Shaun Hart was confirmed as a great of the Brisbane Lions on Wednesday night after being inducted into the AFL club’s Hall of Fame.
Hart, 43, was among 10 past Lions players, including fellow premiership heroes Chris Scott, Chris Johnson and Daryl White to be honoured at the Brisbane Convention Centre.
The Hall of Fame aims to recognise the combined history of the Brisbane Bears and Fitzroy Lions after the clubs merged in 1996.
Hart said it was a special occasion, but enjoyed catching up with his former teammates more than anything.
"It’s nice to be recognised in an individual way, but for me nothing is ever going top the premierships, nothing will thrill me more than the memories we achieved together in the early 2000s," Hart said.
"You only get to nights like Wednesday night because of your teammates, all the coaching staff and the people involved in helping us have that success."
“The reality of the night is that Michael Voss, who was elevated to a legend, and all the inductees share something in the common with the current Lions team that is struggling a bit at the moment.
“During a long career there will be tough times, but if you can go through all those hard years and then reach the highs, it makes it so much more satisfying.
“The message to the current Lions team is to stick at it because things can turn around pretty quick.”
Hart was drafted to Brisbane from United at the end of 1989 and retired in 2004 after playing 273 games.
The small running midfielder played in the Lions’ premierships in 2001-03 and received the Norm Smith Medal for his best-on-ground performance in the 2001 grand final against Essendon.
