Hayes, Longmire to be Life Members
The inductions will occur next month, at the 2014 Annual General Meeting, with the trio rewarded for their services to football, following confirmation from the AFL Commission.
Current Swans coach Longmire (pictured) qualified for Life Membership on the basis of his combined tally of premiership games, pre-season games, and state games, both as a player and a coach, while Hayes and O’Keefe reached the milestone as players.
Longmire, who was born in NSW and played his early football for Corrowa-Rutherglen, played 200 senior games for North Melbourne between 1988-99, winning a premiership in his final senior game, and has led the Swans since the 2011 season, steering the club to the 2012 flag.
St Kilda stalwart Hayes is entering his 16th season at the highest level, and as a captain of the club, Norm Smith Medallist (in the 2010 drawn Grand Final), and three-time All-Australian, his career is one of the more decorated in the Saints’ history.
Like Hayes, 33-year-old O’Keefe is in the twilight of a brilliant run in the AFL; highlighted by premierships with the bloods in 2005 and 2012, and selection in the 2006 All-Australian side.
Hayes, Longmire, and O’Keefe will join six more luminaries of the modern game in being awarded Life Membership.
Recently-retired triple premiership Geelong Cats’ midfielder Joel Corey, former Brisbane Lions’ dual premiership player and now Geelong Cats’ coach Chris Scott, and six-time Grand Final umpire Brett Rosebury qualified automatically during the 2013 season by reaching 300 games as a player, umpire, or player and coach.
AFL Medical Commissioner and former North Melbourne club medico Dr Harry Unglik, former Western Bulldogs club president David Smorgon, and St Kilda premiership player and long-time administrator Brian Sierakowski will also enter the elite group, rewarded for their ‘Special Service to the Game.’
AFL Chief Executive Officer Andrew Demetriou said the Commission congratulated each individual on his award and that the game looked forward to thanking each of them personally again for their contribution to football, both on-field as players, umpires and coaches, and off-field for their service as administrators / officials.
