The pair might soon be offering the same piece of advice to Carlton skipper Chris Judd, the 2004 and 2010 medallist and the raging favourite to win the medal for the AFL’s fairest and best again in 2011.
If Judd does become a member of one of football’s most exclusive clubs, he can expect the warmest of welcomes from Stewart.
"If he wins another Brownlow, he will thoroughly deserve it and it would be an honour to have my name mentioned alongside his," Stewart told the Herald Sun.
The former St Kilda and Richmond midfielder, who very briefly coached the Blues in 1978, returned from overseas last week and watched Judd’s brilliant outing against Essendon last week, which many rate as his best for the Blues and among the very best games of his career.
"As the game went on, I starting asking myself, 'Has there ever been a player of Judd's calibre consistently perform such team-orientated deeds'," he said.
"True greats, like Leigh Matthews and Gary Ablett Sr, would tackle when they thought the ball would spill free and they could crumb it for a goal.
"Judd tackles to create a loose ball and set it up for his team. That part of his game, plus his obvious possession, makes him a once-in-a-generation player."
Considering his standing as one of the all-time greats of the game, Stewart keeps a remarkably low profile. So it is incumbent on us all to listen when he does speak, and in this instance, it is hard to argue with anything one great man has to say about another.
WALLS PLAYING GAMES?
The head must have over-ruled the heart when Robert Walls wrote in The Age on Friday that there are several valid reasons why North Melbourne can beat Carlton in the Friday night match at Etihad Stadium.
Walls conspicuously wears his Carlton heart on his sleeve, but believes that Etihad Stadium might suit the Kangas better than the Blues and that the outstanding ruck work of Todd Goldstein and clearance work of Daniel Wells and Andrew Swallow could cause the Blues some problems.
He also expressed concerns about Carlton’s inexperienced backline and its ability to curb the in-form Drew Petrie and also raised the valid question of recent history - North has won seven of its last eight against the Blues.
Of course, knowing Wallsy as we do, the whole point of the exercise might not have been to talk up the Kangaroos, but to provide some bulletin board material for his beloved Blues.
"Not even 'Wallsy' thinks you blokes can win!" For Blues coach Brett Ratten, it is one of the oldest tricks in the book.
PLAYERS PROFILED
The player profiles ahead of the Friday night game in the little paper focus on North’s Aaron Edwards and Carlton’s Ryan Houlihan.
Edwards told the Herald Sun he understands that in footy circles, he is known for three things - speccies, tatts and partying.
But the death of his father Ray on Christmas Eve has led to a changed outlook on life. "Maybe I've just looked at life and taken a step back and taken it a little bit easier," Edwards said. "My dad used to love watching me play football and obviously now he doesn't get to do that. I think about him every now and again and that helps get me through."
"I take things a lot easier now. I focus on playing footy and then have an easy weekend just focusing on the right things.
"I suppose that is a little bit different to the way I approached things when I was younger. Eventually there comes a time when you stop. I'm enjoying it because there are less things to worry about and it's better than getting in trouble."
Over at Carlton, Houlihan joins a select bunch to have played 200 games for the famous club. He told the Herald Sun it was a clear goal of his to reach the milestone when he joined the club in 2000.
He ticks that box on Friday night, having long ticked another, which was to convert his family to the navy blue cause. "My family were all mad Collingwood supporters and were bred to hate Carlton but as soon as I developed a brain and could make my own decisions I jumped off Collingwood.
"The family has done a full circle and now hates the Magpies."
REASON FOR A SHOWDOWN
Contrary to speculation, Sunday’s Showdown at AAMI Stadium hasn’t been cancelled due to lack of interest.
Media Watch is taking the unders when it comes to a crowd of 40,000 for the Adelaide-Port Adelaide clash, but there are still a few reasons to watch.
There is Mark Bickley’s first game in charge of the Crows following the resignation on Monday of Neil Craig and the hint of a slightly more attacking game-plan based on some of the inclusions in the side. And on the other side, it is almost certainly the last showdown for Port champion (and serial irritant) Chad Cornes.
And according to the Adelaide Advertiser, Cornes’s teammates are reporting that Cornes is up for it.
"More so maybe this week than others," said Matt Thomas. "Showdowns are no different to any other games for Chad preparation wise but you can tell his emotion is right up there."
The whole Cornes dynamic has always been fascinating, with Glenelg’s favourite son Graham coaching the Crows, but both his sons turning out to become champions for the Power.
We expect Cornes to go out with a bang, rather than a whimper, with the predominantly pro-Adelaide crowd (it is a Crows home game) egging him on at every opportunity. It should be fun.
HEART OF GLASS
Soon-to-be-retired Western Bulldogs full-forward Barry Hall has told The West Australian that he will miss locking horns with West Coast full-back and skipper Darren Glass. The pair matched-up frequently during 2005 and 2006 when the Swans-Eagles rivalry was the best in the game.
"It was a pretty good rivalry and people who went to those games certainly got their money's worth," Hall said.
"I guess once you got to the last quarter and it was close again, you almost laughed to yourself and it was 'here we go again' a little bit. It didn't matter whether we were playing in Sydney or Perth because even the size of the grounds didn't seem to matter that much, he said.
IN SHORT
North Melbourne coach Brad Scott has rejected a claim by prominent player manager Peter Jess that there are AFL players using performance-enhancing drugs. "I think that is a little naive to make that comment, personally, because from where I sit, it is impossible for a player to get away with it," he told The Australian.
