WAFL and VFL great Barry Cable was inducted as the Australian Football Hall of Fame's 24th Legend at Crown Palladium on Wednesday night.
 
Cable, now 68, became one of the game's most skilful and courageous rovers during an 18-season career that spanned 1962-79 and 403 games in the WAFL with Perth, in the VFL with North Melbourne and in state games with Victoria.
 
Earlier on Wednesday night, Robert Harvey, Glenn Archer, Shane Crawford, Chris Grant, 1950s-60s Melbourne great 'Big Bob' Johnson and South Australian icon Graham Cornes were inducted into the Hall of Fame.
 
Cable's trademark was his long-range handball, which many said rivalled that of fellow West Australian Legend Graham 'Polly' Farmer. But he was also one of the last great proponents of the drop kick and stab pass, a tireless runner and blessed with a heightened game sense that often put him two or three steps ahead of the play.
 
Cable is a three-time Sandover medallist, a record five-time Simpson medallist and won eight club best and fairest awards, including an incredible seven consecutive from 1965-71. He also played in four WAFL and two VFL premierships.
 
Harvey was one of the elite midfielders of his era, building his game around relentless 'gut running', deft sidesteps and perfectly weighted passes. The Saint's greatness is reflected in his 1997-98 Brownlow Medal wins, four club best and fairest awards, eight All Australian selections and the fact he is the only player to play 21 consecutive VFL/AFL seasons.
 
Archer was a key part of North Melbourne's dominant 1990s era, playing in the 1996 and 1999 premierships and winning the Norm Smith Medal in the former. A fearless defender who set the tone for his teammates with an almost reckless attack on the ball, Archer was named North's 'Shinboner of the Century' in 2005 and was a three-time All Australian.

Crawford most memorably won the premiership that had eluded him for 15 years in the last of his 305 games for Hawthorn, in 2008. However, the hard-running midfielder had set a standard of sustained excellence over his long career, winning the 1999 Brownlow Medal, four club best and fairest awards and selection in four All Australian teams.

Western Bulldog Grant was one of those rare key-position players equally at home in attack and defence. Starting his 341-game career as a 17-year-old full-forward, he was a dominant centre half-forward in the mid-1990s before moving to centre half-back and, in 1997, becoming the first ineligible player to poll the most votes in a Brownlow Medal count.

The late Johnson was a massive figure in Melbourne's golden era in the 1950s and early '60s, playing in five flags with the Demons before crossing to East Fremantle and captain-coaching the Sharks to a WAFL flag. At 198cm, Johnson could play in the ruck, but was most dangerous in a forward pocket.

Cornes has been one of the dominant figures in South Australian football since the late 1960s. A high-flying centre half-forward with Glenelg in the SANFL and a key player in the Tigers' drought-breaking 1973 premiership, Cornes played in the VFL with North Melbourne in 1979 before coaching SA's State of Origin team and Adelaide.

Nick Bowen is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Nick

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs