The eight new inductees and Alex Jesaulenko, who was elevated to legend status, were all presented with plaques to commemorate their rise into the elite ranks and then interviewed by veteran commentator Tim Lane as part of their acceptance speeches.
The following is a collection of the highlights from those speeches.
Alex Jesaulenko
“I am very honoured and I am very grateful,” Jesaulenko said before going on to thank his wife, coaches Ron Barrassi and Tom Hafey.
“To all the players that I’ve played with, to all the players I’ve played against, to all the players I’ve coached and to the friends that I’ve made through football: you are all part of this award that is bestowed on me tonight. Thank you all.”
Q: You always made it look so easy on the field; was that how it felt?
Jesaulenko: “In the early days when you’ve got a fella like Ronald Dale Barrassi [as a coach] and you’re coming from the country, it was a completely different change of life. I had to learn how to get over the excitement of the game and without getting too emotional about it.
“I came from the ACT -- a country boy coming to the big smoke to try his luck. And here is this raging, serious man demanding excellence and perfection, and I knew if I didn’t take this game seriously and I didn’t want to be the very best, I’d be in a lot of trouble.
“I remember playing in the 1968 Grand Final and running out onto the football field and my legs felt like lead and I couldn’t run and I was wondering why. But I had probably played that game two or three times before I went out there in my mind. After that I learned that I had to chill out before playing games, so I’m sorry Ronny after two seasons I didn’t hear a word you’d said.”
Gavin Brown
“The Collingwood Football Club has been my life really since 1984 when I went down there and I’ve been there ever since. It’s been over 20 years and it’s just shaped and moulded my life completely and I’m just so grateful to all the people at Collingwood from my teammates right through to the administration. It’s just been a massive part of my life and I really don’t know where I’d be [without it].”
Q: You were knocked unconscious but managed to come back onto the field in the 1990 Grand Final. What are your memories of that day?
Brown: “Luckily I remember the start and the finish which are probably the two best memories with a bit of video to help for the middle part.
“I have very vivid and fond memories of the build-up to the game and then the end of the game; it was obviously a fantastic day not only for myself but … the footy club having had such a long dry spell. That was my greatest moment obviously in my football career.”
Garry Hocking
Q: You had a brilliant career, but were unfortunate to play in four losing Grand Final teams. Does that leave with any sense of being unfulfilled?
Hocking: “My wife thinks I’m a really good-looking bridesmaid.
“At the end of the day when you come to events like this it doesn’t matter if you’ve played in flags. It would have been fantastic to have been able to do that for Geelong and the people of Geelong and our sponsors and supporters. But I think when you look at awards like this, if you miss out on those team things or individual awards then a night like tonight can give you some closure on your career.
“On one hand it would have been nice, like a lot players in the room to go through what they did and experience holding the cup up. But on the other hand I think my career’s fully fulfilled through tonight, but also through the way I approached my football.”
Glen Jakovich
“I was a great fan of the players that I played with. When Peter Matera got inducted a few years ago I was really rapt and then Kempy last year and to be part of that group is pretty special. Hopefully a few blokes from that group [that played in the nineties] can get in too.
“I certainly learned a lot being an apprentice at a very young club and [was thankful] to be involved and play in that era. But something like tonight is the icing on the cake.”
Q: You played State of Origin football for Western Australia at a young age. Tell us about your first match against Victoria.
Jakovich: “We were playing at the WACA and I came on midway through the first quarter and Ron Alexander, our coach, said to go out and play on Stewart Loewe at centre half-back.
“I looked behind me and there was a guy by the name of Tony Lockett, and on either side of him was Gary Ablett and Dermott Brereton, so I said ‘I’m not backing into any packs today’. To the right of me was Tim Watson and Gavin Brown on the other side; it was a great introduction to representative footy.
“I was so proud to be able to get my first representative jumper and as the game finished Gary Ablett walked past me and asked me if I’d swap jumpers with him and I said no which was not a smart move for a 17-year-old.
“I did pack my first jumper in my bag tonight and if he wants to swap, I’d be more than happy.”
Tom McArthur
“I thank AFL Queensland for nominating me and I feel very, very, very proud to represent AFL Queensland and the AFL Queensland Umpires’ Association in the Hall of Fame.”
Q: You hold the record for most senior games umpired in Australia at 502. Tell us how you came to be an umpire.
McArthur: “A tree stopped us and I put my head through a windscreen [early in my playing career]. I went to the footy that weekend and opened the record up and saw an advertisement about a shortage of umpires. I thought that’ll do me, I’ll umpire for the rest of the season and play next season … 30 seasons later I retired as an umpire.
“Umpiring gives you the best seat in the house. You hear the fans yell ‘in the back’ or ‘holding the ball’, but when you’re out there in the centre and you think it’s holding the ball or in the back you blow the whistle and you’re opinion counts.
“You don’t get paid to be popular. The reason umpires get paid is because of the abuse and the abuse isn’t all that difficult; it’s the same year after year.”
Geof Motley
“I’m a bit embarrassed when I look at the list [of Hall of Famers] that’s been rolling over here [on the screen]. At my age I’ve seen most of these guys play and now that I’ve moved into the zone of nearly dropping off the perch, I’m glad they made the decision at this point in time.
“I always followed Port Adelaide and was always ambitious about being good enough to make it into the League side in those days and when I did make it I thought that was my proudest moment. But to top it off with this situation tonight is beyond belief; I’m extremely honoured and proud.”
Q: Legendary Port coach Fos Williams once said that the first name he thought of when asked to name the player who provided confidence and loyalty at Port Adelaide was Geof Motley.
Motley: “I think its marvelous of Fos Williams [to say that] because I had a huge respect for Foster. He was the only person that ever coached me other than myself for those three years, but I think Fos was better at it than I was.
“Fos was a bloke who I see as probably the greatest leader by example of any person I’ve ever seen on the playing arena. To get an accolade like that from Fos means an enormous amount to me personally.”
Noel Teasdale
Q: You suffered a terrible head injury in 1964 after a clash with Ken Dean, but went on to play some of your best football in the years following that. Tell us a bit about it.
Teasdale: “The best years I had at North Melbourne were after he did that to me in a tackle at the Arden St Oval, which meant that I had to wear a head guard for the rest of my playing career.
“It was called a depressed fracture of the sinus bone. Kenny Dean and I saw a Melbourne player by the name of Barrie Vagg, we both had an opinion abut him that he was probably a bit soft and if you hit him hard we would take him out of the game.
“So we both dived at Barrie on a half-forward flank and unfortunately Kenny put his head the same side as me and hit me right in the middle of the forehead. It was a pretty scary thing. I put my hand up after feeling the pain and I thought ‘bloody hell those lumps came up quickly’ not realising it was a depressed fracture.
“The ambulance ride to the hospital was pretty slow, I presume because they thought there could have been some [brain] damage done. There’s a lot of people I’ve known since that have said there was some damage done that day.”
Des Tuddenham
“It’s a wonderful thrill and I must thank the AFL Commission and the selectors for choosing me this year. It’s a very special year – 150 years of football – and in our great Australian game there is nothing better to stand here tonight in front of this wonderful audience is … just a really, really wonderful experience for me.
“I say to the players here that will be representing Victoria on Saturday night ‘its one of the greatest thrills of your life to put that big V on and run down the race and play our great Australian game -- it’s just fantastic’.”
Q: Tell us a bit about how you came to be at Collingwood.
Tuddenham: “I barracked for Collingwood all my life they helped me come to Melbourne to play. I had a lot of clubs chasing me, Carlton and South Melbourne [to name a couple], but at the end of the day I did want to play for Collingwood and my goal was always to play and do well for Collingwood. I was fortunate to sign with them in 1962 and played my first game with Murray Weideman alongside me as captain … and Peter McKenna and others.
“To be part of that group was just fantastic. It was great to play for Collingwood because they were always in my heart; Bobby Rose was my idol as a kid.”
Kevin Sheedy
“I think the game really just introduced me to my own country. The one great thing about football is that it has actually introduced me to my own country. I’ve fallen in love with Australia and I don’t have a problem with that at all.”
Q: You enjoyed a lot of success as a player before going on to be one of the game’s great coaches. What did you enjoy more?
Sheedy: “[Coaching was] better. Playing you can actually just hit and smash and you knew what you were doing … it was all fun. When you actually get out there and you’re men and players who are just happy with a bit of fun, you want to nail a few if you can.
“I had to [change with the game]; life changes you. The game has changed and it’s a magnificent game and I was just so fortunate to be a part of it. I started watching football at Faulkner Park when 4,000 people watched hotels play against each other, so that’s a lot different form where we are today.
“All of the clubs have really combined to make the AFL [what it is] … all the clubs and all the administrators have been marvelous in their vision for where they’ve taken the game."
