There is a stretch of road in Melbourne that has carried millions of fans toward the MCG across more than a century of football. From Friday, that road carries a new name, one that belongs to the man many regard as the greatest figure the Australian game has ever produced. Brunton Avenue, running along the southern flank of the MCG between Jolimont Street in East Melbourne and Punt Road on the Richmond and Cremorne border, is now officially Barassi Way.
The renaming was unveiled on Friday, which would have been Ron Barassi's 90th birthday. Barassi passed away in September 2023 at age 87, leaving behind a record that will almost certainly never be matched. He played 254 VFL games across Melbourne and Carlton, including 115 at the ground his name now borders, and coached 515 games at the highest level across four clubs. His tally of 10 premierships as a player and coach is the kind of achievement that stops conversations cold.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the honour was long overdue. "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," she said. Minister for Sport Steve Dimopoulos echoed the sentiment, noting that the street name would carry Barassi's legacy to generations who may never have seen him play or coach.
Lord Mayor Nick Reece pointed to the broader significance of the tribute. "As one of the foundational figures of Australian Rules football, a coach who revolutionised the game and a man who consistently stood up for social justice and unity, the story of Ron Barassi speaks directly to who we are today and who we aspire to be," he said. AFL CEO Andrew Dillon added that Barassi is "widely regarded as one of the most important figures across the history of Australian football."
The road being renamed was originally dedicated to Sir William Brunton, who served on Melbourne City Council for 25 years and was Lord Mayor between 1923 and 1926. Brunton's contribution to civic life was real and recognised in its time, and the decision to replace his name is not without some historical weight. Renaming streets in honour of sporting figures, however beloved, inevitably raises questions about whose legacies receive permanent civic recognition and on what terms. Some historians have gently noted that colonial-era civic figures are increasingly vulnerable to such changes, regardless of their broader contributions.
Those questions are worth asking, even as the case for Barassi is genuinely compelling. He was one of 12 inaugural inductees into the Australian Football Hall of Fame's Legends category in 1996. He received a state funeral at the MCG following his death, the kind of farewell usually reserved for heads of state. The AFL subsequently created the Ron Barassi Medal, awarded each year to the premiership captain or captains, ensuring his name is spoken aloud every October for as long as the competition runs.
From a Queensland vantage point, it is easy to observe Melbourne's football culture with a mixture of affection and occasional bemusement. The MCG precinct is unlike anything north of the border, a sporting cathedral ringed by tram lines and the Yarra, where the game Barassi shaped still draws crowds that dwarf most other sporting events in the country. The naming of Barassi Way is, in that context, less a piece of civic administration and more a statement of cultural identity.
The City of Melbourne and the Victorian government have made a clear call here: some contributions to a city's story are large enough to deserve a permanent place on the map. Whether you follow the code or not, it is difficult to argue that Ron Barassi does not meet that threshold. The road that once bore a councillor's name now carries a legend's, and every matchday crowd that walks it toward the MCG will do so under a sign that tells them something about why the game matters in this city.