Port Adelaide legend Russell Ebert has died at the age of 72, after a battle with leukemia.
Ebert was a four-time Magarey Medal winner with the Power, and also won three premierships with the club during his illustrious career.
In a club record 392 games for Port between 1968 and 1985, Ebert scored 294 goals and won the club's best and fairest award on six occasions.
The Port Adelaide Football Club is mourning the loss of club legend Russell Ebert, who passed away peacefully this afternoon surrounded by his family ❤️
— Port Adelaide FC (@PAFC) November 5, 2021
📰 https://t.co/vCEiKLMYGZ#weareportadelaide pic.twitter.com/1R7jLD2Xus
South Australian football legend Russell Ebert has died after a long battle with leukemia. He was 72. https://t.co/5zYfOfohG3 #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/loCPLPgUZF
— 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) November 5, 2021
Ebert was officially named Port's greatest ever player in their 150-year anniversary celebrations last year, and was celebrated by AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan on Friday evening.
“Russell Ebert was an extraordinary footballer and his record attests to that as the only person in SANFL history with four Magarey Medals, coupled with multiple premierships and nearly 400 senior games just for his beloved Magpies, alongside his brilliant state career and a season with North Melbourne in the VFL," he said.
“As a young fan of the game in Adelaide, even when watching him as an opposition player, you couldn’t help but admire his high marking, his one-touch ball-gathering, his brilliant attacking handball and his exceptional kicking skills on both sides of his body, as he was taking your side apart. All while being an incredibly fair player who relied on his skills while being strong and brave.
“As his time in football concluded, Russell then truly blossomed as a humble but strong leader in wider society, not just football, and across more than 30 years he diligently worked every day in seeking to improve his community, using his profile and leadership to show people better ways to treat each other, and assist those who were struggling.
“The child in me will always admire the great footballer but the adult that I am is in awe of what Russell Ebert was as a man, and his loss after bravely confronting his illness is devastating for his family, for his club, his many fans and for the state of South Australia, where he has given so much.
“He was everything you would hope to be in a man, and perhaps the best of all of us.”
