In front of a crowd more than 600 at the Melbourne Park Function Centre, the retiree offered his highly regarded number seven to upcoming star Jack Ziebell.
“Jack, I don’t know if you want it mate…but my number seven is yours.”
After 306 games, Simpson will be remembered at one of the club’s greatest ever players and his gesture to hand over the coveted number seven to Ziebell was well received on the night.
"It's an amazing honour and I’d liken it to when Michael Firrito received Archer’s number eleven,” Ziebell told kangaroos.com.au.
“I couldn’t quite believe it when Simmo offered it to me, it was totally unexpected but I will wear it with pride.”
Jock Spencer and Dean Laidley also wore the number seven at stages throughout their careers and now North Melbourne fans will wait for round one of 2010 for Ziebell to become the next Kangaroo to have it on his back.
