Club greats have paid tribute to North Melbourne icons Malcolm Blight and Denis Pagan, who were officially elevated to Legend status in the Kangaroos' Hall of Fame on Friday night.

In a gala event at the MCG, the pair were joined by a star-studded group of six new Hall of Fame inductees: 1990s premiership heroes Adam Simpson, Brent Harvey and Corey McKernan, recruiter Greg Miller, 1970s dual-premiership player Arnold Briedis and 1940s sharpshooter Sel Murray.

In paying tribute to Pagan, champion forward Wayne Carey said the master coach was "the sole reason" for the Kangaroos' 1990s success which delivered seven consecutive finals series, three grand finals and two flags (1996 and 1999).

"Even though there was that hardness around how he goes about it, there was also a willingness for his players to want to walk over hot coals for him, and that's the ability of a great coach," Carey said.

"We would do anything to make him proud of us."

The great full-back David Dench welcomed Blight to the club's exclusive group of 10 Hall of Fame Legends, remembering his "freak" skills, prolific goalkicking and incredible list of accolades that include the 1975 and 1977 premierships and the 1978 Brownlow Medal. 

"He had the ability to turn the game on its head on his own, with his freak ability to kick on either side, to take a spectacular mark," Dench said. 

"He deserves (this honour) because he was a fantastic player and you could always rely on him."

Wayne Schimmelbusch was the first and only North Melbourne Legend inducted in 2002, subsequently joined by John Dugdale (2003), Allen Aylett (2007), David Dench (2009), Keith Greig (2009), Les Foote (2011), Laurie Dwyer (2012), Anthony Stevens (2016), and now Blight and Pagan.

>> Click the images below to read feature profiles of every North Melbourne Legend and Hall of Fame inductee

A footballing genius, Malcolm Blight remains one of the most electric and decorated figures to ever wear the royal blue and white. 

A dual premiership player and the 1978 Brownlow medallist, Blight was named at half-forward in North Melbourne’s Team of the Century. 

He is the most recent Kangaroo to boot 100 goals in a single season, clearing the milestone with 103 majors in 1982. He was awarded the Coleman Medal in that season.

Malcolm Blight fact file

• Played 178 games for the club from 1974-82, kicking 444 goals
• Voted at No.6 in the club’s greatest ever players in 2019
• Two-time premiership player (1975 and 1977)
• Brownlow medallist (1978)
• Best and fairest in 1978 and four-time club leading goalkicker
• Playing coach (1981)
• Kicked 103 goals in 1982, his last season at North Melbourne

Denis Pagan stands as the master strategist behind the club’s most dominant modern era.

After wearing the jumper for 120 games as a player, Pagan honed his craft by steering the club's under-19 team to five premierships. 

He returned as senior coach in 1993, coaching 240 games and leading the Kangaroos to the 1996 and 1999 flags. 

Under his guidance, the Kangaroos were a powerhouse, reaching at least a preliminary final every year from 1994 to 2000.

Pagan holds the esteemed position of coach in North Melbourne's Team of the Century.

Denis Pagan fact file

• Played 120 games, including the breakthrough 1974 Grand Final
• Five-time U19s premiership coach from nine consecutive Grand Finals
• Two-time AFL premiership coach (1996 and 1999)
• Coached the club to nine finals series across 10 years
• Longest-serving senior coach in the club’s history (1993-2002)
• Coach of the club’s Team of the Century
• Club director 2008

A highly mobile, incredibly dangerous centre half-forward, Arnold Briedis was the focal point of a forward line that guided North Melbourne to five Grand Finals in six years during its golden run in the 1970s.

A two-time premiership player in 1975 and 1977, Briedis was a man made for the biggest stage, booting five goals in each of the premiership victories.

His performance in the famous 1977 Grand Final Replay earned him best-on-ground honours, playing a vital role to secure the club's second VFL flag.

Briedis kicked 279 goals over 161 games for the club between 1972–1983, and served the club after his playing days as an assistant coach and team runner.

Arnold Briedis fact file

• 161 games, 279 goals
• Two-time premiership player (1975, 1977)
• Best-on-ground 1977 Grand Final replay
• Club leading goalkicker (1980)

No player has worn the royal blue and white stripes more often than ‘Boomer’.

Brent Harvey played a club-record 432 games, a mark that stood as the all-time V/AFL games record when he retired.

Harvey won five Syd Barker Medals — more than any other Shinboner in history — and became one of the defining faces of North Melbourne.

He helped steer the club through transition following the exodus of the 1990s premiership stars, and captained the side for three seasons between 2009 and 2011.

Brent Harvey fact file

• North Melbourne games record holder (432)
• 518 goals
• Premiership player (1999)
• Team of the Century member (interchange)
• Five-time Syd Barker medallist (2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010)
• Four-time All-Australian (2000, 2005, 2007, 2008)
• AFL Hall of Fame
• Club captain (2009-2011)

A big-game player through the Roos’ remarkable run of final appearances in the 1990s, Corey McKernan could have been an AFL Rising Star and Brownlow medallist if not for suspension. 

He was one of North Melbourne’s best in the breakthrough 1996 premiership win, and stood up in big moments in the 1999 win.

To underline McKernan’s greatness, alongside his great mate and captain Wayne Carey, for a time the Kangaroos had the two most dominant big men in the competition.

Corey McKernan fact file

• Played at North Melbourne 1993-2001, 2004
• 196 games, 250 goals
• Two-time premiership player (1996, 1999)
• AFLPA MVP (1996)
• All-Australian (1996) 

If the 1970s premiership era was Ron Joseph’s team, the 1990s teams were Greg Miller's.

The architect of the club’s success in the 1990s, Miller enjoyed a storied career as chief recruiter, football general manager and CEO. 

Miller famously brought greats Wayne Carey and John Longmire to North Melbourne in a package deal from Sydney in one of the great recruiting coups in League history. 

Miller is still involved with the club, serving as an active member of the North Melbourne past players and officials’ network.

Greg Miller fact file

• Chief recruiter 1984-85
• CEO 1985-89, 1995 to 2001
• GM of Football 1990-1994

Sel Murray is posthumously honoured as one of North Melbourne’s greatest and most prolific spearheads, having booted 411 goals in just 108 games for the club from 1937-48.

He was the club’s leading goalkicker for five consecutive seasons between 1938 and 1942, with his crowning individual achievement coming in 1941, when he booted 88 goals to win the VFL leading goalkicker medal.

Known as an incredibly accurate left-foot kick and a brilliant mark, Murray leaves a lasting legacy at Arden Street as one of North Melbourne’s earliest superstars.

Sel Murray fact file

• 108 games, 411 goals
• 1941 VFL leading goalkicker (88 goals)
• Five-time club leading goalkicker (1938-1942)
• 7th all-time most goals kicked for North Melbourne

Adam Simpson, a two-time premiership player and an All-Australian, took the reins as club captain from 2004 to 2008, safely guiding the team into a new era after the success of the late '90s.

He led North Melbourne in 110 games, a tally surpassed only by Wayne Carey (184 games as captain) and Wayne Schimmelbusch (150).

He played a crucial leadership role during a challenging period for the club in 2007, acting as a glue for the playing group and community while the AFL actively pushed North Melbourne towards a Gold Coast relocation.

Adam Simpson fact file

• 306 games, 83 goals
• Two-time premiership player (1996, 1999)
• Syd Barker medallist (2002)
• All-Australian (2002)
• Club captain (2004-2008)