North Melbourne fans have long been aware of the outstanding contributions Denis Pagan has made to the game, and on Tuesday night, the dual-premiership coach’s achievements and excellence in the game was acknowledge by his peers.

Pagan, who coached the Roos for 240 games between 1993 and 2002, was elevated to legend status in the AFL Coaches Association by former charges Alastair Clarkson and Darren Crocker.

Following his time at North, Pagan then crossed to Carlton where he coached the Blues in 104 matches between 2003 and 2007.

Those who played under him, such as Adam Simpson and John Longmire, as well as fellow retired coach Mick Malthouse, spoke glowingly of the impact Pagan had on the game and their lives.

“What I wanted to do was just prove myself to Denis, that I was a good player, that I could handle whatever he put in front of me … it didn’t take a lot to get the best out of me, because I just wanted to please him,” Simpson said.

“He got the best out of his players because he knew which players to push, and push — in some instances — really hard. But also which players to put an arm around, and when,” Longmire said.

“I had a great respect for Denis’ capabilities as a coach. From a distance, probably his greatest strength was that he had no fear,” Malthouse said.

Pagan’s record at Arden Street speaks for itself with a win rate of 62.50 per cent, making him the club’s second most successful coach of all time.

Having coached the Roos to premierships in 1996 and 1999, Pagan will return to the Grand Final arena once again this Saturday, and will be on hand to award the Jock McHale Medal to the winning coach.

Pagan becomes the eleventh coach to receive the honour, and joins former North coaches Malcolm Blight, Ron Barassi and John Kennedy Snr, who were officially recognised in 2017, 2010 and 2009 respectively.