IMAGINE if, at the absolute peak of his AFL career, Chris Judd decided to stand for state parliament.
It would be a huge story, but one that would polarise the football and general communities.
Carlton supporters would worry that the demands and distraction of the position would impact on his football. Those of the opposite political persuasion to Judd might feel conflicted because politics tends to inflame passions, sometimes as much of football.
That being the case, imagine what it would have been like in 1964, when Brian Dixon announced he was standing as the Liberal Party's candidate for the seat of St Kilda.
Dixon was a champion wingman and four-time premiership player for the Melbourne football club. Later that year, he would play in his fifth premiership.
As the club of choice for the city's business establishment, Dixon's affiliation with the Liberal Party did him little harm. Of course, it might have been a little different had he played for Collingwood or conversely, thrown his lot in with the ALP.
In any event, he was able to combine politics and football because in those days, football was very much a part-time occupation, although we're not sure whether parliament or football training took precedent as the long days in the Legislative Assembly stretched into the evening.
But what is clear is that Dixon was a distinguished performer in football and in parliament.
He joined the Demons from Melbourne High School and broke into the senior side in 1954, the year the Demons played in the first of seven consecutive grand finals. He quickly became a star and something of a ball magnet, even though he wasn't the most accurate or graceful of kicks.
In addition to his five premiership wins with the Demons, Dixon played in 17 finals and represented Victoria on 10 occasions. He was best and fairest in the premiership season in 1960 and won All Australian selection the following season.
He retired at the end of the 1968, but re-emerged in 1971 as coach of North Melbourne, a position he held while also serving as a Victorian state minister. North struggled in his two seasons in charge and in fact, won just one game in 1972.
At season's end, he handed the reins to his former Melbourne teammate Ron Barassi, and within three years, the Kangaroos had won their first premiership.
On the political side, Dixon was regarded as a moderate Liberal and clashed with his party's leader, state Premier Sir Henry Bolte over the death of Ronald Ryan, the last Victorian prisoner to be hanged.
Dixon served in a number of portfolios but is best remembered as the Minister for Youth, Sport and Recreation, which dovetailed nicely with his sporting background. The 'Life Be In it' campaign started in Victoria under his watch.
Over time, Dixon's parliamentary seat became more marginal and like his party, was defeated in the 1982 election.
Within a few months he resurfaced in football as the general manager of the Sydney Swans, a position he held for a bit more than a year.
But he then disappeared off the football scene until he emerged in 1996 as a leading opponent of Melbourne's plan to merge with Hawthorn and become the Melbourne Hawks.
It was Dixon who brought future club president Joseph Gutnick into the fold and while the pair eventually fell out, Dixon's outspoken opposition to the merger is still appreciated by many Demons fans.
In more recent times, Dixon has become something of a football preacher, travelling extensively around the world to promote Australian football and to develop the game at the grassroots level.
In particular he has driven the growth of the game in South Africa and was chairman of Footy South Africa, the body that administered the game until AFL South Arfica was formally incorporated.
Brian Dixon - By The Numbers
252 - games for Melbourne
17 - finals played in
41 - goals for Melbourne
10 - games for Victoria
5 - premierships for Melbourne
2 - years as coach of North Melbourne
