Sydney Swans legends Adam Goodes, Rhyce Shaw and Mike Pyke were reunited in Melbourne on Friday for the Swans Legends Lunch.
About 500 people turned out at the Grand Hyatt to hear from the star trio and those closest to them.
Assistant coach Henry Playfair, who worked closely with Pyke, revealed when they first met he thought the Canadian shared a likeness to the Rocky character Ivan Drago – a 6 ft. 5 in. Russian Olympian who was quite serious said very little.
“Mike was obviously a pretty impressive physical looking specimen .. and he kicked a bit like I imagine Ivan Drago would kick,” Playfair joked.
“So as a tall at the club at the time, I was still playing, I was quite happy with his ball-kicking skills because I thought: ‘This guy’s got no chance’.
“But the amount of work that he put in got him to where he got to.”
Pyke finished his career with 110 games and the 2012 premiership to his name, making him the first Canadian to have played in an AFL premiership.
The lunch also heard from Rhyce Shaw’s former teammate Martin Mattner, who said the pair enjoyed a healthy rivalry playing against each other early in their careers.
Mattner said even in those early days, Shaw knew how to play to his strengths.
“Rhyce was that running half-back who didn’t mind kicking a goal either and not much changed through his whole career,” Mattner said.
“He was really quick and a good user of the ball who got the best out of his body.”
Meanwhile Adam Goodes revealed that as a teenager, in his quest to get drafted, he was sidelined for 10 weeks with a broken hand. To maintain his fitness during that time he turned his hand to umpiring.
Goodes said it gave him a new appreciation of the challenges umpires face.
“It’s tough I tell you,” Goodes said. “When you’re in there in the game, and you’ve got to make a decision, it’s very, very tough – and I’ve won two Brownlows so I appreciate the umpires,” he joked.
Adam Goodes gets a standing ovation from those within the Grand Hyatt Ballroom.
Steven Taubert and Henry Playfair help celebrate the career of Mike Pyke
Rhyce Shaw gets emotional on stage as he thanks his family for their support.
