New players and their families were officially welcomed to the Sydney Swans at tonight’s Guernsey Presentation and Hall of Fame Induction Dinner, held at The Star.

In front of more than 600 guests, nine new players were presented with their first ever Swans guernsey while brilliant key position player Ron Clegg was elevated to Bloods Legend status and dynamic midfielder Bernie Evans inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The versatile Clegg becomes just the sixth Swan to be elevated to Bloods Legend, joining Bob Skilton, Bob Pratt, Paul Kelly, Peter Bedford and J. Herbie Matthews.

Clegg commenced his career with the Swans as a 17-year-old in 1945 and in that year played in the ‘Bloodbath’ Grand Final against Carlton.

Four years later, aged 21, Clegg won the Brownlow Medal and finished runner-up two seasons later.

A strong, tall and agile player who could play at either end of the ground, Clegg played 231 games and won the Club Champion Award three times – the only key position player to do so.

Captain of the Swans for six seasons, including two years as captain-coach, Clegg is in rare company and a fitting name alongside five other Legends of the Swans.

Born and bred in South Melbourne, Bernie Evans is the latest member to join the Swans’ Hall of Fame.

In eight seasons in the red and white, the talented rover who wore the number 15 guernsey – now worn by co-captain Kieren Jack – played 148 matches, kicked 220 goals and claimed the Club Champion Award.

At the Sydney Swans 2016 Guernsey Presentation and Hall of Fame Induction Dinner four new items were also added to the Club’s Heritage List:

- The Swans’ five VFA premierships in 1881, 1885, 1888, 1889 and 1890.

- The 1909/1918 premiership jumper. At the end of the 1906 season South Melbourne decided to change from their jumper design of red and white vertical stripes to a new design of a white jumper with red sash and red collar. This was the jumper worn by the Swans between 1907 and 1931 and the one worn by the premiership teams of 1909 and 1918.

- The first game in Sydney as the Sydney Swans in 1982. The Swans played Melbourne at home at the SCG in Round 1, running out 29-point winners in front of 15,764 fans.

- The Pash family Christmas party. In 1992, Graeme and Julie Pash hosted a Christmas celebration at their house in Beauty Point following a poor season. As years passed, the number of attendees swelled from 10 to more than 200 and it became an annual tradition of the Swans until 2008.