Six inducted into AFL Hall of Fame

They became so popular that everyone in the AFL came to know them by their nicknames – “Richo” and “Kouta”.

Matthew Richardson and Anthony Koutoufides joined Andrew McLeod, Warren Tredrea and Brad Johnson to form an impressive group of recently retired players inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame.

Carlton and Perth captain Ern Henfry, who played in the 1930s and ’40s, is the sixth member of this year’s induction group.

They were honoured on Wednesday night at a black tie dinner in Melbourne – also Andrew Demetriou’s last official function as AFL chief executive before handing over to Gillon McLachlan.

The obvious non-selection was West Coast star Ben Cousins who – like Tredrea, Johnson and McLeod – retired at the end of the 2010 season and was eligible for the first time this year.

Cousins is a walk-up start to the hall of fame purely on his football career, but the Brownlow Medallist is a confessed drug addict and continues to have health problems.

The hall of fame judges made Wayne Carey and Gary Ablett Snr wait for their inductions because of off-field issues and it appears the same will apply to Cousins.

While there will be debate about Cousins not being selected this year, there is nothing controversial about the six inductees.

Johnson (Western Bulldogs), Koutoufides (Carlton), McLeod (Adelaide), Richardson (Richmond) and Tredrea (Port Adelaide) were among the best players of the ’90s and 2000s.

Significantly, they are all one-club players – Johnson, Koutoufides and Tredrea were also captains.

Koutoufides was an athletic and spectacularly skilled utility who famously tore Essendon apart in Carlton’s upset 1999 preliminary final win.

He became famous for being able to pick up the ball with one hand while running at pace.

Richardson’s popularity throughout the AFL was underscored when he went within two votes of winning the 2008 Brownlow Medal.

The crowd at the function that night cheered every time he polled votes.

While Richardson sometimes was in trouble for being moody on the field, he is one of the Tigers’ most famous players and kicked 800 goals.

McLeod is one of the greatest indigenous players in AFL history.

He won the Norm Smith Medal as best afield in Adelaide’s grand finals wins in 1997-98.

Tredrea was one of the game’s top key forwards and he was acting captain when the Power won their first and only premiership in 2004.

Johnson was small for a key forward, but was an exceptional overhead mark.

He became nearly as famous for his happy demeanour as his playing ability and is the Bulldogs’ games record holder with 364.

Henfry played 85 games for Perth and 84 for Carlton.

After seven years out of the game because of war service as a pilot, Henfry captained Carlton’s 1947 premiership team.

He also coached Perth to the ’55 WAFL flag, their first in 48 years.

Henfry, who died in 2007, is a member of Perth’s team of the century and is in the Carlton and WAFL halls of fame.

There was no naming of an official AFL legend for this year’s hall of fame function.