GIVEN he wasn't lucky enough to play in a premiership, Doug Hawkins regards his elevation to the Australian Football Hall of Fame as one of the highpoints of his sporting life.
And the champion wingman, who played 350 games for the Western Bulldogs and Fitzroy from 1978-95, will be among the many Hall of Fame members in attendance when a new batch of greats is inducted on Wednesday night in Melbourne.
"(Being inducted) into the Hall of Fame was very important for my three kids, as they don't remember much of me playing footy," the man known as 'Dancing Dougie' told AFL.com.au.
"I think it was great for the Bulldogs supporters, who had followed me since I was 17.
"And, personally, it's one of the great honours. It's pretty good. It's some sort of consolation for not playing in a premiership.
"There's no better thing than to play in a Grand Final, which we weren't good enough and I wasn't good enough to, so I missed that opportunity.
"But a small consolation, I suppose, is to be in the Hall of Fame with the who's who of footy – all the legends, like Bobby Skilton, Kevin Murray and Kevin Barlett and these sorts blokes.
"It's just fantastic."
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Hawkins' selection.
On his big night in 1994, when he was inducted alongside St Kilda and Melbourne great Carl Ditterich and Claremont and Geelong star Dennis Marshall, he captivated the audience with a speech straight from the heart.
"Every football club in Australia has a Dougie Hawkins," he told the gathering of footballing royalty at Melbourne's Regent Theatre.
"He likes a quiet drink, doesn't mind a bit of a flutter on the horses.
"I don't take myself too seriously but I tell you what, when I talk about footy, the game I love, it's about a lot of passion."
Hawkins dedicated much of his speech to his family, including his parents and his wife, Raelene.
He was particularly emotional when speaking about his son Ricky, who had been diagnosed as an insulin-dependent diabetic at the age of four.
"'Greigy' (Keith Greig) was my hero, 'EJ' (Whitten) was my hero but this little bloke is my hero now," Hawkins said.
Ricky, who turns 20 later this year, will accompany his old man to this year's function.
"It will great for the young bloke to come along and see some of the all-time greats and say hello to some of the champions," Hawkins said.
"It will be fantastic for him, and for me, too.
"I like to see the guys I played against in the '70s and '80s. I normally sit with Bernie Quinlan and Barry Round and Robbie Flower, these types of guys I played against and played state footy with.
"We talk about how we're travelling now. It's a great night."
