They were the only votes in the 15-game career of the 180cm utility that spanned 1980-83.

But last Sunday, Everett, who now lives in Bangkok, was ‘famous’ for another reason – he travelled easily the longest distance to attend the annual Fitzroy / Brisbane Lions Players Reunion at the MCG. He was among about 100 past players, officials and guests at the MCG for the Brisbane game against Melbourne.

But in between his three-vote stunner (which is a story in itself) and his recent catch-up with ex-teammates Everett has a story that combines heart-break and exaltation, and underlines his love of the Lions.

It was in September 2024 when Brisbane were to play Sydney in the grand final. He missed the ballot for a ticket – “it was my fault – I was too late,” he explained - but decided on the Thursday of grand final week to fly from Bangkok to Melbourne and hope to jag a ticket somehow.

He booked a flight through Singapore due to arrive in Melbourne at 8am Friday and was looking forward to going to the captain’s run and the Grand Final Parade. And hopefully the Grand Final.

But everything turned horribly wrong. His connecting flight from Singapore to Melbourne was cancelled. He eventually flew through Perth and arrived in Melbourne at 10.30pm on the Friday. No luggage. No club scarf. Still no grand final ticket. And he’s missed the festivities of GF Eve.

“I scrambled around on Saturday morning to see if I could somehow get hold of a ticket but no luck. I was shattered. I missed the 2001-02-03 premierships because I was living overseas and, knowing they had a real chance (in 2024) I was desperate to get there. I just wanted to see them win a flag,” he said.

“Fitzroy has always been special with me, and although I was just a bit player I was treated the same as a 200-game champion. It didn’t matter who you were through the 80s – everyone was tight. The bond among the Fitzroy players was something really special, and it has been just the same since the merger with Brisbane.”

Everett, originally from Warrandyte, had debuted for Fitzroy against Carlton at Princes Park wearing jumper #51 in the last round of 1980. It was Bill Stephen’s last game as coach, Bob Beecroft’s last game as a player, and Frank Marchasani’s last game with Fitzroy before a move to Carlton.

He played his second game in the first round of 1981 wearing #14 against Collingwood at Junction Oval. It was another momentous occasion as a 30-year-old Robert Walls coached Fitzroy for the first time and Graeme Hinchen and Lee Murnane made their AFL debut.

Amazingly, the Collingwood side included two people who would later play a major role with Brisbane – Mark Williams, the first signing of the Brisbane Bears, debuted for the Pies. And playing his first game in black and white was ex-Fitzroy utility Graeme Allan, later to serve as Brisbane Lions football boss through the 2001-02-03 golden era.

In Round 2 against Melbourne at Waverley Matt Rendell, later to become such a big figure in the Lions ‘family’ made his AFL debut. Round 3 was Walls’ first game against his former club Carlton. And in Round 4 Rendell kicked an equal career-best seven goals against South Melbourne at Junction Oval. Everett played each time, and again in Rounds 5-6.

It wasn’t until Round 5 1982 against Essendon at Junction Oval that he played at AFL level again, but still players that would become household names rolled on. It was Gary Pert’s second game for Fitzroy.

In Round 6 against Collingwood at Victoria Park Paul Roos played his second game as the Lions won by three points after trailing at each change. And in Round 7 at Junction Oval they celebrated Chris Hansen’s 100^th game with a monumental win.

This was Everitt’s big day. Fitzroy, sitting 8^th on the 12-team ladder at 2-1-3, took on a 5-1 ladder leaders Hawthorn. In his 10^th game he was assigned a stopping role on 249-gamer Matthews, who by then was playing predominantly as a key forward.

It was a massive assignment from coach Walls. But in a season in which Matthews averaged 22.5 possessions and 3.4 goals and finished equal 3^rd in the Brownlow Medal, Everett restricted him to 15 possessions and two goals. And Fitzroy won 12 points after trailing by nine at halftime.

Everett only played five more games - in Round 6 against Melbourne at Waverley, when Andrew Merryweather made his AFL debut and Jan Smith his club debut, and Round 9 against StKilda at Moorabbin, when Roos kicked an equal career-best seven goals.

In Round 10 it was Geelong at Junction Oval, when Garry Wilson kicked seven goals and had 20 possessions before Round 11 against Footscray at Waverley and his last game against North Melbourne at Arden Street in Round 13 in Mick Conlan’s 99^th game.

Fast forward to the end of the season. Fitzroy finished 6^th at 12-1-9, missing the finals by a game and a half, and Wilson averaged 22.0 possessions and 2.2 goals. Despite playing only 18 games he went into the Brownlow Medal count one of the fancies.

Everett remembers it vividly. While the League had its traditional five-star medal dinner in the city, Fitzroy hosted a function at Junction Oval for players and supporters.

In those days there was no game-by-game 3-2-1 count. They announced the ones and twos and then counted the three-vote ratings.

“We were all hoping ‘Flea’ (Wilson) would win, and when it got to Round 8 … I think it was (VFL General Manager) Jack Hamilton who said Fitzroy v Hawthorn … And as they do, he paused after the initial. It was G … and everyone thought ‘great, G Wilson’. When he said G Everett it went down like a lead balloon.”

Ultimately, Wilson polled 14 votes to finish equal 8^th behind Melbourne’s Brian Wilson (23), North’s Ross Glendinning (18), Matthews and Hawthorn teammate Terry Wallace (17). And as they toasted the winner Everett’s time in the VFL was effectively over.

He was on the senior list in 1983 but didn’t play a senior game after injury destroyed a good pre-season. “I broke my hand on Peter Foster’s head – he’s got the hardest head,” he recalls, later doing some opposition scouting for coach Walls before moving on.

He later coached Melton to a premiership in the Riddell Football League in 1986 and played at Coorparoo in Brisbane under one-time Fitzroy teammate Terry O’Neill and alongside another ex-Fitzroy teammate Kevin O’Keeffe.

In 2001 he went back-packing planning to travel the world and 25 years on, after a life-time of adventures, he and wife Ja, and their two dogs, call Bangkok home.

Now Managing Director of Callington Thailand, an Australian-owned chemical manufacturing company, Everett has been captain, coach and committee man of the Thailand Tigers Australian Football, which since 2005 has hosted the largest AFL grand final day function outside of Australia.  

Everett speaks proudly of a strong Fitzroy connection with the Tigers.  “In 2004 we held our first ANZAC commemorative match at Kanchanaburi: infamous for Hellfire Pass and the Bridge over the River Kwai.  Our first game was against Malaysia.  Each year since, except for Covid, we invite another team from Asia to compete against us. The best player on the ground wins the Wilfred ‘Chicken’ Smallhorn award (named in honor of Fitzroy’s 1933 Brownlow Medallist and war veteran). We’re playing Indonesia there this Saturday,” he said.

Having watched from overseas as the Brisbane Lions won the 2001-02-03 flags, and lost the 2023 grand final to Collingwood, 2024 was going to be his time... until his flights went horribly wrong.

So, unable to get into the MCG, he went with three mates to the Rose Hotel in Fitzroy and, decked out in an old Fitzroy jumper, watched the grand final against Sydney on TV.

“One mate followed North, one followed Hawthorn and one Collingwood, but by halftime it didn’t matter … we were on the way. It was sensational. I went to Brunswick Street Oval the next morning to catch up with a few old mates … and while I hadn’t seen the game live it was a fantastic trip.”

Everett, who had always maintained a close friendship with ex-Fitzroy teammate turned Brisbane Bears/Lions recruiting guru Scott Clayton, managed to link in a trip home to coincide with the 2026 past players reunion.

Amid catch-ups with a host of ex-teammates and clubmen, he spent most of the day with Clayton, Kevin O’Keeffe, ‘Nifty’ Neville Taylor, Daryl Cox, Laurie Serafini, Michael Coates and Andrew Merrywhether, who is the father of Geelong players Cam and Zac Guthrie.

Sadly, as he trekked back to Bangkok two days later he took with him the disappointment of a two-point loss. And the knowledge that since the Brisbane-Fitzroy merger in 1996 he has never seen the Brisbane Lions win live. But still he’s a loyal Lions man, and the club’s No.1 fan in Asia.