Alan Jarrott

Recruited from Moyhu in the Ovens & King league, Alan Jarrott was a tenacious ruck-rover and half-back flanker who broke into North Melbourne's formidable lineup late in the 1977 season. His time at Arden Street was defined by a bittersweet narrative of "near misses"; despite playing every game from Round 17 through to the Preliminary Final in his debut year, he was heartbreakingly omitted for the Grand Final, missing out on the Kangaroos' historic premiership. A similar fate befell him in 1978 when he featured in the finals campaign only to be dropped again before the Grand Final, leaving him as a distinctively unlucky contributor to North’s golden era.

Jarrott crossed to Melbourne in 1982, part of a significant influx of North Melbourne talent—alongside Steven Icke and Brian Wilson—joining the Demons to play under Ron Barassi. He quickly established himself as a senior regular for the Dees, valued for his discipline as a tagger and his exceptional distribution by hand. His manual dexterity was such that he famously won the televised World of Sport handball competition three times, a quirky but celebrated highlight of his skill set. Jarrott retired after the 1987 season, having served the club as a reliable veteran during a lean decade, and immediately transitioned into coaching the Melbourne Under-19s before forging a successful career as a football journalist.