St Kilda Legend Nathan Burke is officially an immortal of the game after being inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
The 323-game great was bestowed the honour earlier tonight via virtual ceremony, joining fellow inductees Debbie Lee, Robert Wiley, Chris Judd and posthumous Legends Merv McIntosh and Jack Oatey in receiving one of the League’s most revered distinctions.
Burke becomes the 20th player from the club to be inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame to now stand alongside club champions Tony Lockett, Trevor Barker and Darrel Baldock and close mate Robert Harvey.
Although immediately recognisable for his helmeted appearance on-field, it was Burke’s unmatched courage and ferocity as a competitor which set him out from the rest.
Those incomparable traits have become synonymous with the Saints’ well-regarded No. 3 guernsey; a number and legacy which lives on through his daughter, Alice Burke, in the AFL Women’s competition.
Burke excelled as a rover throughout his illustrious career, but was just as prolific either along the wing, deep in the back pocket or as a forward to carve out a legacy as one of St Kilda’s greatest sons.
The 11-time Victoria representative was just as renowned for his durability, many times carrying and playing through injuries that would place others on the sidelines.
Burke has been afforded accolades only others could dream of, finishing his playing career with four All-Australian selections, three Trevor Barker Awards and captaincy honours before being inducted in St Kilda’s Team of the Century and Hall of Fame as a Legend.
He held the club’s all-time games record (323) before it was surpassed by Robert Harvey in 2006.
Burke currently coaches the Western Bulldogs in the AFL Women’s competition, previously serving as an assistant coach for the Southern Saints in the VFLW.
Nathan Burke
323 games (1987-2003)
11 x Victoria representative
5 x St Kilda captain (1996-1998 (co-captain), 1999-2000)
4 x All Australian (1993, 1996, 1997, 1999)
3 x Trevor Barker Award winner (1993, 1996, 1999)
1 x St Kilda Team of the Century inductee
1 x St Kilda Hall of Fame inductee (elevated as Legend, 2019)
1 x Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee (2021)
St Kilda’s AFL Hall of Fame Legends
Darrel Baldock (inducted 1996)
Roy Cazaly (1996)
Alex Jesaulenko (2008)
Tony Lockett (2015)
Ian Stewart (1997)
Player Inductees
Darrel Baldock (inducted 1996, inaugural Legend)
Trevor Barker (2019)
Nathan Burke (2021)
Roy Cazaly (1996, inaugural Legend)
Vic Cumberland (1996)
Carl Ditterich (2004)
Wels Eicke (1996)
Les Foote (1996)
Barry Hall (2017)
Robert Harvey (2012)
Lenny Hayes (2020)
Verdun Howell (2016)
Alex Jesaulenko (1996, Legend 2008)
Tony Lockett (2006, Legend 2015)
Dave McNamara (1996)
Bill Mohr (1996)
Neil Roberts (2015)
Ross Smith (2010)
Ian Stewart (1996, Legend 1997)
Colin Watson (1996)
Coach inductees
Allan Jeans (1996)
