He is one player that is universally respected by EVERYONE - players (past and present), coaches, the media and even opposition supporters.
Even when he tears you up on the field - which I’ve experienced first-hand plenty of times with both Adelaide and the Bulldogs - you just can’t help but sit back and admire the bloke.
Like Lenny Hayes from St Kilda or Geelong’s Jimmy Bartel, you’ll never hear a bad word uttered about him - and rightly so.
That sort of ultimate respect is very rare, and is not earned solely because he’s consistently been a superstar of the competition for the past 15 seasons. It’s also about the way he goes about his business.
I think people generally admire Simon Black more than most because he seems like a genuinely humble bloke, who just gets the job done with minimal fuss.
Having now had the opportunity to play alongside him, I can tell you that the ‘perception’ is a reality.
I admit to being almost as excited as a 14 year-old girl at a One Direction concert when I first met Blacky after arriving at the Club during the off-season. And I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
But enough about what a nice bloke he is - he’s also won pretty much every award that’s on offer in the AFL. His resume includes three Premierships, a Brownlow Medal, a Norm Smith Medal, three Best & Fairests, and plenty of All-Australians. Hopefully Browny can lend him a Coleman Medal one day to complete his trophy cabinet.
This week he’ll run out for his 300th game, which is another huge achievement. And at the ripe old age of 33, he’s doesn’t look like slowing down anytime soon.
He might have lost a yard of pace over the years, but his hands are as slick as ever, and his start to the 2012 season has been extraordinary.
Even last Saturday night he returned from a broken hand (after just two weeks mind you) to rack up a lazy 30 disposals and help get us over the line against the Suns.
This Saturday night will be a huge one for Blacky - although he’ll probably just do what he’s done for the past 299 matches, and put all the hype aside and concentrate on getting the job done.
Let’s hope, for both Blacky and the team’s sake, that we can celebrate the occasion in style with a win over the reigning Premiers Geelong at the Gabba.
