Could Simon Black be the best player to have ever represented the Brisbane Lions throughout the Clubβs long and proud history?
Itβs a question that will probably be raised among future generations of Lions fans, many of whom will probably only get to hear second-hand the tales of exactly how good the silky midfielder from Western Australia actually was out on the field.
In time he will eventually join Fitzroy greats Kevin Murray and Haydn Bunton as a Legend in the Lionsβ Hall of Fame, and his induction into the AFL Hall of Fame is surely guaranteed as soon as he becomes eligible.
In terms of the Clubβs combined history, the 34-year-oldβs name will rightfully be recognised among the absolute elite.
But Blackβs achievements alone arguably set him aside from the rest:
Games Record
Black leaves the game as Brisbaneβs games record-holder, with his 322 senior matches surpassing Marcus Ashcroftβs previous feat of 318.
He is also one of just four players in more than 100 years of combined history to reach 300 games with the Club, along with Ashcroft, Kevin Murray and Alastair Lynch.
Murray maintains the Clubβs all-time games record with 333.
AFL Premierships
All AFL players strive for the opportunity to play in a premiership, and Black β along with a collection of his former teammates β leaves the game with three!
Only Fitzroyβs Fred Fontaine has played in more premierships in the Clubβs VFL/AFL history. Fontaine played in four VFL flags with the βMaroonsβ in 1898, 1899, 1904 and 1905.
Norm Smith Medal
Black is one of just two players in Club history β along with Shaun Hart β to have received a Norm Smith Medal as the best afield on Grand Final day.
He earned the honour for a stunning 39-disposal performance against Collingwood in the 2003 premiership decider.
Club Champion
Black has three Merrett-Murray Medals to his name β twice in premiership years β but even those monumental achievements donβt do justice to his regular dominance on Club Champion night.
He also finished Runner-Up a remarkable five times, claimed third place in 2004, and finished inside the top 10 in all but a couple of his 16 seasons.
Brownlow Medal
He is one of just nine players to have been awarded the AFL highest individual honour β the Brownlow Medal β along with Murray, Bunton, Allan Ruthven, βDinnyβ Ryan, βWilfredβ Smallhorn, Bernie Quinlan, Michael Voss and Jason Akermanis.
Heβs also polled 184 Brownlow votes over the journey β more than any other player in Lions/Bears/Fitzroy history. He also ranks sixth on the all-time Brownlow votes list.
Not to mentionβ¦
Countless other honours such as being honoured with the Clubβs Captaincy and earning All-Australian honours on multiple occasions.
Whether people see him as the greatest, or simply βone ofβ the greatest, all Lions fans can feel privileged to have been able to cheer on a champion of the game in Simon Black.
Former Lions Senior Coach Leigh Matthews said Black deserves to be remembered as one of the greatest players of the modern era.
"He just got the job done, not by bursting clear of packs with electrifying speed or taking huge marks. He wasn't spectacular and sometimes you had to re-watch a game on tape to fully comprehend his work,β Matthews told The Herald Sun.
"You could miss a lot of his possession live because it was often in close and so quick. In terms of coaching Simon, the only difficult part was trying to prevent him from putting too much pressure on himself.
"He set such high standards for himself and could get disappointed if he didn't meet them.β
Simon the great
Is Simon Black the greatest player to have ever represented the Lions?