BEFORE Andrew McLeod first met Warren Tredrea, he thought he was a bit of a "footy nerd". Tredrea wasn't sure about McLeod, either. 

"We didn't know each other and when I first saw him I thought ‘this bloke's a little bit arrogant'," Tredrea recalled.

On Wednesday night, many years on from those first impressions, two of the all-time greats of South Australian football were inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

It was another chapter of a story which has seen their careers run somewhat in sync; McLeod in his stunning time with Adelaide and Tredrea at their cross-town rivals, Port Adelaide.

Tredrea made his debut in 1997 for the Power, the club's first year in the AFL competition. Later that season McLeod won the first of back-to-back premierships and Norm Smith medals for the Crows.  

Throughout their AFL lives the pair has gotten to know each other, which was built on a five-year stint for a radio show in Adelaide some time ago. Tredrea soon understood his first view of McLeod was quite off the mark, getting to know him as a "really shy fella and a really good bloke".

"There's so much cut and thrust about winning and losing games that you can actually have friendships outside of it," the Power's 2004 premiership skipper told AFL.com.au.

"Numerous times in Showdowns when we were either winning or losing he'd run past and blindside me but not too hard. He'd just laugh and run off. We had a good respect for each other and I think I'm pretty lucky to be lucky to be inducted alongside him."

McLeod was equally thankful to share the honour with Tredrea, after both bowed out of the game at the end of 2010 as giants of football in their state.

"We're good mates. Our careers have been pretty similar. Before we met, I thought Warren was a bit of a footy nerd, and he talked about that in his speech," McLeod said.

"He probably had some misgivings about me as well. I got to appreciate the player he was and what he went through and the person he is. It was a very special moment. We've known each other a long time now."

Tredrea and McLeod were different players. Tredrea was a powerful, dominant figure at centre half-forward and McLeod a graceful mover across the ground.

At Wednesday's function, Tredrea, who played 255 games and kicked 549 goals for the Power, said it was during his eighth game, when he kicked eight goals against Carlton, which was when he felt he first imposed himself.

McLeod, the 340-gamer, remembered being in the moment: with everything in slow motion, he was a step ahead and felt "unstoppable" at different stages of his career.

Though opponents as players, both will now be able to look back on the night they joined the Hall of Fame.

"To be inducted with a lot of guys particularly you played against through most of your career, it's quite amazing. You look at the calibre of the people in the room and it's quite surreal. It is humbling and a great honour," McLeod said.

Tredrea captured the feeling in a word: "wow". 

"The key now is that you can sit back and enjoy it," he said.