Premiership star and St Kilda Team of the Century member Alan Morrow was only persuaded to pull the boots on again for a last season in 1966 after having the carrot of life membership dangled in front of him.

Following a disappointing Grand Final loss in 1965 that was compounded by an early exit for Morrow due to a broken foot, the ruckman thought his playing days were over.

In addition to his ageing body, Morrow thought the fact that the Saints possessed gun big men in Brian Mynott and Carl Diettrich pointed to his time in the big league being over.

“I said to my wife that night at the wake [after the 1965 loss] I’ve played my last game for St Kilda. She said no that’s only disappointment happening now, you’ll think about it a bit later on,” Morrow told saints.com.au.

“They had Brian Mynott and Carl Diettrich and here’s this little bloke battling up against the big blokes all the time. I thought it’s probably time to get out.”

Only a frank discussion with the Saints chairman of selectors at the time Des Nisbet, forced Morrow to change his mind. The lure of life membership with his beloved Saints was an achievement Morrow couldn’t let slip. And as it turned out, the decision is one he has evidently never regretted.

“Des said to me: ‘How would you like to be a life member of St Kilda?’ My eyes lit up. ‘Well you’ve got to play this year. That will be ten years and you will get life membership’” Morrow said.

“I said: ‘Alright end of story’. I thought it would be beaut to have that achievement; not thinking that we were going to win a premiership and to get the premiership was double-ending. And that was my final game.”

St Kilda’s triumph in 1966 ended a 69-year drought, marking the Saints’ first, and only, taste of the ultimate success since the club joined the Victorian Football League in 1897.

Now, nearly half a century on, Morrow still recalls having to pinch himself at what the 1966 side achieved and in particularly who they achieved the success against.

“To win that one you had to pinch yourself and I still have to pinch yourself, we achieved it and to win it by the smallest of margins,” Morrow said.

“Letting it sink in that you had won it. You had to sort of pinch yourself thinking we have won a premiership and to be their only one made it more significant.

“And even now I still think about we won it by a point you can’t be any closer that. To beat Collingwood by a point, it was great.”