Later that year, a player who will eventually join that elite group is the first player chosen in the AFL Draft – but Jeff White doesn't debut a Demon.
In 1995, Fremantle's inaugural season, White makes his AFL debut in just the club's third AFL match after being snapped up by Freo as the top draft pick. The 18-year-old is the youngest member of its side that plays Fitzroy that day.
Until the end of 1997, White plays 32 matches and kicks 18 goals with Fremantle, before the opportunity to return home becomes a strong lure.
Enter Melbourne.
The club, eager to revive its fortunes after a wooden spoon in 1997, recruits White to lead its ruck division into the next decade, with the great Jimmy Stynes nearing the end.
Along with 1997 No.1 draft pick Travis Johnstone and ex-St Kilda defender Jamie Shanahan, White joins first-year senior coach Neale Daniher in a revived Melbourne outfit, which rises from last to fourth in 1998.
White, who represents Victoria in his first season at Melbourne, claims the No.1 ruck mantle from Stynes, who retires at the end of 1998. It's a position White holds until mid-way through this season.
Over the past decade, White has been one of the premier rucks in the competition, despite his lack of height for this position. At 'just' 195cm, he has used his athleticism, vertical-jump and high-marking skills to his advantage.
His durability has also been first class – only this year did a run of 100 consecutive matches come to an end – highlighting his courage to overcome adversity.
In 2003, White was told by club doctor Andrew Daff that if his persistent and troubled shin kept opening up, his career would be over. This required White to wear a specially designed shin guard.
Two years later when Melbourne lost to Geelong in its elimination final, White received a shocking facial injury, when opposition ruckman Steven King accidentally kicked him in the face, when the ball was in the air after a ruck contest.
White sustained multiple facial fractures, requiring surgery and steel plates in his face.
Despite this setback, he returned to play the first round of the season in 2006.
In 2004, White had his finest AFL season, winning the Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy, All-Australian selection and 15 Brownlow Medal votes – his best effort in a 'Charlie' count.
Regarded by many as Melbourne's best in its 2000 Grand Final loss to Essendon – he also finished runner-up in the club champion that season – White was included in the club's 150 greatest players at its 'Heroes' function earlier this year.
Despite Melbourne's recent youth push – Mark Jamar and Paul Johnson were preferred as a ruck combination for most of the second half of the 2008 season – White was still able to command a place in the initial squad of this year's Victorian squad, which played the Dream Team in the Hall of Fame tribute match in May.
Over his career, White's personal bests included 33 disposals against Fremantle (round 21, 2001), 401 disposals in a season (2006) and 561 hit outs in a year (2002).
He also kicked three bags of four goals – once for Fremantle against Sydney (round 17, 1996) and twice for Melbourne against Port Adelaide (round five, 1998) and the Western Bulldogs (round 12, 2000).
On Sunday against Richmond at the MCG, White will run out for the 236th time in the red and blue. He will also be hoping to add to his 93 Melbourne goals. Overall, it will be his 268th AFL match and at this stage he has 111 AFL goals.
His final match for Melbourne means he will become the club's seventh greatest games record holder, overtaking Brett Lovett (235).
Only David Neitz (306), Robert Flower (272), Adem Yze (who is also set to finish with Melbourne with 271 matches on Sunday), Jim Stynes (264), Steven Febey (258) and Brian Dixon (252) have played more matches for the Demons.
And like this group and some select others, White will finish as a Melbourne great – regardless of whether another AFL club recruits him or not at the end of the season – after his outstanding contribution over 11 seasons.
