Matthew Hannebery

Recruited from Old Xaverians, Matt Hannebery spent six seasons on the Footscray list but found regular senior opportunities difficult to secure, playing the bulk of his football as a fringe player during the late 1980s. A tough and courageous competitor, he managed 32 games for the Bulldogs before returning to the amateur ranks where he cemented his status as a genuine VAFA legend. Hannebery captained Old Xaverians to consecutive premierships in 1995 and 1996—famously playing in the latter Grand Final with a broken hand—and also served a stint as the club's senior coach. While his own VFL career was modest, he established a significant family footprint in the game as the brother of Collingwood utility Mark Hannebery and the father of Sydney Swans premiership star Dan Hannebery.