Club – Hall of Fame – Stephen Norman


2002 Hall of Fame Inductee – Stephen Douglas Norman

Tigers (WJFL)

1969

1983

Leading Club Goal-kicker – 10 Seasons 1971 (65 goals), 1973 (97), 1974 (90), 1975 (118), 1976 (48),1977 (115), 1978 (103), 1979 (69), 1980 (95), 1981 (65)

Runner-up, Best & Fairest – 1973

Most Improved Award – 1971

Most Consistent Award – 1977 Premierships (7) – 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979.

Other Grand-finals – 1976, 1980.

Life Member

242

1016 (Club Record-holder)

Ovens & Murray Football League Leading Goal-kicker: 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978.

Ovens & Murray Representative: 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980 (9 games).


Nothing more captures the imagination of the Australian Football public, than a champion full-forward in full flight. The game reveres the great full-forwards of the past with almost as much respect as that reserve for best and fairest award winners, probably because the position, by its very nature, excites the most spectacular aspects of our game. One of those men who inspired the greatest excitement and adulation in the history of the Ovens and Murray Football League proudly wore the brown and gold of the Wangaratta Rovers – STEPHEN DOUGLAS NORMAN. Stephen Norman joined the Wangaratta Rovers Football Club in 1969 from the local Junior League team Tigers. He was to serve the Club for 15 years until his retirement in 1983 and, in the twenty years hence, no other Ovens and Murray full-forward has come close to the phenomenal goal-kicking record Stephen left as his legacy to the game. Steve Norman began his career with the Rovers in 1969 in rather unobtrusive fashion, spending the first season in the Reserves, who finished runners-up. In 1970 Steve made his senior debut with the Hawks, but it wasn’t till the next season that the selectors saw fit to slot him in at full-forward. From then on, Steve’s career blossomed starting with a haul of 65 goals in 1971, a figure that equaled the Club record achieved by the legendary Bob Rose eleven years previous. In 1973 Steve reached 97, easily a new Club record, but over the next decade he was to stretch that much further. Next season, 1974, Steve bagged 90 and then in 75 he hit the ton for the first time with 118. In 1976 he was restricted to only half a season and his tally was 48, but then followed 115 in 1977, 103 in 78, 69 in 79, 95 in 1980 and 65 in 81. During the course of this record-breaking spree, Steve created an Ovens and Murray record, being the only player to attain the one hundred goal mark on three separate occasions. He was the leading Ovens and Murray goal-kicker in 1974, 75, 77 and 78. Steve also represented the League on 9 occasions from 1975 to 1980. His bag of goals in individual matches is also staggering. In one game Steve managed a lazy 13 “sausage rolls”; he twice kicked 11, 10 five times, 9 eight times, 8 goals another nine times, 7 big ones nineteen times and a moderate bag of 6 goals in 23 matches. Sometimes full-forwards are the ultimate egotists on the football arena, but Steve Norman was renowned for his unselfish play. He often responded to praise by claiming his greatest satisfaction in football were the seven Ovens and Murray Premierships he shared with his Rovers team-mates. It is beyond dispute that Stephen Norman is one of the greatest full-forwards the Ovens and Murray Football League has ever seen, together with North Albury’s Stan Sergeant, they stand head and shoulders above any players past and present. Steve’s career total of 1016 goals is of course a Wangaratta Rovers Club record and second only to Sergeant on the League’s all-time list. But for the Hawks supporters, Steve Norman’s 242 games for the Club was a source of football passion and excitement few have rivaled.