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.
Dustin Fletcher
Six blokes have played 400 games in V/AFL history. It's a club more exclusive than the Hall of Fame.
The Bombers' great needs to be inducted, simple as that.
But not just for his longevity.
"Fletch" won two premierships, two All-Australian blazers and a best and fairest, in a premiership year. He was a mainstay of Essendon's backline for more than two decades, tussling with two separate generations of monstrous key forwards - Dunstall, Lockett, Carey, Kernahan and Rocca gave way to Fevola, Franklin, the Riewoldts, Brown and Kennedy. And "Inspector Gadget" always held his own.
