Lions honour former champions

The Brisbane Lions tonight inducted 17 inaugural members into the Club’s Hall of Fame in front of a sold out crowd of close to 900 guests at Melbourne’s Crown Palladium, with former Fitzroy champions Kevin Murray and Haydn Bunton awarded immediate ‘Legend’ status.

Murray – the Club’s games record holder and nine-time Best and Fairest winner – and Bunton – a triple Brownlow Medallist – become the first official ‘Lions Legends’.

They join a host of other famous names from Fitzroy, the Bears and the Brisbane Lions, as inaugural members of this exclusive group reserved only for the Club’s absolute ‘best of the best’.

The remaining 15 inductees include: Marcus Ashcroft (Bears/Lions), Fred Hughson (Fitzroy), Nigel Lappin (Bears/Lions), Justin Leppitsch (Bears/Lions), Alastair Lynch (Fitzroy/Bears/Lions), Leigh Matthews (Lions), Jack Moriarty (Fitzroy), John Murphy (Fitzroy), Percy Parratt (Fitzroy), Bernie Quinlan (Fitzroy), Paul Roos (Fitzroy), Allan Ruthven (Fitzroy), Bill Stephen (Fitzroy), Michael Voss (Bears/Lions) and Garry Wilson (Fitzroy).

The Brisbane Lions Hall of Fame was designed to recognise and enshrine the most outstanding players, coaches and administrators from across the Club’s combined 126-year VFL/AFL history.

The Brisbane Lions Board earlier this year established an independent selection committee comprised of four highly respected former Club officials, including Graeme Downie (chairman), Robert Walls, Arthur Wilson and Peter Blucher.

To be eligible for selection, players had to be retired from the game for a period of at least three years, with candidates adjudged on their overall contribution to the Club, as opposed to one specific aspect.

Only a very limited number of individuals will be inducted into the Hall of Fame every two years, with Brisbane set to host the next induction ceremony in 2014.

•  Have a view on this story? Send us your feedback!