THE Ovens and Murray has sorted through more than 150 nominations for this year’s Hall of Fame induction night, with committee chairman Ron Montgomery describing the nominations as an “embarrassment of riches”.
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The Hall of Fame was introduced in 2005, with this year’s inductees to be unveiled at a dinner next Wednesday.
Montgomery said it was never easy picking some nominees over others.
“We’ve had more than 150 nominations this year ... there was some lively debate (among the committee) because there was an embarrassment of riches,” he said.
“The first couple of years (of the Hall of Fame), there was some standouts like Rob Walker and Jim Sandral, but there has been a lot of great people involved with the O and M over the years and (choosing inductees) doesn’t get any easier.”
Montgomery said the committee looked at various attributes when assessing candidates.
“We look at the qualities of the person, their achievements on and off the ground, what they did for their clubs and their quality of service to the competition,” he said.
“It’s an all-encompassing package.”
Yesterday, two Hall of Fame members said being inducted was a huge honour.
Corowa legend and AFL Hall of Fame member Sandral, who played in Melbourne’s 1956 VFL flag-winning team against Collingwood, said the honour was significant.
“It is a great honour for your club and the O and M, as well as for yourself,” the three-time Morris Medallist said.
Yarrawonga stalwart Neil Davis said his induction last year was an emotional moment.
“It was a great thrill and it caught me by surprise,” he said.
“The club and my family got a real kick out of it as well — it was (emotional) to have my family and mates there as well as all the past players.”
While the identities of this year’s inductees won’t be revealed before Wednesday, Davis and Sandral yesterday highlighted several worthy nominees, including Noel Long, Jack Jones, Frank Hodgkin, Max Urquhart, Sonny Downs, Glenn Brear, Leo Burke, Ken Ellis, John Ryan, Russell Ednie and Alex White.
Tickets are still available for Wednesday’s dinner, costing $70 and can be purchased by contacting the O and M on (02) 6025 0633.
