Congratulations onyour induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame, ‘Dipper’. What doesthis honour mean to you?

RD: It ends the circle of a footballer's life. Itjoins the beginningand the end. When the letter arrived I wasn't home, and my wife Cherylread itto me over the phone and I thought, "Wow, this is actually happening".I don't know how it came about, but I thank them. I've always had a bitof goat my ex-teammates – Dermott [Brereton], Jason [Dunstall], [John]Platten and ‘Ayresy’[Gary Ayres] … because there are a lot of Hawthorn people in the Hallof Fame.So it's great to be amongst those guys as well. Has it hit me yet? I'mverynervous about the situation and excited about the situation? Do Ibelong? Youalways ask yourself, do you belong? It's not your call, but there issomeoneout there who thinks you belong. Once you're a young player and nowhere youare, and there is no bigger honour. I'm absolutely rapt and I hope thatcame across when I accepted the award. There will be a fewdisappointed guys like Dunstall, who think they've got one up on you,but nowI've joined the group.

Can youreflect on your early memories and when you first arrived at Hawthorn?

RD: I was just a young kid in a school uniform who rocked up to Hawthorn,after being invited to play back in 1975. It was a couple of games into theseason and I was 17, playing in the seniors at Kew Amateurs. But I took thepunt and went down and I remember my first walk into Hawthorn. Peter Crimmins,the captain at the time, came up and introduced himself. He gave me a handshakeand said, "Welcome to the club, I think you're going to be here for along, long time". I thought, "That's a big hello". I startedtraining and out I went. In 1975, it was the start of Hawthorn's resurgence.That year Hawthorn lost to North Melbourne,but I remember [John] Kennedy getting everybody together on the list a few dayslater and saying, "Right, this is it. From today we train". We madesure we put ourselves in a position to win the 1976 premiership – and of coursethe guys got up and won that.

Butyour first premiership was in 1978, when you were regarded as best on ground(it was a year before the Norm Smith Medal was awarded). Was that your mosttreasured flag because it was your first?

RD: Who would've thought that three years after joining the club you'dbe playing on the MCG against North Melbournein the Grand Final? That's what you play for and it happened fairly quickly,but who was to know we'd have a great side and club over the next 15 years.You're first one is always memorable because you never know if it's going to beyour last. But we ended up playing seven in a row and we lost a couple, but wewon more than we lost, which was the main thing.

Andyour last premiership in 1989 was one of the most famous Grand Finals of alltime. It was eventful for you personally, as you played with broken ribs and apunctured lung – can you reflect on that?

RD: I know it's hard to believe, but I haven't really sat down andwatched it. I've seen highlights of it, of course. It's amazing that, out ofthe 240 games I played, I don't remember a lot of them. I don't remember everygame and every kick. Some players do and some players don't. I know Dunstalldoesn't remember much and Dermott remembers most. Even though we'd achieved alot of things, we had never won back-to-back flags until ’88-’89. It was anopportunity to create history, and history shows we won that game.

And there was no way known I wasn't goingto come off the ground with my mates. I was in hospital for a little while [dueto the broken ribs and punctured lung], but the focus was on the game. JohnnyPlatten was knocked out and Gary Ayres had a torn thigh and Dermott gotflattened early in the game and then took an awesome mark after spitting bloodout. And for the Geelongside, "Buddha" Hocking got a broken jaw and Gary Ablett kicked ninegoals – it had everything.

Individualaccolades included being a three-time All-Australian, Australian and Victorianrepresentative and of course a Brownlow Medal in 1986, when you tied with GregWilliams. Was the Brownlow the biggest individual highlight?

RD: Playing footy is the highlight. Playing is the exciting side of it. Butwinning premierships or being involved with a group of guys when you knowyou're going somewhere – they don't just become teammates, they become friendsforever. But now as a Brownlow Medallist – I get introduced as a BrownlowMedallist – you're very honoured to be among the players who have won thisgreat award. It's like being inducted into the Hall of Fame. It's a greathonour.

Whatdid representing Australiaand Victoriamean to you?

RD: Every time you put a footy jumper on I was excited. I played 99games in the reserves for Hawthorn – so I was disappointed 99 times – but whenI played for Hawthorn seniors it was exciting, and then to be elevated to statefootball was exciting again. I played with Terry Daniher and Tim Watson and gotcoached by "Sheeds" [Kevin Sheedy] and Billy Goggin. To also playwith your own teammates, such as Dermott, Russell Greene, Russell Morris or"Mewy" [Chris Mew], was great fun. And then to go overseas and play InternationalRules – the friendships you make from that are awesome. They are lifelongfriendships. But being involved in International Rules for 20-odd years, thepassion that the players give it and the Irish boys give it, makes it a greatgame – in front of 87,000 people at CrokePark. It's exciting.

Fora player who retired in 1991, you've maintained a high profile in the game andin the media. Do you enjoy that side of it as much as playing?

RD: I miss playing, but no, I don't crave it. I was very spoilt as aplayer – my God! But what spoilt me even more was going from playing tocommentating on the ground and creating the boundary rider. You become close topeople and the players. I've played in seven Grand Finals in a row and commentatedfor 15 Grand Finals in a row. I've also been in the middle of the MCG on AnzacDay and Queen's Birthday and with Essendon, Collingwood and Melbourne sharing theirday as well. Every club's got something to stand for.

Doyou consider yourself a role model, a footy cult figure or both?

RD: I love being a role model, if I'm a role model, but I do get myselfin trouble. I try to do a lot of good things, however. Not just myself, butevery AFL player – past, present and future – can stand up for something. We'renot brain surgeons, we're not heart surgeons, and we don't keep people alivephysically. But mentally and emotionally that's what footballers do. Peopleadmire us because they love barracking for us. It's the barrackers who love whowe are.

Whatis the best thing you have taken away from footy?

RD: Coming from Hawthorn teaches a lot of things. It teaches loyalty andto be honest with yourself. If you know where you're coming from, you know whereyou're going, and if you embrace Hawthorn, Hawthorn embraces you. Back in theearly days, when you're bulletproof, it doesn't mean much. But, my God, to becoached by John Kennedy, David Parkin, Allan Jeans and Alan Joyce – you've gotfour people who are like your fathers. They're not just coaches, they're life-changingpeople. And they believe in you and you believe in them and you go down thispath of winning a game of footy.

Andas an extension of that, who have been the most influential people on yourcareer?

RD: I'm got a great family. My wife Cheryl and I have known each othersince we were 14 years of age, so she's been through every game and she keepsyour feet on the ground. My children, Dylan and Candice, haven't seen a lot ofDad because he's been on the road travelling, but they've grown up to be twoterrific, well-balanced children. They know what I've done in the past as faras the sacrifices you make, but football is all-consuming. It consumes a lot ofpeople.

To view the 2007 AFL Hall of Fame inducteesvideo highlights, click here