So this week, club great Anthony ‘Kouta’ Koutoufides was named into the AFL Hall Of Fame. Having seen him play, you can understand why. Tall, athletic, the one handed pick-up even I can’t do with an undersized nerf ball – it all made Kouta the favourite of Blues fans for a decade. 

But not all will be Hall Of Famers, so I’ve found some new awards for our past players to win:

Hipsters Before Their Time 

Robbert Klomp and Rod Ashman. These two were thirty years ahead of the curve, rocking beards way before it was cool. 

And don’t be surprised if you see some hipster thinking he’s awesome walking down Sydney Road wearing an Ashman-type helmet he’s picked up from Savers.

Best Mullet

You’d probably think it’d be Sticks or anyone who played during the 90s, but the award goes to Tommy Alvin - mainly because he hasn’t given up on it. Now that’s dedication.

Downhill From Here 

Goes to Warren Ralph for booting nine goals on debut for the Blues. Pretty hard to top really.

A Good Paddock

This goes to the player who has, shall we say, gone way past the weight of his playing days. Nominees include Wayne Harmes, Brad Pearce and Brendan Fevola. But the winner is, of course, Lance Whitnall, for managing it during his playing days.

F Off Award

Goes to Darren Pfeiffer. Far too many ‘Fs”.

Straight Outta Lygon

This award goes to any player who represented Carlton who reflected, whether true or not, our Lygon St heritage – Marcou, De Iulio, Franchina, Deluca, Marchesani, Bortolotto, Ó hAilpín [he kinda looked Italian].

So congratulations Kouta, a fantastic accolade for an absolute champion. I loved watching you, you are a champion of the game and the Carlton Football Club, and here’s hoping you’ll be named to the Souvlaki Hut Hall Of Fame in the near future.