Essendon champion Bill Hutchison was officially elevated to legend status on Monday while five newcomers - led by another champion rover from a much later era - have become the newest members of the Hall of Fame.
That rover is Hawthorn’s 1987 Brownlow Medalist John Platten while the other new members of the Hall of Fame are Melbourne’s Irish ruckman Jim Stynes, Footscray’s former games record holder Arthur Olliver, Collingwood stalwart of the 1960’s and 70’s Wayne Richardson and legendary Western Australian coach John Todd.
But it is Hutchison’s elevation to legend status that many would argue is long overdue.
A person can only be elevated to legend status based solely on his playing career and certainly when it comes to on-field achievements Hutchison has few peers in the history of the game.
The man who played 290 games and kicked 496 goals for the Bombers between 1942 and 1957 simply achieved everything during his long career.
He won two Brownlow Medals in 1952 and 1953 but never got to receive the first one.
That was because he was initially beaten on countback by Richmond’s Roy Wright and when the AFL finally acknowledged those players beaten on a countback by giving them retrospective Brownlow Medals in 1989 – Hutchison was sadly the only former player not alive to receive his medal.
And according to the book The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers Hutchison could have even won five Brownlow Medals if not for ‘bad luck and a tendency to argue with umpires’.
Hutchison also finished runner-up in the 1955 Brownlow Medal and was third in 1948 and 1951 and won seven Essendon best-and-fairest awards to equal the record of inaugural legend and teammate Dick Reynolds.
He is the 18th player to be accorded legend status and joins not only Reynolds but another former teammate in John Coleman in receiving such acclaimed status.
Hutchison - renowned for his dazzling pace, ability to read the play, his non-stop running and fine stab-kicking – also played in an astonishing ten grand finals during his long career eventually retiring after the Bombers’ loss to Melbourne in the 1957 grand final.
He played in four premierships in 1942, 46, 49 and 50 and took over the captaincy of his beloved Bombers after Reynolds retired at the end of 1951 until his own retirement in 1957.
During his career he also represented Victoria every year from 1945 to 54 as well as in his final year in 1957.
A quiet man off the field he was so youthful looking when he debuted as a teenager that he was almost kicked out of the Essendon rooms before his first game when a club official mistook him for an on-looker.
Another of the game’s great little men was also honored by the AFL on Monday with the courageous Platten becoming one of five new members of the Hall of Fame.
Platten played 258 games for the Hawks from 1986-97 after the Hawks won a fierce bidding war with Carlton for his services in the days just prior to the advent of the National AFL Draft.
And the Hawks were certainly rewarded as Platten, who already had a big reputation after winning the 1984 Magarey Medal, proved a hit straight away.
He played in a premiership in his first season and followed it up with three more in 1988-89 and 91 and shared the Brownlow Medal with Tony Lockett in only his second season in 1987.
Platten – known as The Rat during his playing days for his fearless playing style and mop-haired appearance, was also one of South Australia’s greatest state players in what was the golden age of origin football.
Of the new inductees into the Hall of Fame it is the deeds of Olliver that date back the longest and may not be as well-known by younger football fans.
However Olliver held the games’ record for the Bulldogs prior to the immortal Ted Whitten, playing 272 games between 1935-50 including a stint as captain and coach in 1943 and 44.
He also won the club’s best and fairest in 1941 in the same year as teammate Norm Ware won the Brownlow Medal and later coached West Perth to a flag.
Of all the new inductees the story of Melbourne ruckman Jim Stynes is probably the most remarkable.
Arriving in Melbourne from his native Ireland he had never played Australian Rules yet turned into the most durable player in the game’s history.
Recruited as part of the Demons’ famed “Irish experiment” in the early 80s, Stynes had great athleticism and skill for a big man having excelled at his native Gaelic Football.
He also overcame the setback of giving away the fateful 15-metre penalty after the final siren in the 1987 preliminary final to enable Gary Buckenara to kick the goal which put Hawthorn into the grand final to go on and play 264 games and win the 1991 Brownlow Medal.
But what is even more remarkable is his effort to play 248 consecutive games – breaking the league record – as he continually backed up from painful injuries to not miss a single game for more than ten years.
Another of the new inductees was also one of the most durable players of his era – former Collingwood skipper Wayne Richardson.
Richardson, the father of current Magpie Mark, played 277 games from 1966-78 winning the best-and-fairest twice and captaining the club for five years after being recruited from Western Australia.
And he was desperately unlucky not to finish his distinguished career with a premiership medallion playing in three losing grand finals in which the Magpies lost by a point to St Kilda in 1966, threw away a 44-point half-time lead against Carlton in 1970 and lost to North Melbourne in a replay in 1977 after leading by 27 points at three-quarter-time in the drawn grand final.
The final inductee is quite simply the biggest modern-day name in Western Australian football.
Master coach and legendary motivator John Todd was also remembered for his legendary commitment to state of origin football in much the same way as Ted Whitten is remembered in Victoria.
Todd was also the first man to coach the West Coast Eagles into the finals series, achieving the feat in 1988, in only the club’s second season in the competition before they unluckily went down to Melbourne by two points in the elimination final.
He is better known at home for winning a Sandover Medal in his first season of football at age 17 and then winning six WAFL premiership flags with three different clubs.
