292-gamer Anthony Stevens is set to be officially recognised as a Legend of the North Melbourne Football Club. He will officially be elevated at the club’s mid-season ball, A Celebration of Shinboner Spirit.
The news was revealed on Fox Footy's AFL 360 on Wednesday night.
RELATED: Stevens - "A huge honour"
Stevens, who arrived at North Melbourne from Waaia, began his career at Arden Street in 1989 where he played four games in his debut season, wearing the number 58 jumper.
Over the course of the next three years, Stevens only managed 38 games. However, 1993 was his breakout season; he played in 21 games and averaged more than 21 disposals, establishing himself as a key part of the North midfield.
His improvement somewhat mirrored the success of the team, as the Kangaroos moved from league cellar dwellers to Premiership contenders.
In 1996, following the heartbreak of two consecutive Preliminary Final defeats, North finally broke through to win their third premiership, defeating the Sydney Swans by 43 points in front of 93,102 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Stevens was one of the dominant midfielders on the ground, collecting 23 disposals and kicking two goals.
Throughout the 1997 and 1998 seasons, Stevens established himself as one of the pre-eminent midfielders in the game. He collected his first Syd Barker Medal and was selected in both the Victorian and All-Australian teams for 1998.
1999 was again another stellar year for Stevens but it wasn’t without drama. After starting in all 24-games for the season, Stevens place in the Grand Final line-up was dramatically placed in jeopardy when he badly sprained his ankle in the Preliminary Final victory over the Brisbane Lions.
Stevens was the “will he or won’t he?” story of Grand Final week as he raced the clock, and defied medical advice to take his place on the last Saturday of September.
Incredibly, yet typical of his character, Stevens suited up for the Roos as they went on to dominate Carlton in front of almost 95,000 at the MCG, delivering North its fourth premiership.
In 2000, Stevens was sidelined for 14 weeks after he suffered a 20-centimetre gash caused by falling glass from the corner of his mouth, along his right cheek and down the side of his neck.
Stevens lost two litres of blood and believes that if he wasn’t as close as across the road from a hospital, he would have lost his life.
After two operations, Stevens returned as he lined up to take on the Bulldogs in Round 15.
Throughout the early 2000s, Stevens continued to be a crucial fixture in the Kangaroos line-up, and while the success of the team somewhat wavered, it never slowed down a man on a mission.
"He's so determined that you have to slow him down sometimes,” Denis Pagan explained.
“Anthony Stevens is a quality footballer and a quality person.
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