Recap the best moments from the speeches during the 2018 AFL Hall of Fame
PUT a bunch of AFL greats and one legend in the same room and give them each a microphone. Then sit back and listen to some of football’s best stories. From nightclubs to fights, sledges and nicknames, recap the best HOF moments.
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PUT a bunch of AFL greats and one legend in the same room and give them each a microphone. Then sit back and listen to some of football’s best stories from years gone by.
That is exactly what happened at the AFL Hall of Fame on Tuesday night, with the likes of Matthew Scarlett, David Neitz, Kevin Sheedy, Kevin Bartlett, Terry Wallace and Wayne Johnston dominating on the mic.
HOF RECAP: HOW THE NIGHT PLAYED OUT
MARK ROBINSON: HOW SHEEDY BECAME A LEGEND
STAR PLOUGH: THE RISE OF TERRY WALLACE
If you missed any of the hilarious moments throughout the event, fear not. Recap all the best bits below.
KB OUTS SHEEDY
Kevin Sheedy and Kevin Bartlett have been friends since they were 10 years of age.
That makes their battles on the football field and in the coaches box even more remarkable.
But as Bartlett explained on Tuesday night, there may have been a couple of sides to his great mate.
“When I was coach of the Tigers we got flogged by the Bombers all the time,” he said.
“After the game Kevin would always turn up in the Richmond rooms to talk about the game.
He’d laugh and he’d joke and talk about how good the Bombers were. In reality, he just came to gloat to an old friend.
“Then the unthinkable happened. We beat Essendon on a cold, wet, windy day at Windy Hill for the first time since Federation. It was a massive upset. I sat in the change rooms until midnight. And he never turned up.”
‘STOP EMBARRASSING THE FAMILY’
Seagulls, scarf waving, Martians and marshmallows.
Kevin Sheedy was never too far away from controversy throughout his career.
But when did he know he’d crossed the line?
“It was worse when my mother rang. ‘Stop embarrassing the family’,” he recalled her saying.
THAT F****** TOE-POKE
Matthew Scarlett’s induction into the Hall of Fame was the perfect opportunity to unleash the toe-poke footage that ultimately won the Cats the 2009 premiership.
But for one former Saint, enough was enough.
Congrats to Matty Scarlett on his induction into the #AFLhalloffame but that #%*$’ing toe poke! One of the greats!
— Sam Fisher (@SamFisher25) May 29, 2018
IN DUCTEE VS INDUCTEE
What happens when a superstar forward and a legendary defender are both inducted into the Hall of Fame on the same night?
We get to recap stories like this from when David Neitz and Matthew Scarlett went toe-to-toe on the big stage.
Imagine what the Match Review Officer would do with this today.
“They were very personal (battles) at times. I remember Neita (Neitz) pulled a big chunk of my hair out one game at the MCG,” Scarlett recalled.
‘I WAS A BIT OUT THERE’
Not only is he a legend for the great ‘I’ll spew up’ coaching line, Terry Wallace is also celebrated for his amazing tan. A year-round tan, in fact.
Now the Hall of Famer has given an insight into how he stayed brown during those cold Melbourne winters.
“I might have been one of the first people to have a solarium in my bedroom in the 1980s. That is probably a story for another day,” he said.
“I wasn’t everyone’s lot. I had the sports car, wore the leather pants, had the all over tan. Some people got it and loved it and for some people it was the opposite of what they understood. At times I was a bit out there.”
WHY WAS HE CALLED ‘THE DOMINATOR’?
If a footballer’s nickname doesn’t come from on-field heroics, Chasers nightclub is probably the next-best place.
Just ask Wayne Johnston, who explained the origin on his ‘Dominator’ nickname.
After a best-on-ground performance for the Blues against Collingwood, Johnston was handed $1500 and hit Chasers to celebrate with his teammates.
“You walk in the front door and of course we get in for free, we don’t pay for anything anyway,” he recalled.
With a new VIP section opening that night, Johnston was the first footballer to gain access. When some of his high-profile teammates wondered what he was doing up there, he replied, ‘I’m dominating. What do you think?’
From that moment on the ‘Dominator’ name stuck.
However, it was his Collingwood foes who would have the last laugh.
“Six weeks on my form wasn’t that good,” Johnston explained.
“The great Tom Prior and Lou Richards said, ‘You know that young bloke at Carlton calling himself the Dominator? Right now he is performing like the lowest common denominator.” Whack!
THAT’S WHAT YOU GET FOR GOING TO CHASERS
Not done with his nightclub stories just yet, Johnston was quick to mention his favourite drinking spot again when thanking his family.
“I have a special group of people. There is 12 of them sitting at table 23,” he said.
“I’ve got four sons over there at the moment and my daughter and I’d like to thank them so much. Deb my first wife and Kate my current wife are both here now. I know it sounds strange boys, but that’s what you get for going to Chasers nightclub sometimes.”
WHAT’S HE DOING HERE?
There is nothing quite like celebrating with an old coach on a night like the Hall of Fame.
But when you have a microphone and they don’t, it is also the perfect chance for a long-awaited square up.
Enter David Neitz to former coach Neale Daniher.
“He’s given me some almighty sprays over the years. I’m not sure what he’s doing here,” Neitz joked.
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Originally published as Recap the best moments from the speeches during the 2018 AFL Hall of Fame