It is arguably the greatest honour that can be afforded somebody involved with the game of Australian rules football.
It signifies excellences, emboldens legacies and rewards influence. It cements a life dedicated to the nation's code as one worthwhile.
From those eligible for the first time, to those unfathomably overdue, we count down those who simply must be enshrined in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
Gary Ablett Jnr.
The greatest player I've ever laid eyes on.
It's his first year of eligibility, and if he's not an immediate induction, get rid of the entire concept.
There isn't a word that carries enough weight to explain the pressure put on this kid to live up to the legacy left behind by his revered father, whose name he shared, no less. And somehow, "The Little Master" did it.
Wizardry as a goal sneak in his early days made way for some of the most prolific ball-winning feats the game has ever seen. "Gaz" holds the record for the most 40+ disposal games, and is one of only nine players to garner 50+ disposals in the code's recorded history.
The "Son of God" won two prestigious Brownlow Medals, and was an unbackable favourite to claim a barely-precedented third before 2014's devastating shoulder injury, that also quelled the Suns' hopes of a maiden finals appearance. He still finished equal third, with 22 votes from 15 games, behind Nat Fyfe (25 votes from 18 games) and winner Matt Priddis (26 from 22).
Ablett won the Leigh Matthews Trophy as the Players Association's Most Valuable Player a ridiculous five times. He was the Coaches Association's Champion Player of the Year thrice, a club best and fairest six times across two clubs, a club leading goalkicker three times and he shares the record for most All-Australian selections, with eight. His cabinet also boasts two premierships, and only the dynastic Tigers and their maestro Dustin Martin stood in the way of a third, in 2020.
Read that CV again. An absolute joke of a player. If he's not an immediate selection, and someday, a Legend, the panel, and the game, is doing it all wrong.
