Former St Kilda hard-nut Kristian Bardsley has recounted his infamous 'encounter with God' incident that left him requiring 18 stitches after copping an elbow to the head from Geelong great Gary Ablett Snr.
The two players crossed paths in Round 2 of the 1996 season at Kardinia Park, with an attempted tackle on Ablett by Bardsley leaving the latter with a significant head injury.
Ablett's raised arm clattered into Bardsley's jaw, with the St Kilda defender hospitalised as a result of the collision.
A subsequent three-hour Tribunal hearing resulted in a five-game suspension for Ablett, while Bardsley was able to make a return to the field two weeks later against Fitzroy.
Remembering the incident on the Unpluggered Podcast, Bardsley spoke on the aftermath of Ablett's heavy hit.
"I got knocked out and had 18 stitches in my chin," the former Saint and Kangaroo recalled.
"It was funny because that was Easter Saturday, and the headline was 'Kristian encountered God'.
"It was one of those ones where I went to tackle him, he lifted his elbow, he got me, split me open and knocked me out."
Bardsley revealed he suffered approximately 20 concussions during his time in the game, with the 51-year-old having undergone testing since the end of his career and still monitoring his health over two decades on from his last match in the red, white and black.
Get the full interview with Kristian Bardsley on the Unpluggered Podcast.