TWO of the Bendigo football league’s undisputed greatest players of all time have been elevated to BFNL Hall of Fame legend status.<\/p>\n
Revered former Golden Square wingman Peter Moroni and Sandhurst great Brendan Hartney will join a select few in the legend wing of the hall of fame, when the latest batch of 10 graduates are inducted at a ceremony next week.<\/p>\n
Established in 2019, the classification of legend of the BFNL Hall of Fame is bestowed upon those players, coaches, umpires or individuals who are at the very pinnacle of those who immediately come to mind as having made a significant contribution to the BFNL.<\/p>\n
Moroni \u2013 a four-time premiership player with the Bulldogs and the club’s games record holder \u2013 and Hartney \u2013 a seven-time best and fairest winner at Sandhurst and interleague division one championship-winning captain \u2013 will join inaugural inductees Ron Best, Reg Ford, Bob McCaskill, Alan McDonald and Tony Southcombe as the only legends among the Hall of Fame following their elevation in 2019.<\/p>\n
BFNL manager Tom King said the elevation of Moroni and Hartney gave their families, friends, teammates and club people further reason to celebrate their contributions to the BFNL and ensure that their legacies were remembered for generations to come.<\/p>\n
“The BFNL board congratulate both Brendan and Peter, their families and friends as well as Sandhurst and Golden Square on their elevation to legends of the BFNL Hall of Fame,” he said.<\/p>\n
Introducing the BFNL Hall of Fame’s newest legends:<\/p>\n
BRENDAN HARTNEY \u2013 Sandhurst<\/p>\n
Brendan Hartney is a name that is synonymous with country Victorian football. A dual Michelsen Medallist (1987 and 1989), Hartney was an outstanding BFNL interleague player, donning the blue and gold more than 20 times in an excellent representative career. In one of the league’s proudest moments, Hartney was the BFNL’s captain in 1989 when the league scored a famous victory in the division one country championships against the Geelong FL. In 1976, a family tradition saw him make his Sandhurst senior debut at age 17. This match would be the first of a stellar 227-game career for the Dragons that netted a Sandhurst club record seven senior best and fairest awards, including four in a row from 1986-1989. Hartney claimed two senior premierships with the Dragons in 1977 and 1978, while also taking on coaching roles with the club in 1988 (senior captain-coach) and 1992 (under-18s). He also tried his hand at VFL level, playing 32 senior games with Carlton between 1981 and 1985. Awarded Sandhurst life membership in 1991, Hartney was inducted into the BFNL Hall of Fame in 1996 after retiring in 1994 as one of the BFNL and Sandhurst’s most revered figures.<\/p>\n
PETER MORONI \u2013 Golden Square<\/p>\n
Peter Moroni is a champion of the Bendigo Football Netball League and Golden Square Football Netball Club. He was inducted into the BFNL Hall of Fame in 1986 following a decorated representative career that totalled 17 interleague matches, including being named vice-captain of the 1972 division one championship-winning team. Moroni also notched a remarkable four top-five finishes in the Michelsen Medal. A pacy wingman with elite fitness, Moroni is the all-time games record holder for Golden Square with a grand total of 456 matches for the Bulldogs including 368 senior games. A first ballot Golden Square Hall of Famer and club life member, he claimed two Golden Square senior best and fairests in 1967 and 1971, while also finishing runner-up in the award a further five times. Moroni was a key part of a famous Golden Square senior team that across three decades had an unbelievable run of four premierships in 1972 (captain), 1975, 1976 and 1979. He would play in a total of 11 BFNL grand finals and only missed playing finals once in his 26 seasons of senior football. As acknowledgment of his impact on Golden Square, the Peter Moroni Wing was established at Wade Street prior to his passing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TWO of the Bendigo football league’s undisputed greatest players of all time have been elevated to BFNL Hall of Fame legend status. Revered former Golden Square wingman Peter Moroni and Sandhurst great Brendan Hartney will join a select few in the legend wing of the hall of fame, when the latest batch of 10 graduates […]<\/p>\n