AFL Hall of Fame 2022: Matthew Pavlich, Brent Harvey, Jimmy Bartel, Corey Enright and Dane Swan eligible

This year’s Australian Football Hall of Fame selectors’ meeting promises to be the most difficult since its inaugural year. Mark Robinson investigates why they face a real challenge.

It might have been the most difficult meeting for the Australian Football Hall of Fame selectors since the inaugural year of 1996.

This year, the selectors have had the capacity to name five first-year eligible champions to be among the inclusions in the Hall of Fame at a gala dinner on June 14.

The eligible players include Matthew Pavlich, Brent Harvey, Jimmy Bartel, Corey Enright and Dane Swan — all champions of the sport.

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The question is: How many will be included?

Will it be all of them? Will it be four of them?

It promises to be another splendid ceremony because the Hall of Fame will also elevate another player to Legend status.

Last year, deceased players, Merv McIntosh, a three-time Sandover medallist from Western Australia, and Jack Oatey, the legendary coach from South Australia, were elevated to Legend status for their contributions to the game.

The most obvious Legend candidate this year is Jason Dunstall, who kicked 1254 goals and sits third behind Tony Lockett and Gordon Coventry on the all-time goals kicked list.

Both Lockett (2017) and Coventry (1996) are already Legends.

There is no set number of yearly inclusions for the Hall of Fame, but it’s generally about six players plus the Legend.

The AFL announced at its season launch that Bill Dempsey, who is the Sir Doug Nicholls Round honouree this weekend, is one of the inductees.

Dempsey was a superstar ruckman from the Northern Territory who ventured to West Perth and became one of the greats. His story is inspiring.

He said he was born under a tree and grew up in a mission.

Dempsey then went on to play 343 games in the WAFL and won the Simpson Medal for being the best player in the 1969 WAFL Grand Final.

That medal was lost when Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin in 1974. Incredibly, Dempsey said it was found again by prospectors in the opal fields in South Australia and was returned to him many years later.

Dempsey will be one inductee and another confirmed inductee will come from either the media, umpiring or administration fraternities.

So it is possible the selectors will include all five of Harvey, Enright, Bartel, Swan and Pavlich.

Jason Dunstall is one of the game’s all-time goalkickng greats and could be in line to join the likes of Tony Lockett and Gordon Coventry as a Hall of Fame Legend.

But it’s possible only four, or three of them make the cut this year — because selectors in recent years have made a point of recognising champions of the past, alive or deceased, from all over Australia.

In 2011, selectors chose to induct Mark Ricciuto, Michael Voss, James Hird and Nathan Buckley in the one take. Bringing in four modern-day greats at once was unprecedented.

So, five first-time eligible inductees is possible but unlikely.

So who misses out?

If four were inducted, I’d select Pavlich, Harvey, Bartel and Swan, leaving Corey Enright to wait for another year or two.

If three were inducted, I’d select … nup, not going there.

And that’s why the selectors had extremely difficult decisions to make.

The basic criteria for selecting a player to go straight into the Hall of Fame is the player must have an absolute high-level record and be out of the game a minimum of five years.

In recent times, players such as Chris Judd and Simon Black have been automatic entries.

Pavlich, a six-time All Australian and the Dockers’ leading goalkicker in eight seasons, is arguably Fremantle’s greatest player and would be the first player with a full career at the Dockers to be in the Hall of Fame.

Peter Bell (2015) played at North Melbourne and Fremantle.

Other players eligible for the first time this year include Nick Dal Santo and Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney.

Also, this might be the year that Tasmanian champions of the past will be recognised.

Geelong champion Gary Ablett holds equalled the record for most goals in a grand final, booting nine against Hawthorn at the MCG in 1989. He matched Gordon Coventry.

While Dunstall is an obvious selection as a Legend, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be him.

Because the constant debate about whether Gary Ablett Sr should be elevated to Legend status once again will be played out over the coming weeks.

And the selectors might pass on both of them and look at past greats from the SANFL or WAFL.

For what it’s worth, I’d still pass on Ablett.

NOTE: The AFL Hall of Fame selection panel is Richard Goyder (chair), Tania Armstrong, Graham Cornes, Ross Glendinning, Karen Lyon, Alister Nicholson, Michael O’Loughlin, David Parkin and Paul Marsh.

Originally published as AFL Hall of Fame 2022: Matthew Pavlich, Brent Harvey, Jimmy Bartel, Corey Enright and Dane Swan eligible