The Crown Casino ball room in Melbourne was the stage for the ceremony that saw eight men ushered into elite company.
Bomber and Hawk great Paul Salmon, Eagles' stalwart Guy McKenna, Adelaide's Mark Bickley, Hawthorn full-back Chris Langford, Blues' skipper and coach Ken Hands, SANFL star Peter Carey, Tiger great Bill Morris and league power broker Ross Oakley were the chosen few honoured to join such exalted names as Barassi, Coleman and Jesaulenko.
A who's who of AFL champions were on hand to welcome the latest select group to have one of the game's highest honours bestowed upon them.
The ever-likeable Paul Salmon was the first inductee to be welcomed on stage by AFL Commission chairman Mike Fitzpatrick.
"I'd like to thank the Hall of Fame selection committee – it was an outstanding decision," Salmon quipped.
"[Obviously I'm playing] a little bit, but it's great and I appreciate it very much. It's a huge honour not just for me, but for my family who are with me tonight."
Former Blues' skipper Ken Hands was next up and regaled the packed room with his recollections (or lack thereof) of his participation in the infamous 'bloodbath' grand final win of 1945.
Dual premiership Crows' captain Mark Bickley was the next called and he related the surreal experience of receiving the acceptance letter from the Hall of Fame selection committee, which was made all the more fantastic by his humble football beginnings.
"I was very worried that I wasn't going to be included on that initial [Crows] list, but fortunately I did," Bickley said.
"[Inaugural Adelaide coach Graham] Cornes has said that I was, if not the last, then certainly in the bottom three [chosen]. I was very fortunate to cling on and get on that initial list."
Three-time Jack Dyer Medallist and winner of the 1948 Brownlow Medal, Bill Morris, died tragically in 1960 and was represented by his wife Jill and daughter Virginia.
Langford ended his 303-game career a four-time premiership player, but revealed some early setbacks set him on the path to success.
"Missing '84 was a real kick in the guts and very disappointing, but I'm sure many others have experienced the heartache and hardships that football has," Langford said of his omission from the grand final side that ultimately lost to Essendon.
"But what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and I think you've just got to be honest about what you're good at and what you're not good at and make sure you learn from it. Ultimately that was all part of the journey."
Oakley was the man largely credited with taking a struggling VFL competition and turning it into the thriving pre-eminent sporting code in the country today. He thanked those around him for their support during some tough times early in his stewardship of the league.
Carey, a member of three of Glenelg's SANFL premiership sides, played an Australian record 448 senior games for the club, but was at a loss to explain his amazing longevity.
"I tried to work it out the other day and I think I missed five games through injury and five games through suspension," he said of his 18-year career.
"I just loved footy and I think I was just blessed with strong bones, good tendons and certainly didn't get injured too much."
Former Eagle great and current Gold Coast senior coach Guy McKenna rounded out the star-studded class of 2009 and he singled out current Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse for praise in helping him achieve his potential during his time in charge of the Perth club.
No Legend was elevated this year due to current criteria, to be reviewed for next year's intake, which stipulated the number of Legends will not be more than 10 per cent of all inductees. After Thursday's ceremony there were 227 Hall of Fame members and 22 Legends.
