On April 29, I went to my letterbox expecting to see more of the same, bills, bills and more bills. The express post that arrived that day stood out among the rest. It took me back to my youth, when I'd open a pack of footy cards and I'd find a gold card sparkling in among the rest, so like a kid I knew the yellow envelope was a ripper. The letter said the AFL Commission had accepted a recommendation from the Australian Football Hall of Fame Committee that I be inducted for my contribution to the game with the Essendon Football Club.

I was ecstatic. Previous inductees and my media colleagues had always spoken of what a special night the Hall of Fame induction ceremony is in the AFL calendar. With work and family commitments, Tuesday's ceremony crept up on me but the significance of it hit me immediately as I boarded the plane bound for Canberra on Tuesday morning.

My touring party of 12 family was a dead giveaway that I was going to be inducted and as I was walking down the aisle of the plane, I was congratulated by Wayne Schimmelbusch, Robert DiPierdomenico, Ken Fraser, Simon Madden, Robert Flower and my childhood hero, ''Super Boot'' Bernie Quinlan.

I was determined to enjoy every minute of the evening ahead and I spent half the flight chatting with Bernie - the reason I barracked for Fitzroy growing up.

At 31, and with a significant offer on the table from Essendon on the table, I retired. That decision was due to a lack of enjoyment in the latter part of my career which had spanned 15 years. I was spent after pushing body and mind to the limit. I was driven to succeed and hated being beaten, but at the same time had a fear of failure leading into every match that never allowed me to enjoy what I was actually doing. Playing in the big league had been my childhood dream - a goal nurtured by the reality that my father John played for Carlton and the day as a four-year-old when I saw my first VFL game, where Bernie Quinlan kicked eight goals for the Lions at the Junction Oval.