LAST weekend was a memorable one for James Harmes.
Back in the side, after being named an emergency in round one, Harmes made the most of his opportunity, notching up 23 disposals to be among Melbourne’s best in its 22-point win over Carlton at the MCG on Sunday.
An oft-underrated player among football circles, Harmes reinforced his value to the side as a genuine utility – starting down back, spending time on the wing and then playing up forward.
Not long after being part of Melbourne’s second win for the season, Harmes topped off his Sunday watching one of his much-loved bands, as he explained.
“I ended up going down to the Dixie Chicks [concert at Rod Laver Arena] on Sunday night, which was really good,” he told Melbourne TV.
“Mum and Dad used to listen to them all of the time, so I caught the bug there.
“I actually meant to go on Saturday, but because we played Sunday, I had to sell the tickets and then I bought some tickets [last] Friday night for the Sunday night. It was a good night and I had a great time.”
Harmes, whose favourite Dixie Chicks tunes are Travelin’ Soldier and Long Time Gone, said he copped a bit of stick from some of his teammates for attending the concert, but he didn’t care.
“Jordie Lewis was ripping [into] me the other day, but I love them and so does Bernie Vince – he loves them as well, so he was all about it,” he said with his infectious smile.
Although the 21-year-old said he was “pretty shattered” to be overlooked for round one, he acknowledged it was the right call in hindsight.
“I thought it was probably fair enough,” he said.
“I didn’t think I performed as well as I should’ve in the JLT [Community Series]. I went back to the VFL, had quite a good game and worked on the things that I needed to, and then lucky enough, I got the call up.
“It’s always good to go back down there [to Casey] and find a bit of the footy, which I was lucky enough to do. It gave me confidence to go back up and play good footy in the AFL.”
Harmes said he was a bit anxious at the start of his return match against the Blues, before he quickly took it in his stride.
“I played a bit [down back] last year, but I hadn’t done a lot there pre-season, so I was a little bit nervous going in, but Goody (Simon Goodwin) said ‘keep it simple – you know how to play’,” he said.
“I ended up playing two quarters there and then I went to the wing and ended up finishing forward. The main message for me, after missing round one, was to keep things simple and go out and enjoy my footy.
“I’d love to lock down a [permanent] spot … but if that’s my role for the team – playing back for a few quarters and then going forward – I’m happy to do that. At this stage, [I’m] looking to be a utility for the team.”
Now, heading into round three against Geelong Cats at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, Harmes said he the belief to keep building on his game.
“Having quite a good game on the weekend gives me more confidence. Wherever I play this week, I’m looking forward to it and hopefully I can have another good game,” he said.
