THE champion full-forward for Wangaratta Rovers in the decade they made their own, the 1970s, was superboot Steve Norman.


But the start of his career gave no pointer to the impact he would make as he began with a season in the reserves in 1969 before making his senior debut the following year.


Such was the strength of the Rovers, who were building towards something unlikely to be repeated in the O and M when Norman set up camp in the goal square for more than a decade.


He played in the first of a remarkable seven premiership teams for the Hawks in 1971 with a haul of 65 goals, equalling the club record held by Bob Rose.


He was only warming up, with Norman holding the record for playing in the most number of O and M grand final winning sides and his heroics up forward becoming the stuff of legend.


In 1973, Norman booted 97 goals and cracked the ton for the first time two years later when he booted 118, which was a career best.


During his 242-match career Norman became the first player to kick 100 goals in an O and M season three times and he topped the goalkicking tally four times.


Norman’s bags of goals in individual matches are staggering as he worked onto the end of passes from silky-skilled teammates including coach Neville Hogan, Eddie Flynn, Tony Hannan and Barry Cook.


His best individual haul was 13 against Myrtleford in 1977 and he twice kicked 11 and booted 10 five times.


Norman saved his best performance in a grand final for arch-rival Wangaratta Magpies in 1977 when he slotted eight after the Hawks lost to the Magpies 12 months earlier and he was held to two goals by Rod Forge.


The deadly accurate kick, who was nigh on impossible to beat on the lead, topped the club’s goal-kicking 10 times and represented the O and M nine times between 1975 and 1980.


Also an excellent high mark, Norman finished an outstanding career with 1016 goals to be second only to another Hall of Famer, Stan Sargeant, on 1096.


As well as his seven premiership wins, Norman played in two losing grand finals, in 1976 and 1980, as the Hawks figured in 10 grand finals from 1970 to 1980.


Norman joins Wangaratta Rovers teammates Neville Hogan and Merv Holmes from the 1970s era to be inducted in the O and M Hall of Fame.

DID Simpson was the trusted ally and right-hand man of the Ovens and Murray’s legendary administrator, Cleaver Bunton.


Simpson, pictured, had a number of sporting passions, including coaching champion tennis player Margaret Court, but the O and M was foremost in his mind.


An O and M and Albury Tigers life member, Simpson was appointed the league’s honorary solicitor in 1952 and served in the role until his death in 1990.


He was also the Tigers’ club delegate to the O and M for more than 30 years and served as the O and M’s interleague team manager for a similar lengthy period.


Along with his mate Bunton, he loved nothing more than revelling in an O and M triumph at home or abroad on the many trips they embarked on across Victoria.


At finals time he also came to the fore as he displayed a meticulous and almost legendary close watch on the gate-takings.


He was a foundation member of the O and M’s inaugural board of directors in 1985 and a year later was the recipient of a VCFL service medallion.


His legacy lives on today with the Did Simpson Medal awarded to the best player on the ground in the grand final with the honour first awarded in 1991 when it was won by former Wangaratta Rovers captain Mick Caruso.

KEN "Pascoe" Ellis was a member of Yarrawonga’s first premiership team in the Ovens and Murray in 1959 when the Pigeons beat arch-rival Wangaratta Rovers in an epic grand final at the Albury Sportsground before an estimated crowd of 13,000 people.


A feared, but highly respected rival, Ellis made his teammates walk tall and his opponents earn every touch with his strong and fearless approach to each game.


Ellis played on a half-back flank in the Pigeons’ first premiership team in the O and M when the lead regularly changed hands during a frenetic final term between the Bill Stephen-coached Pigeons and the Bob Rose-led Wangaratta Rovers.


The seeds of one of the O and M’s longest standing rivalries were being sewn as Rose (five goals) and fellow forward Max Newth (six) tried valiantly to lift the Hawks over the line for back-to-back flags under the former Collingwood champion.


But the Pigeons’ backline including Ellis stood firm to hold the Hawks at bay.


An interleague representative in one of the many O and M golden eras, Ellis’ 265 games for the Pigeons still stands as the club’s games played record.


In retirement, he still contributes to his beloved Pigeons even though watching games has become too much of an emotionally draining experience.


A driving force in the formation of the Yarrawonga "God Fathers", the club’s strength on an off the field today is testament to the on-going passion and commitment to the cause shown by Ellis and co.


Improvements at the J.C. Lowe Oval bankrolled by the "God Fathers" include erecting lighting to the ground and building the scoreboard on the eastern side of the ground as well as a grandstand carrying Ellis’s name.

DENNIS Sandral began a brilliant Ovens and Murray league career at Wangaratta in 1977 by almost playing in a premiership team as a schoolboy from Champagnat College.


Sandral forced his way into the Magpies’ line-up which temporarily de-throned Wangaratta Rovers in the grand final the previous year.


But, his 15th and final game for the Magpies would be a losing grand final to the Hawks before he crossed to Corowa the following season to re-connect the family dynasty started at the club by his legendary father Jim, who is also an O and M Hall of Famer and triple Morris Medallist.


Sandral would play another 333 O and M senior matches mainly in defence for the Roos.


He was rarely beaten and in a mark of his standing, Wangaratta Rovers champion and O and M legend Robbie Walker regards Sandral as his toughest and most respected opponent.


Late in his career, Sandral would get back to one more grand final in 1992, but like his debut year he would come up short once again with the Roos losing to Wodonga despite the emergence of a future star in Damian Houlihan.


The Roos also had a near miss in 1987 when they lost the preliminary final, but his career was still laced with highlights.


They include holding the O and M league games record of 348 appearances until being overtaken by Matt Allen, who has now passed 400, and five club best and fairests, which equalled the same won by his father.


Dennis and Jim were also named at full-back and centre half-back respectively in the Corowa-Rutherglen Team-of-the-Century and he went close to bringing a fourth Morris Medal into the family in 1985 when he finished third (beaten by two votes) to another O and M Hall Of Famer, Ralph Aalbers from Lavington.


Sandral was a key player in 21 representative matches for the O and M which included winning country championship campaigns in 1985 and 1987.


He captained the league six times with his heroics in the semi-final against Latrobe Valley at Traralgon going a long way towards the O and M winning the ‘87 title.


The O and M crushed Latrobe Valley by 81 points, but trailed by 28 at quarter time after forward Shane Loveless created mayhem with four early goals.


Coach John Byrne switched Sandral onto Loveless and shut him right out of the game as the O and M banged on 11 goals in the last quarter with Corowa-Rutherglen teammate John Longmire kicking 8.5.


Early in his career, Sandral was chosen to play for the O and M against North Melbourne at Martin Park in 1979 with Byrne, Mick Nolan, Ross Henshaw, Xavier Tanner and Phil Baker returning from the VFL to their roots to play for the O and M.