It’s not often that I side with the person stamping their feet and folding their arms. However, when it comes to North Melbourne’s celebration of their 100-year tenure in the V/AFL, I find myself gravitating more toward siding with the players not attending the function.
I understand it may not be a popular view.
No, this is not a veiled shot at the concerns some have about the celebration of the AFLW premiership. That’s not even on my radar in terms of this. It’s not even about the concerns the players raised (changing the date, the nature of the event being a stand-up gathering). What does concern me, however, is something surrounding the 1975 premiership team.
It is from this team that John Burns and Sam Kekovich hail from, and they are the players who have publicly opted not to attend the event. Their reasons are their own, and if they believe in them, all well and good.
My concern is a little more overarching.
Premiership reunions are common within the league. Every year, there seems to be one team trotting out a ten, 20, or 30-year anniversary dinner to honour the players that have come before them.
I love them – they are a wonderful opportunity for that group of players to reconnect, reminisce, and share the moment again with supporters, members, and others who were connected with the club. The event is about them – they are the star attractions, and rightly so.
Whilst North Melbourne are going one step further, and are hosting an even to honour everyone involved in the club, do the 1975 premiership heroes have a case to feel as though they’ve been pushed to the side a little too flippantly?
This is the team that won the club their first flag – where would the club be without them? Would they have been able to attract further big-name recruits without this success behind them?
Yes, the club is embracing all who have contributed to the cause over the 100 years, but at a time when the club is struggling on-field, and has been for years now, is there not a good argument to honour those who did bring the team its first taste of premiership glory?
As a quick study into premiership reunions, I googled the 1980 premiership reunion.
This was, of course, for the Richmond Football Club – no stranger to success. In a period of uncertainty, with people still in the midst of losing their minds about Covid, the Tigers had to delay celebrations for 12 months, but in 2021, they hosted a dinner for those premiership heroes. A 40-year celebration.
How easy would it have been to scrap it? They could have justified it, but they know what that event meant to the players, and to the club.
In 2023, the Hawthorn Football Club hosted an event to honour those who played in their 1983 flag. Another 40-year get together.
And just last year, it was 50 years after the 1974 premiership for the Tigers. Again for the heroes of ‘73. And Carlton managed it for the 1972 flag-winning side.
They all managed a sit down meal and event prior to a day game, recognising that some players… well, they’re getting on.
No such thing at North, though.
My question to North Melbourne is as follows – and if you’re a North supporter, please, by all means chime in with your thoughts: If this is a “whole of club” celebration, why has there not been a separate function for the heroes of ‘75?
This is possibly the most significant event in the club’s history, and those in charge have made no bones about this event NOT being a premiership reunion.
If this is not a reunion to celebrate the first premiership team, why haven’t you bloody organised one?
I wonder whether they’d have had the guts to pull this shit if Ron Barassi were still with us? Something tells me they may have thought better of it.
Sam Kekovich has been mocked by many who were not even alive when this premiership was won. He’s been called vile, and bigoted, amongst other things I won’t print here. However, whether his own views are right or wrong, he was part of a team that deserves to be celebrated at every single chance the club is afforded.
There will one day come a point where the chance to have players from that team attend events is no longer an option. I reckon when that time comes, several at North would like this time over again.
The administration of the North Melbourne Football Club have dropped the ball, here. I have a lot of time for the club, and I wish them all the luck in the world with their function. However, from the outside looking in, their failure to recognise the magnificent exploits of the 1975 team in the 50th anniversary of their triumph is a tarnish that will be difficult to remove from the gloss of the evening’s events.
You’ve got to respect those who did exactly what the current group now aspires to do.
They paved the road you now walk. Yes, many others have contributed heavily to the club, but I would argue none deserve to be celebrated more than the first to win a flag.
They are owed more than to be pushed to the side as a part of something else. And sadly, North have fumbled what could be the last opportunity to celebrate them as a collective.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
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