AFL champions who didn’t win a premiership reflect on how that affects their legacy

Some players are in the right place at the right time. But then there’s the greats of the game who fail to taste the ultimate success. Mark Robinson asks them: Does not winning a premiership affect your legacy?

They were among the game's greats, but there was one thing missing.

They are among the biggest names in the history of the game.

But they all have one thing in common — they failed to taste premiership success.

EXCLUSIVE: SEE SUPERFOOTY TONIGHT AS ROBBO ASKS PATRICK DANGERFIELD ABOUT HIS FLAG PAIN

As stars such as Cat Patrick Dangerfield attempt to break their flag drought this September, Mark Robinson sat down with some former greats and asked them that key question: Does not winning a premiership affect your legacy?

TONY LOCKETT

St Kilda/Sydney

Games: 281. Goals: 1360.

Brownlow Medal: 1

Premierships: 0

LOCKETT SAYS:

“Everyone thinks about not winning a premiership and at the end of the day that’s what we play footy for. Everything else that comes along with it, that’s fantastic, but it’s all about a premiership. That’s the icing on the cake for everything. I don’t think about it now, because no matter how much you think about it, it won’t change the fact. If you can win one, fantastic, but if you don’t, well, (it’s) bad luck isn’t it? Jason Dunstall won four premierships, just wow, that’s phenomenal. It must have been so great, so unbelievable the years the Hawks won premierships. As I said, that’s what it’s all about. Some are lucky to achieve that and some aren’t and I come under the category that aren’t. I got there, we played one (1996) but we never won, and that’s the way it is. But to be there at 5 or 5.30 on that Saturday afternoon, that would be unbelievable, but unfortunately not everyone can achieve it. S--t happens mate.’’

Gerard Healy marks for the Dees.

GERARD HEALY

Melbourne/Sydney

Games: 211. Goals: 276.

Brownlow Medal: 1

Premierships: 0

HEALY SAYS:

“Umm … (pause) … I’ve always thought I busted my gut as much as I could to get one, but there’s no doubt your CV reads better if you’ve got a premiership in it. I never think about not winning one. Ultimately, I tend not to look back. As Leigh Matthews has often said, these things are often preordained. The difference between me being in the Melbourne zone and me being in the Hawthorn zone was about two years. They changed the zoning. I think the ultimate high is sharing that magical hour, months together and no doubt blokes look back and see it as the pinnacle of their careers. But I don’t consider Nick Riewoldt any less of a player because he was a bouncing ball away from being a premiership player. All I is say, well, would it be nice to have in your CV? Yes, because it means you’ve run that magical lap around the MCG and you’ve seen the view from the top. That’s what we all strive to achieve. A million things happen in footy and that’s the beauty of the sport.’’

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PETER MOORE

Collingwood/Melbourne

Games: 249. Goals: 244.

Brownlow Medal: 2

Premierships: 0

MOORE SAYS:

“I played in five for four loses and draw. It hurts. And you see these guys who play for one of two years and win one. I don’t necessarily rate players just because they played in and won a Grand Final. The game is full of great players who never won a flag. If you were a great player and you played great in a Grand Final, like Dermott Brereton, well, he’s known more for that than a week-in week-out player. To win a premiership and play well would be the ultimate for most players. The ultimate year was Dusty’s year — (he) won the flag, won the Norm Smith, won the Brownlow. But I don’t think a premiership changes your place in the game. Leigh Matthews is not the greatest player who ever played because he won a lot of premierships. He’s the greatest player who ever played because he played great every week almost. So, I don’t know if a premiership does anything to your stature in the game, if you won a flag or not. But it would certainly make you feel a lot better.’’

Matthew Richardson is a Richmond great.

MATTHEW RICHARDSON

Richmond

Games: 282. Goals: 800.

Premierships: 0

RICHARDSON SAYS:

“I think to a certain an extent because at the end of the day that’s what you play footy for. Ultimately, people do judge success on premierships. There is a bit of a void there and I’ve got no doubt other people judge it that way. Working in the media, a lot of my colleagues are premiership players and invariably when you’re sitting around in an airport lounge or at the hotel after a game, when the conversation comes up about premierships you feel like you check out of the conversation a little bit. You feel like you can’t get involved. It does come into your mind when you work in the industry. But after a time, you do get over it. With me, and this might sound ridiculous, but with Richmond winning the flag and (me) being a nuffy supporter, that felt like it sort of filled a bit of the void, even though I had nothing to do with it. Just seeing Richmond win one took away a bit of the emptiness of not winning one yourself. That was a good thing for me. And life’s not too bad is it? I’m working in footy 10 years after I finished playing, and being in my mid-40s, I haven’t too much to worry about.”

Michael Malthouse holds the cup as the Tigers — and Daryl Freame — celebrate the 1980 premiership.

BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE THERE’S ...

DARYL FREAME

Richmond

Games: 17 (over five years). Goals: 5.

Premierships: 1

FREAME SAYS:

“I turned up at the ground on Grand Final day 1980, and most of the players had gone to get changed, so I assumed I wasn’t playing. Then Tony Jewell (coach) sat next to me told me to get downstairs and get changed. That’s how I found out. I came on about 15 minutes to go in the last quarter. I was only 22 and I was over the moon. It’s magnificent to play on the MCG and the crowd was fantastic. If you ask me if I can remember the whole game, I probably can’t. On the ground, you just heard the crowd roaring and cheering. I was just rapt to get a run and touch the ball a few times so I could say I was part of it. It was one of the best days of my life. Even now, and I’m in Perth, Richmond people still remember the Grand Final. I didn’t have a strong VFL career. but I’m rapt I can look back all the time and cherish it. I’m really proud. I’ve still got the video, my two young girls are 10 and 12, they don’t follow footy that much, but they like watching the video and me collecting the medal. I had a bit of luck, but that’s part of the game, I was there at the right time. The medal is in my sock in the shoebox.”

Originally published as AFL champions who didn’t win a premiership reflect on how that affects their legacy