I think when we get older, we reflect often, and we think of the luck we had and how fate sometimes takes you on a journey which ends up shaping your life (and in this case shaping the lives of many others - including myself).
One of the luckiest things I had was the privilege of sharing the locker room, playing my whole career and having the best view from the centre square of arguably (along with the great Barrie Robran) the greatest footballer ever to play the game in SA.
So, it is a rare privilege indeed to be asked to formally introduce the elevation of Russell Ebert to Legend status of the Australian Football Hall of Fame
A country boy, Russell came to Port Adelaide in 1968 (over 50 years ago now) and he had an immediate impact with his prodigious talent. He loved the game and like many great players was well ahead of his time - I think even in the very different game of AFL today, Russell would have dominated.
He prepared with a dedication way advanced of that era. He committed himself utterly to the perfection of his skills, was successful, driven, determined and hard, yet so fair, never straying outside the rules as many of his time often did, particularly those trying to slow him down or lessen his influence. And there were plenty of those.
But Russell - he played with a real independence of spirit, and he inspired all of us around him to be the best we could be. While he was strong, super talented and hard, he was admired by all his opponents (and I know, the supporters of other clubs) as scrupulously fair – he had no time for scragging and fighting back – his goal was to be the best. He set the standard at Port Adelaide.
As teammates, we all saw and marvelled at Russell’s preparation and his rehab (particularly if he was injured as he rarely missed a game) – he was so much better and more professional than the rest of us. For a midfielder, he was an amazing high mark consistently taking pack marks where he would flatten packs and take bodies with him, outmuscling and beating taller opponents in the air and he fed many of us with his deft skills honed by practice and persistence.
Attacking handball, was just coming into the game in SA in the late 1960s, because of the Victorian influence and what our own local SANFL team Sturt was doing under the great Jack Oatey, Russell made the overhead handball a weapon in the 1970’s and 80’s before its time.
Russell is the most individually decorated player in SA football history, an unmatched four Magarey Medals as the best player in the competition, a club record six best and fairests, a club record games’ tally of 392 games, 29 state games when those matches were the pinnacle, a triple premiership player, South Australia’s Sports Hall of Fame and SA’s Local Hero in the 2021 Australia Day Awards – the latter as he bravely fought his illness during 2021 without complaint.
And towards the end of his decorated playing career (being past 30 years of age) Russell spent a year with North Melbourne in 1979 for a taste of the VFL to match his skills with the best in Australia. He had his family and his business here in SA, so he opted to fly-in/fly-out on a Thursday for a single weekly training session before the Saturday’s game.
He still led Kangaroos for that season in possessions, finished on the podium in the best and fairest, and then headed back to Alberton.
During the early 1980’s back in SA, Russell Ebert’s game and influence on the ground in football in SA was total. The shy lad from Loxton and later, Waikerie, with the sharp sense of humour then embarked on a coaching career back in the SANFL giving even more back to the sport he loved post hanging up his boots.
And beyond that he gave even more.
For the last 25 years I have seen him close hand working as a leader in his role at the Port Adelaide Football Club running the Power Community Programs. Connecting youth, the disadvantaged, helping the disabled and the sick through the power of AFL football, I rate Russell’s contribution to others in his time post playing as the equal to his unmatched on-field prowess and his many awards.
So, as you see, Russell was deeply caring of others, probably stemming from having grown up one of six children in the Riverland of SA, a place and a country lifestyle he was always drawn back to and a community that proudly called him local.
Indeed, Russell was a legend in very many ways.
He has a beautiful family and Dian and his children are here tonight to celebrate this well-deserved (and unfortunately posthumous) honour. His death late last year was mourned by thousands across football, particularly at his beloved Magpies, but mourned too by the countless numbers he touched with his charity and community work across a lifetime, and his quiet leadership for people to strive to be their best selves.
For the Port Adelaide Football Club, the reason we strived to get into the AFL competition was because we wanted to prove ourselves and play on the biggest stage against the biggest clubs in Australia. This award to Russell says to the football world that our best player ever is on the podium with the best players to ever play.
It is a privilege to formally introduce the elevation of Russell Ebert to the 32nd Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
