Ron Barassi immortalised as road outside MCG renamed in his honour

A well-known Melbourne street in the city’s AFL heartland will be renamed to memorialise football great Ron Barassi.

Brunton Avenue, a major thoroughfare which runs directly parallel to the south end of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, will on Friday be renamed Barassi Way.

The announcement comes on what would have been Barassi’s 90th birthday and recognises his legendary contribution to Australian rules football during a playing and coaching career spanning more than 750 games at the highest level.

Road signage on the street will be replaced by the start of the AFL’s opening round, which begins next Thursday.

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said:“Ron Barassi is a legend of our game, widely regarded as one of the most important figures across the history of Australian football.”

Barassi played 115 of his 254 VFL games for Melbourne and Carlton at the MCG, before he went on to coach both clubs, as well as North Melbourne and the Sydney Swans for a total of 515 games.

He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1996 and given “Legend” status in 2006. He was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in 1996 as one of 12 inaugural legends alongside fellow greats Ted Whitten, Roy Cazaly and Leigh Matthews.

Barassi is considered by many the sport’s most important post-war figure who helped shape the modern game.

Bill Guest, a former vice president of the Melbourne Football Club, told radio station 3AW that Barassi was a worthy recipient of the honour.

“I think they’ve got to modernise things like Brunton Avenue … we’ve got to live in the modern world and recognise one of Melbourne’s champions,” Guest said.

Premier Jacinta Allan, who announced the renaming, said: “Ron Barassi was an icon of Victoria and Australian rules football, so it’s only fitting to have his name memorialised next to the home of football.”

Barassi died on September 16, 2023 after suffering complications from a fall. He was 87.

Brunton Avenue was first named after Sir William Brunton, Melbourne’s lord mayor from 1923-26 and who served on the city council for 25 years.

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