The AFL Hall of Fame is littered with champions of our great game whom, despite their individual accolades, were unable to obtain that Premiership medal awarded to only 22 individuals each year.
Saturday’s Grand Finalists, Sydney and the Western Bulldogs have their fair share of luckless legends. The likes of Paul Kelly, Tony Lockett, and of course Bob Skilton were unable to hoist the premiership cup despite 752 games, 14 Best & Fairests and five Brownlow’s between them, while Bulldogs champions Scott West, Brad Johnson and Chris Grant all enjoyed substantial periods of success without ever standing on the podium come September/October.
Lions all-time games record holder and 1969 Brownlow Medallist Kevin Murray vividly recalled the elusive 1960 finals campaign, where a tightly contested game with Collingwood prematurely ended his dream to play in a Grand Final.
“We were equal top with Melbourne in 1960 and we’d beaten Melbourne at the Fitzroy ground when Len (Smith) was opposed to his brother Norm as coaches,” Murray told Mike Sheehan of Fox Footy.
“(But) when we had to play them (Melbourne) in the second semi on the big oval of the MCG, they just carved us up, and they were a superior team.”
Murray’s missed opportunity of a Grand Final appearance could be narrowed down to the missed moments in Fitzroy’s 1960’s finals campaign, where the Lions miscued to the tune of a combined 12 goals and 28 behinds in the Semi and Preliminary finals.
Despite carrying the disappointment that all players who don’t make the “big dance” possess, Murray said he took solace in the fact that awaiting them in the event of a preliminary final win was Melbourne side who had lost only four games the entire year.
“We played Collingwood in the preliminary final, in a rainy day and mud everywhere on the MCG and they beat us by five points,” he said.
“But we would have never beaten Melbourne if we had gotten there.”
Murray’s prediction may have well been correct as Melbourne snuffed out any chance at a Collingwood premiership, keeping the Magpies to only 14 points in horrid conditions at the MCG.
As the Bulldogs prepare to end their Grand Final drought this Saturday against Sydney, spare a thought for the greats of our game like Kevin Murray, who were never able to display their prowess on the biggest stage of them all, but remember that it’s the rarity and eternal pursuit of the day that makes it such a fixture in not only the Australian sporting calendar, but the Australian way of life.
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