry M," Miller said.

"My dad rang them up and said, 'Hey, it's not Harry M'."

Rex Hunt surely won't be able to resist when the kid makes his debut. And judging by his form, it won't be too far away.

Miller, a forward pocket in the Jeff Farmer tradition, kicked five in his first intra-club practice match.

He backed it up with four behinds in the second hitout. There is genuine excitement at Glenferrie. At last, they might have found a creative crumber.

Miller, taken at pick 25 by the Hawks in last year's national draft, kicked 22.5 in 16 matches for Port Magpies in the SANFL last year.

He arrived from Port Lincoln hoping to be an under-19s regular, but found himself in the seniors after just one reserves game.

The bloodlines are impeccable. Miller is a first cousin of Kangaroo Daniel Wells, a second cousin of Port's Burgoyne brothers and a third cousin of Crow Graham Johncock.

He also has a close relationship with the Pickett brothers, Byron and Marcus.

All those well-known names played for Mallee Park, an indigenous side formed at Port Lincoln in 1981.

The surface out at Mallee Park is a long way short of Glenferrie Oval standard, but Miller is quick to make it clear it's not dirt.

"It's good grass. It comes good during the season. In the off-season, it just dies and goes like dry," he said.

"Towards the end at Mallee Park, I was playing two games a day -- under-17s and seniors.

"When I played seniors, there were some in the opposition team trying to knock my head off and all of that stuff."

Of all the big-name connections, Miller has the strongest bond with Wells, who grew up in Port Lincoln before heading west at the age of 13.

"Now that we're over here together, we like to spend as much time together," Miller said.

"We used to do everything together. Wherever we had a footy, we'd play.

"One time we were down at the wharf fishing -- and it was pretty deep -- Daniel fell off into the water. He was a good swimmer, no worries there.

"We'd make a footy game out of four blokes if we had to.

"We all struggled to win best-and-fairests because Daniel would clean it up every time. We had no chance of winning when he was around.

"We had a inter-school race together in year seven. He came first and I slipped at the start. I ended up coming fourth. He was pretty quick back then, and still is now."

Miller knows he has to work on the defensive side of his game and has been pumping Wells, already revered for his tackling, for advice.

He is confident he can make it. So many from Mallee Park have.

 
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