Thursday night's AFL Hall of Fame function had a distinctly Saints feel about it, with Tony Lockett elevated to 'Legend' status and Neil Roberts inducted. 

Lockett played 281 games (183 for St Kilda), booted a VFL/AFL record 1360 goals and shared the 1987 Brownlow Medal with John Platten.

He kicked seven or more goals in a match 74 times and 10 or more on 22 occasions at an unbelievable accuracy of 70 per cent. 

From the moment the ex-North Ballarat boy booted a goal with his first kick in League football, St Kilda knew they had something special. His vice-like marking and overwhelming strength soon rocketed him to stardom and he gave a hint of things to come with 77 goals in his second season. In 1987 he booted 117 goals to head the goalkicking and became the first full-forward to win a Brownlow.

VIDEO: Lockett becomes a St Kilda Legend

Lockett found the glare of being in the spotlight intrusive and over the years his relations with an inquisitive media were frequently strained. Although his weight was a recurring problem he had tremendous pace over the vital first five yards and once he secured front position was virtually unstoppable. Lockett's breathtaking style made him one of the few men who could attract crowds on his own.

In the years immediately after his Brownlow win he was dogged by injury and a series of other misfortunes, breaking his ankle in 1988 and having his season cut short by suspension and groin problems in 1989. He was in devastating form early in 1990 until injuring a knee and prior to 1991 was the fittest he had ever been. When he seriously damaged the wing vertebrae in his back it seemed that he was jinxed yet again but he overcame the delayed start to the season by booting 12 goals in his return game against the Crows.

RELATED: Plugger's guide to goal kicking

He went on to kick 127 goals and earn another Coleman Medal. His tremendous form lifted St Kilda to its first finals appearance in 18 years. He subsequently kicked 15 goals in a game.

In 1992 he booted 132 goals, including a new club record 15 against Sydney but the following year he was again dogged by injuries and missed the latter part of the season when he aggravated his back injury. Ian Stewart praised Lockett for the way he took young players under his wing when they arrived at the club. He said that he had heard of cases in Sydney where Lockett had driven 50 kms out of his way to give a young player a lift after training.

VIDEO: Lockett the Hall of Fame Legend

Spud finally finishes his Plugger tribute

Emotions got the better of him in 2010, but Spud finally got the chance to read the full version of his infamous speech honouring great mate, Plugger.#LockettLegend

Posted by St Kilda Football Club on Thursday, 4 June 2015

In Sydney good judges such as Craig Davis considered him an ornament to the game for his promotional work. Sydney recruited him because of the fame he could bring them while he accepted because of the anonymity that Sydney would provide him in return. Lockett himself admitted that he liked Sydney "about 50 times better" than he thought he would.

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Lockett was named at number two in Russell Holmesby's greatest Saint of all time list.

Like Lockett, Roberts won a Brownlow Medal (1958) and was inducted into St Kilda's inaugural Hall of Fame in 2003.

He captained the side from 1959-1962 before retiring at the age of 29 to pursue a career in sports journalism. 

Recruited from Melbourne High School Old Boys, Roberts provided one of the most famous cases of a failed forward making the grade as a defender.


After his first two and a half seasons it seemed he was going nowhere as a footballer, but a switch to centre half-back changed the course of his football. His long arms hauled down countless marks and started attacks from the backline.

He established himself as a star in 1955 winning the club's best and fairest and a place in the state team. He also finished third in the Brownlow and from that moment never looked back. His blond hair, good looks and perfect build made him a media favorite.

Prior to the 1958 season he concentrated on running rather than swimming over the summer and he had a great season.

Roberts was an inspiring leader deputising for the injured Brian Gleeson, and won the Brownlow by two votes. He was appointed skipper in 1959 and remained leader until he retired.

Not the greatest kick of all time, but he made up for it with his marking. Roberts led St Kilda into the finals for the first time in 1961 after 22 years on the sidelines. He played 11 games for Victoria and was an All-Australian in 1958.

He became a well-respected commentator and was sometimes mentioned as a possible League coach, but always declined.

Club historian Russell Holmesby named Roberts as the 15th best Saint of all-time earlier this year.

Roberts joins Darrel Baldock, Roy Cazaly, Alex Jesaulenko, Ian Stewart, Vic Cumberland, Carl Ditterich, Wels Eicke, Robert Harvey, Tony Lockett, Bill Mohr, Dave McNamara, Colin Watson and Ross Smith as ex-Saints in the AFL Hall of Fame.