FREMANTLE cult figure Clive Waterhouse has revealed he declined an invitation to receive his retrospective Glendinning Medal at Optus Stadium on Sunday because he didn’t want to get booed by West Coast fans.

Waterhouse was honoured with a retrospective medal for his heroics in the Demolition Derby of 2000, where he booted seven goals in a best-on-ground display.

But the 106-gamer said he had opted not to make the trip from his native South Australia for Sunday’s presentation because it was an Eagles home game.

“I’m not sure I want to pay for flights to Perth, and then stand on Perth Stadium and get booed,” he told Today Tonight.

“I’m not sure that’d be a highlight.”

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Waterhouse recalled he almost missed the famous 2000 victory due to a bad cork in the lead-up to the match.

“We spent a lot of the week in the hyperbaric chamber, so I could get up and play,” he said.

Camera Icon Clive Waterhouse starred in the second derby of 2000. Credit: The West Australian

Fremantle faced a 32-point deficit at half-time that day, before Waterhouse almost single-handedly lifted the Dockers off the canvas.

The result remains the club’s biggest comeback from a half-time deficit to win a game.

“Drummy (coach Damien Drum) basically opened up the forward line and said ‘go for it’,” Waterhouse said.

“The rest is history. I think I kicked five in the second half, and we won the game by a point.”

As for his cult figure status that still remains today, Waterhouse believes the answer may lie in his infamous hairstyle.

“I was someone who was still holding onto a mullet. That might have been the reason why,” he said.