JOHN Blakey, who Robert Harvey will pass tonight on the list of games played, has joined the chorus backing the St Kilda legend's decision to continue to play.

Coincidentally, Blakey, a former Fitzroy and North Melbourne defender and now a Sydney assistant coach, will sit in the Swans' coach's box during the match against the Saints at Telstra Dome as Harvey passes his 359-game mark.

It will leave the dual Brownlow medallist with only Michael Tuck (426), Kevin Bartlett (403), Simon Madden (378), Craig Bradley (375) and Bernie Quinlan (366) in front of him.

While former Saints coach Grant Thomas and Hawthorn legend Dermott Brereton recently questioned whether the 36-year-old had played on a season too long, Blakey said his former opponent had made the right decision.

As Blakey scoured tapes of Harvey in preparation for tonight's clash, he joined St Kilda coach Ross Lyon, captain Nick Riewoldt and Adelaide midfielder Nathan van Berlo in a public show of support.

"I don't think you can ever write off Robert Harvey," Blakey said. "Eventually time catches up to all of us, but St Kilda will use him smartly.

"You can use him in a lesser role on the ground and he's just as important to the side as he has been in previous years.

"I was lucky enough to play pretty long myself, but this is his 21st year and to win two Brownlows as well … to get to that sort of age in the modern game is unheard of and he is an absolute freak."

Blakey, who hung up his boots at the end of 2002, said he understood why the great Saint wanted to keep playing as retirement was so brutally final.

"For me, my form dropped away a little bit and I spent some time in the seconds then fought my way back and finished off playing some OK football towards the back half of the year. But I was 36 and had struggled to get through the year and I just knew my time was up.

"You love the game so much that you just want to keep playing and keep playing, but eventually your time does come. If Robert had have struggled last year he probably would have really thought of giving the game away, but he had a super year and would be thinking St Kilda are a real chance to play finals football and featuring deep."