#883 Tony Buhagiar

From his hometown of Perth in Western Australia, Tony 'The Budgie' Buhagiar reflects on his four seasons at Windy Hill (1981-84), which coincided with the rise of the Bombers under Kevin Sheedy. Buhagiar burst onto the VFL scene after a successful career with East Fremantle (1973-80), which included two premierships. Wearing the number 20 red and black guernsey, the diminiative rover became a fan favourite at Essendon and was a member of the club's losing 1983 Grand Final against Hawthorn. The following year, he was dropped for the Grand Final, after playing in the preliminary final, and never played another game for the club. There was one final season with Footscray (1985), before he returned to WA and later served on the board of the Fremantle Dockers (2000-09).