SIMON Black was not flashy. He was not fast. He was not especially strong. He didn't have a long kick or even kick spectacular goals. But don't let that fool you.
In a career forged away from the Melbourne media spotlight, Black sits comfortably alongside any midfielder of his generation – and maybe above them all.
What the now-retired 34-year-old Brisbane Lion marvel did have was poise, class and an ability to win games almost unnoticed.
Even his long-time coach and the player of the 20th century, Leigh Matthews, said he would often have to watch match replays to recognise Black's influence.
For oppositions it was death by a thousand cuts rather than one sledgehammer blow.
No doubt the left-footed West Australian will end up in both the Brisbane Lions and AFL Hall of Fame.
Not bad for a skinny kid, recruited from East Fremantle with pick No.31 in the 1997 National Draft, who thought he might play two years with the Lions and return home.
At 185cm, he was about your average height for a midfielder and his 81kg frame was not particularly imposing.
But Black's nose for the ball, strength at the contest, ability to rove a ball on the move, to find a teammate in space with a lightning handball or hit a forward – usually Alastair Lynch, Jonathan Brown or Daniel Bradshaw – with a perfectly weighted pass was almost unrivalled.
Brown found it easy to find a place in Lions' history for his long-time teammate.
"In our club he's obviously in the top rung with Michael Voss and 'Bulldog' (Kevin) Murray," Brown said. "They're certainly the top rung of all-time Lions players.
"Just an amazing player for someone that wasn't blessed with a lot of athletic talent as far as his speed goes.
"His composure under pressure was amazing. His vision was as good as anyone that's played the game - up there with Greg Williams."
Black shared some of the greatest rivalries in the game over the past 15 years with his running battles against taggers Brett Kirk and Kane Cornes always memorable.
It's a mark of the player and man that both opponents – who fought and clawed and scrapped against Black for so many years – are two of his biggest admirers.
But where does the quietly-spoken Lion stand in AFL history?
Stats alone paint a pretty picture, yet somehow still don't do him justice.
He played a club-record 322 games, was a big part in three premierships, won a Brownlow Medal in 2002, a Norm Smith Medal in 2003, was a three-time club champion and a three-time All Australian.
"When you're hitting that level (Hall of Fame) of player, you can start splitting hairs on the quality in that group, but it's a very rare breed of player," new Lions coach Justin Leppitsch said.
Brown's comparison of Black to Williams is a good one. The Sydney Swans and Carlton champion was also not blessed with blistering pace, but like Black after him, had sublime hands and was quicker between the ears than most when it came to all matters football.
Black was Mr Perpetual Motion, always on the move, reading a ruckman's hand before most others. He was one step ahead of his teammates and two ahead of his opponents.
In the past two decades there's been a host of midfielders to have played more than 250 games and won at least one Brownlow.
Black, Williams, Michael Voss, Nathan Buckley, Mark Ricciuto, Shane Crawford and Ben Cousins all won one, while Gary Ablett, Chris Judd and Robert Harvey doubled up.
Jimmy Bartel (249 games) and Dane Swan (219) will also end up in that category one day, while Adam Goodes and James Hird mixed their midfield roles with time elsewhere.
That's a special list of players and as Leppitsch said, you're splitting hairs to separate such champions, but Black's quiet nature means he can be easily overlooked.
Ablett and Judd are generally accepted as the best of this generation, with their ability to burst from stoppages and single-handedly change the course of games.
Then the race gets tight. Buckley, Ricciuto, Voss and even Williams were dominant characters who used their force of will to influence contests.
Crawford and Cousins were wonderful movers in space, great athletes with enormous endurance bases that excited crowds.
Then there are the Harvey and Black types: those who quietly accumulate disposals, win clearances and set up goals when you're not watching.
Black was part of the vaunted Fab Four at the Lions with Voss, Jason Akermanis and Nigel Lappin during their premiership years.
It was easy to get lost amid such a great quartet, yet he was named club champion in those first two premierships.
While Black's ranking among those champions can be debated, his legacy is secure.
The humble boy from WA not only helped put the sport on the map in Queensland, he etched himself as an all-time great player and all-time great person in the process.
THE BEST OF BLACK
Grand Finals
2001: Black might not have dominated his first Grand Final appearance, but he announced himself as a big time performer with a crucial role in the Lions' first flag win over Essendon. The most crucial of his 15 disposals came just prior to half-time with the Lions trailing by 20 points to a rampant Bomber. Black found himself in space and put a trademark left-footed arrow pass on the chest of Alastair Lynch. Lynch went back and kicked the goal on the stroke of the main break, reduced the margin to 14 and the Lions entered the sheds with some belief that they carried into a decisive third-quarter surge.
2002: Just five days after winning the Brownlow Medal, Black shook off any hangover from his own individual glory with a strong showing in a tense nine-point win over Collingwood. With his team trailing mid-way through the second term, Black was on the end of a supreme hard-ball get and handpass from Michael Voss to slot a 40m goal that brought the Lions back into the contest. He finished with 22 disposals and walked off the MCG that cold day with a second premiership medal.
2003: Undoubtedly the best game of his glittering career. Black sliced Collingwood apart with 39 disposals to win the Norm Smith Medal and lead the Lions to their hat-trick of premierships with a 50-point romp over the Pies.
2004: Black's performance mirrored that of his teammates as the Lions sought a fourth straight flag. The champion midfielder was well-held by long-time rival Kane Cornes who kept him to just 15 disposals in the 40-point loss against Port Adelaide. It was a rare quiet day on the big stage for Black.
The pinnacle
2002 Black reached his greatest heights as a player in his Brownlow year, even making his captain Michael Voss play second fiddle. Voss was already established as one of the game's best and fellow Fab Four member Jason Akermanis was the reigning Brownlow medalist, yet somehow Black outshone everyone in another premiership year. He had more disposals in other seasons – he averaged 23.5 for his 25 matches – but to win a best and fairest in that calibre during a premiership year leaves little doubt this was his crowning achievement on a personal front. He was now demanding taggers' attention on a regular basis and stamped himself as one of the game's pre-eminent midfielders. Black held his incredible standard for many more years. His feat to finish runner-up in the Brownlow in 2007 and 2008 in teams that missed the finals was equally remarkable.
His finest moment
In a glittering career that yielded so many accolades, the 2003 Grand Final stands head and shoulders above any other. Black had 39 disposals, 25 of them contested. He also had nine clearances, nine tackles and iced it with a goal. The Lion with the next most disposals that day was Shaun Hart (21). Black is his usual humble self when reflecting on this performance, but said it was the most "pure enjoyment" he had on a football field, with the Lions well in control for most of the second half against Collingwood. It was a virtuoso performance on the game's biggest stage.
