The tributes have flooded in for Russell Ebert over the past few days.
The South Australian legend passed away aged 72 last Friday after a battle with leukaemia.
Almost everybody who crossed paths with Ebert, a Port Adelaide great, has a story to tell about him.
What some may not remember is the sole season he played in the VFL with North Melbourne in 1979.
Greg Phillips, who played with Ebert in the late 1970s and early 1980s at Alberton, recalls how Ebert would fly in and out of Melbourne on a weekly basis to don the royal blue and white stripes.
“He had his job (sports store) and he used to fly out every Thursday and come back on the Sunday,” Phillips said on SEN Drive.
“Port Adelaide supporters really followed him and wanted him to do well going over there. I believe he won all the stats and the most possessions in the year that he was there.
“It was a really good effort. I suppose he was one of those players that the Victorians really wanted to see the best of him.”
Ebert did indeed pick up the most disposals for the Kangaroos that year, amassing 534 from 25 games at an average of 21.36.
In that one and only season at Arden Street, he would finish third behind Gary Dempsey in the Syd Barker Medal as the Roos played in the Preliminary Final.
Andy Maher asked what he could have achieved if he came over from Adelaide a bit earlier.
“He came over at (the age of) 30,” Maher said.
“It was quite a remarkable journey over. He only played the one year in ‘79, they made the prelim, he played every single game, ran third in the best and fairest and he was done at the end of it.
“Had he come over at 25, what would he have done to the VFL?”
Phillips, who similarly came to Melbourne to play 84 games for Collingwood in the 80s, knows what it takes to succeed in both competitions so is well-versed to pass judgement on Ebert’s brief stint in the VFL.
“It’s easy for me to say because I love the guy. I reckon he could have easily won a medal over there,” he added.
“To fly over and back all the time and then to try to perform would be super hard, not being involved with the players during the week. So to finish third in the best and fairest for North Melbourne, that’s just a credit to himself.
“I really don’t think the Victorians saw the best of Russell there.
“I just wish he did go a little bit earlier and his name would have been right up there in lights.”
Following the 1979 campaign, Ebert returned to Port Adelaide where he would play until 1985, coaching from 1983 to 1987.
He won three SANFL premierships with the Magpies, a remarkable four Magarey Medals and six Port best and fairest awards among many other accolades.