AFL inducts 11 new life members
Oliver Caffrey |
Former Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon and acclaimed Geelong recruiting whiz Stephen Wells are among 11 new AFL life members.
Gordon, Wells and former Norwood player and SANFL administrator Phil Gallagher will be inducted under the ‘special service to the game’ provision.
The other eight new life members – Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge, Gold Coast mentor Stuart Dew, Cats superstar Patrick Dangerfield, retired four-time premiership player Grant Birchall, Richmond maestro Shane Edwards, Sydney veteran Josh Kennedy, as well as umpires Jacob Mollison and Robert Findlay – all automatically qualified after reaching 300 games.
Gordon, who had two highly-productive stints as Bulldogs president, stepped down from the role at the end of 2020, with Kylie Watson-Wheeler taking over.
The 64-year-old played a pivotal role in saving Footscray from merging with Fitzroy in 1989.
Gordon served as president from 1989 until 1996, before returning to the helm in 2012.
The crowning glory came in 2016 when the Bulldogs famously ended their 62-year premiership drought.
Gordon left the Bulldogs having helped transform the struggling suburban club to a strong AFL club on and off the field.
Like Gordon, Wells never played an AFL game but has been one of the most important figures in Geelong’s modern history.
Wells’ record as a recruiting boss since the late-1990s is impeccable, setting the platform for the Cats’ breakthrough premierships in 2007, 2009 and 2011 and their sustained success during the last 15 years.
Paul Briggs, a tireless advocate for First Nations people within the game of Australian Football, was given the Jack Titus award for outstanding service to football as the founding president of the Rumbalara club in Shepparton in northern Victoria.
They will all be inducted as life members at the AFL’s 2022 general meeting in March.
AAP
