Matthew Pavlich

In mid-June, the AFL held their annual Hall of Fame function with eight new inductees and one previous inductee elevated to Legend status. The Legend elevation was the late Port Adelaide Magpie (SANFL) centerman Russell Ebert, who was also recently named as Port Adelaide's greatest ever player. Ebert is the 32nd player to be named a Legend. He passed away in 2021, and the award was accepted by his widow Dian.

The eight new inductees represented not only the AFL, but the state leagues and Tasmania. They are Terry Cashion, Bill Dempsey, Mike Fitzpatrick, Brent Harvey, Matthew Pavlich, Michael Taylor, Ted Tyson and Nicky Winmar.

The Inductees:

RUSSELL EBERT - elevated to Legend status

 by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

The highly decorated, 15-year, 305-game career of Geelong champion Jimmy Bartel has come to an end with Bartel announcing his retirement during the October trade period. While Bartel said he felt he had more to give, he "understood the bigger picture" and respected the direction in which the club wanted to move.

Chris Kowald reporting for AFANA from Domain Stadium Perth, Australia

In an emotional farewell to Fremantle’s greatest ever player, Matthew Pavlich, the Dockers rose to the occasion to defeat the determined Western Bulldogs by twenty points.

Pavlich played his final and 353^rd game by picking up twenty possessions and taking ten marks (catches). However, the only statistic that really mattered to the Fremantle faithful was the goal that Pavlich kicked in the fourteenth minute of the first quarter.

Chris Kowald reporting for AFANA from Domain Stadium, Perth.

In the clash of the two port teams, the Fremantle Dockers showed more desire for the ball than Port Adelaide. Port, a team that has promised their fans so much in recent years, have stumbled when they were within touching distance of the top eight.

The Dockers are suddenly among the league's hottest clubs trying to erase memories of the worst season start in club history.

Chris Kowald reporting for AFANA from Domain Stadium Perth, Australia.

It took eleven weeks of hard work, but Fremantle finally have their first win on the board for 2016. Their opponents, the Essendon Bombers, tried gallantly all game. But on a fine cool night, where the wind was not a factor, the Dockers were able to pinpoint most of their attacking kicks to telling effect.

Chris Kowald reporting for AFANA from Domain Stadium, Perth, Australia

In a prize fight between two of last year's contenders, shown live across the USA on Fox Sports 1, the West Coast Eagles have left a battered Fremantle reeling on the ropes.

For the first ten minutes the two teams pushed and probed defenses, but neither could score effectively. Fremantle adopted the more defensive stance as their midfielders missed early targets, and gave West Coast's talented group of Luke Shuey, Matt Priddis and Andrew Gaff opportunities to launch seven of the first ten first attacks. 

Rick Browner reporting for AFANA from Domain Stadium, Perth

Fremantle secured the Minor Premiership (top position on the Ladder) for the first time in club history with a relatively easy win over the Melbourne Demons in the penultimate round of the home and away (regular) season.

The Dockers' ride to the Finals looked decidedly wobbly after they dropped their last two games and they needed to stamp their authority on this outing to secure the top rung. They did that well and truly with five first quarter goals, followed by another six in the second quarter before Melbourne scored their first for the match.

Rick Browner reporting for AFANA from Domain Stadium, Perth

The Fremantle Dockers gradually wore down a determined Great Western Sydney Giants unit to go six premiership points clear on top of the AFL Ladder at Domain Stadium in their Round 18 clash.

The Dockers didn’t have the game all their own way and the gutsy Giants were in the contest right to the end.

Fremantle was on the scoreboard early with goals to David Mundy and Michael Walters who were both in scintillating form.

Rick Browner reporting for AFANA from Domain Stadium, Perth

It wasn’t until the final quarter that the Fremantle Dockers put the screws into a win against a determined Brisbane Lions outfit in their Round 14 clash at Domain Stadium. The rain didn’t help with the standard of the match, but it did even up the contests between the

top team and the bottom team. When the sun came out and the showers waned after three quarter time the Dockers got to work and managed to do enough to defeat the gallant Lions.