Fitzroy champion Garry Wilson counts two personal accolades as extra, extra special.

There was the night in 1999 when he was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame, and the night in 2016 when he was elevated to Legend status in the Brisbane Lions Hall of Fame.

“They were very pretty special nights,” the Fitzroy mega champion said this week ahead of the upcoming Brisbane Lions Hall of Fame function at Melbourne Convention Centre on Saturday 8 June.

Understandably so because individual recognition doesn’t get much better. Heralded by the competition in which he excelled as one of the very best, and by his club as one of the very, very best.

The ever-modest Wilson, the ultimate team man, looks forward enormously to the annual AFL Hall of Fame dinner each year, and the corresponding Lions events that recognise the collective history of Fitzroy, the Brisbane Bears and the Brisbane Lions.

It was three years ago that Wilson sat with wife Roslyn, son Shaun and daughter Lee as he was pronounced the fourth legend of the Lions Hall of Fame.

Joining inaugural 2012 Legends Kevin Murray and Haydn Bunton and 2014 Legend Michael Voss, he took his rightful place in the history of the merger club.

Known simply as ‘Flea’ and recognised by his trademark helmet, Wilson played 268 games and kicked 452 goals for his beloved Lions from 1971-84, ranking third all-time in both categories.

He averaged 25 possessions and 1.7 goals per game, and kicked 30 goals or more in a season nine times. He won the club B&F five times in 1972-76-78-89-80, was leading goal-kicker twice in 1972-73, and was club captain from 1981-84.

In an astonishing career, he represented Victoria 12 times, was All-Australian in 1979-80, and was named vice-captain of the Fitzroy Team of the Century, was third in the Brownlow Medal in 1978, two votes behind Malcolm Blight and one vote behind Peter Knights, and second in 1979, one vote behind Peter Moore. And five times he finished top 10 in the game’s highest individual honour, polling 161 career votes.

Before the Lions Hall of Fame dinner Wilson will enjoy rubbing shoulders with former teammates and opponents at the AFL Hall of Fame dinner on 4 June. Old mates like triple Brownlow Medallist Bob Skilton, who was his idol growing up.,

“I grew up in Middle Park and was a South Melbourne fan. When I was at primary school I used to go down to South and run around with the players before training. I worshipped Bobby Skilton,” Wilson recalled.

“I was only about nine and I remember thinking ‘he swears a bit’. It was about then I might have started swearing too,” he added laughing.

It was a special moment, then, at Lake Oval in Round 8 1971 when Wilson got to play against Skilton.

It was Wilson’s sixth game and Skilton’s 226th game in Skilton’s 16th and last season. It was the only time they met on the field because Wilson missed the Round 19 game that season between the sides.

Who knows? It might even get a mention if Wilson and Skilton find themselves in each other’s company at the AFL night of nights next month.

Certainly Wilson will get a big mention at the Lions Hall of Fame dinner, which, in addition to the traditional inductions, will acknowledge the 50-year anniversary of Kevin Murray’s 1969 Brownlow Medal win.

Tickets for the dinner at the Melbourne Convention Centre are $195, with gold tickets at $350 offering the chance to sit with two Lions players at the front of the room.

The entire Lions travelling team for the Round 12 match against Carlton at Marvel Stadium that day will be in attendance, with past players and inductees.

To book your tickets for the Hall of Fame dinner, please email sales@lions.com.au or call (07) 3891 1222. Or you can book online.

Like the incomparable Murray, who has been the face of the Brisbane Bears / Fitzroy merger on 7 July 1996 that gave birth to the Brisbane Lions, Wilson is a big supporter of the joint entity.

“Definitely,” he said. “It’s much better than going out of business, or merging with another Melbourne club, which was on the cards at one stage.

“It’s great the way they have adopted the Fitzroy history and continue to acknowledge it.”

Photo credit: Adam Trafford, AFL Media

Going on 66, Wilson still follows football closely while pursing his other great sporting love of golf. He plays each Saturday with former teammate and fellow Lions Hall of Famer Bernie Quinlan, and each Wednesday in club competition at National Golf Club, which he rates “world class” and “the best in Australia”.

It will surprise nobody that Wilson is still a fine golfer, although he laments the fact that this year his handicap has slipped.

“I have been down to plus one a year or two ago,” the ever-modest champion admits almost reluctantly. “But I’ve blown out from scratch to two this year. I’ve got to get out and do some work,” he said, having not go down to scratch until he had turned 62.

Another likely topic for the Hall of Fame dinner might be Wilson’s astonishing statistics in the last five years of his career from 1976-80, when he averaged 28.5 possessions and 1.7 goals per game.

He topped 30 possessions 58 times, or better than every second time he pulled on the boots. And he polled the equivalent of 75 Brownlow votes today. Or three votes every four games.

He had four games of 40 possessions or more to rank second to Tom Rockliff’s eight since the introduction of full statistics in 1965, and his 45 possessions against Collingwood in 1978 ranks third all-time between Rockliff hauls of 47 and 48.

They are astonishing numbers in any context, especially considering it is nearly 40 years ago.

For comparative purposes, boom recruit Lachie Neale has averaged 33.9 possessions, 17.8 contested possessions and 9.0 clearances to rank first, second and second in the AFL in these key categories, with five 30-possession games, including three 40-plus, in nine games. And he’s only kicked four goals.

Hall of Fame inductees this year will join 35 players, coaches and officials, including the four Legends, who already have received the ultimate accolade from the club. They are:-

2012 INDUCTEES (17)

Haydn Bunton – Legend
Kevin Murray – Legend

Marcus Ashcroft
Fred Hughson
Nigel Lappin
Justin Leppitsch
Alastair Lynch
Leigh Matthews
Jack Moriarty
John Murphy
Percy Parratt
Bernie Quinlan
Paul Roos
Allan Ruthven
Bill Stephen
Michael Voss
Garry Wilson

2014 INDUCTEES (10)

Michael Voss – elevated to Legend
Norm Brown
Shaun Hart
George Holden
Chris Johnson
Harold McLennan
Roger Merrett
Chris Scott
Bill Walker
Darryl White
Len Wigraft

2016 INDUCTEES (8)

Garry Wilson – elevated to Legend

Jason Akermanis
George Coates
Jimmy Freake
Norm Johnstone
Gary Pert
Luke Power
Matt Rendell
Arthur Wilson