Former St Kilda star Stuart Trott describes his induction into the club’s Hall of Fame as a tremendous honour, because for him, playing one game for his beloved Saints was a privilege, let alone the 159 games he ended up playing in red, white and black.
As one of two Saints inducted on Saturday night, along with another gun from the 1970s Glenn Elliott, Trott was thrilled to receive the achievement in the presence of his family, particularly his grandchildren who were born long after his playing days were over.
“It’s humbling. It’s an honour to play one game of football, it’s then an honour to go from ten to twenty to thirty, but you never ever think that this would happen,” Trott told saints.com.au following his induction into St Kilda’s Hall of Fame.
“To be inducted into your football club’s Hall of Fame, saying you’re a person and a player that means something to that club is great. And I’ve got my grandkids here and they’re all old enough to kind of think: that’s what Poppy did.”
In an era where the rich, powerful sides were dominant, Trott cherishes St Kilda’s win over Richmond in the 1971 preliminary final, a game many thought the Tigers would win easily before the Saints defeated them by 30-points.
“There were a lot of great moments. We were underrated; we just didn’t have the money to compete with the powerful sides,” Trott said.
“But the best game I ever remember was the preliminary final in ’71. We played Richmond and everyone had picked Richmond to win. Richmond came out and we absolutely donkey licked them to get our way into the Grand Final. That was great.
“And you don’t realise until you’re a lot older the calibre of the players you played with. You pinch yourself.”
After his playing days wound up, Trott returned to the Saints in a football director role, which unlike modern football, encompassed a wide range of responsibilities, including recruitment and talent identification.
Trott was sent across to Western Australia when Saints legend Ian Stewart, who was working as the clubs general manager at the time, asked him to go and scout Swan Districts star Phil Narkle.
Whilst waiting for the senior game to start, the form of a South Fremantle wingman in the reserves caught his eye. His name was Nicky Winmar. And the rest is history.
“Stewie [Ian Stewart] sent me over to look at Phil Narkle and I got to the game early and I watched South Fremantle play Swan Districts,” Trott said.
“I was watching the seconds and I thought what is that I’ve seen? And it was Nicky Winmar.
“I got back and Stewie said to me what did you think of Phil Narkle? I said I saw Nicholas Winmar who’s just going to be something special.”
Limited Edition History Book: Celebrating 50 Years 1966-2016 The Archives Edition
