History

The Royal Australian Navy Australian Football Association (RANAFA) has a long standing history of honouring players and officials deemed to have contributed significantly to RANAFA over a number of years by inducted them into the RANAFA version of the Hall of Fame called ‘Legends’. 

The first inductions into the ‘Legends’ Hall of Fame were held in 2003 in Canberra where members past and present gathered en masse to see the inaugural 20 Legends become immortalised. The Legends were players and officials who had made an outstanding contribution to Navy Footy dating from the early 1980’s - 2003. In 2004 another 6 inductees became Legends with a further 7 over the span of 2006, 2010 and 2015. In 2016 we welcomed two more 'Legends' who follow in the proud traditions and values of those before them.

Current RANAFA Legends

The current list of 40 Legends listed below can also be found on the Legends honour board housed at the home of Navy Footy, HMAS Cerberus.

2023 Legends Inductees

Rohan Jennings

Jenno was a founding member of the RANAFA Women’s football program and has been involved in RANAFA in many roles from 2003 – 2010. Notably, he was the inaugural RANAFA Women’s Coach and set the foundation of what was expected of emerging Navy footballers. The journey establishing the required culture was not without its challenges but after a few sleepless nights over the years Jenno managed to meld the girls into a formidable team. His efforts set the foundations for the program which resulted in their first ADFAR Carnival win in 2006.

Jenno was never above the team and would assist with many roles outside of his appointment including running the water, strapping, equipment/gear coordinator, transport and any task that would help the playing group get on the field. He is a true Legend of Navy Footy.

Rohan is pictured below being congratulated by RANAFA Legend Candice ‘Chook’ Freeman after his induction and being swamped by Legends John Theile and Jamie McGinley.

Daniel Fry

Daniel ‘Chips’ Fry was a crowd favourite on and off the field and his induction as a RANAFA Legend was the icing on a stellar playing career. Chips lead from the front with his tenacity and team first mentality and was content to let his footy do the talking on field. Off field his contribution to RANAFA set the standard in culture, respect and professional expectation establishing the foundations for success.

His playing career with RANAFA spanned 2013 - 2018 during which he received the following awards:

• Players Player – 2013, 2014, 2015
• MVP -2016, 2017
• Vice-Captain – 2014, 2015, 2016
• Captain – 2017
• ADFAR Allstars – 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
• Ruck Rover - RANAFA Mens All Star team (2005- 2016)

Chips is pictured below being inducted by RANAFA Legends coordinator Billy Veale and addressing the RANAFA members after his induction. 

The assembled legends gathered around Jim Smail and his Trophy at the 2023 presentation.

Nominations

Nomination forms for induction into the Legends Hall of Fame can be found in the link below. Nominations are to be submitted to William Veale, email: william.veale@defence.gov.au, by 28 Feb each year in order to be considered for induction that calendar year. Post 28 Feb each year, received nominations will assessed by the RANAFA Legends committee and pending the quality of the nominations successful candidates will be inducted into the Legends Hall of Fame at the ADFAR National Championships. ADFAR Championships are held in Melbourne in March/April each year. All nominations will receive written feedback on their nomination.