But that pride is tinged with "a bit of sadness" by the fact that his records will never be broken, as the Steelers now play as part of a merged team.

Wishart backs the merged St George Illawarra Dragons outfit but feels the Steelers identity has suffered slightly as a result.

He told the Mercury it was vital never to forget those pioneers who established the Illawarra Steelers 40 years ago.

"The Illawarra has always and will always produce good players. It is no coincidence immortals such as Graeme Langlands and Bob Fulton come from the Illawarra," Wishart said.

"If things were different these players could have been considered Steelers' greats but the Illawarra had to bide its time before it was allowed to play with the big boys.

"I'm just glad when we got our chance in 1982, those pioneers involved in the club grabbed it with both hands and quickly developed a winning set of standards and culture which stood the test of time."

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Wishart said the successful team of the early 1990s that he was a part of reaped the rewards from those who started the Steelers.

"Success doesn't happen overnight. In the early years the players, coaches and administrators set the standards to ensure we operated as a professional club. It took a lot of hard work and it's important we recognise those people who really kicked things off," he said.

Wishart also praised his first coach Ron Hilditch for taking the leap of faith in 1989 and encouraging the club to invest in young talent the Illawarra and South Coast had always been able to produce.

"Then Graham Murray took over and we started to enjoy quite a bit of success in the early 1990s," he said.

"I started in 1989 and finished up in 1998. I look back and think jeez it was a great ride.

"Even though it would have been great to say we made a grand final or won a grand final....we were still very competitive all the way through the 90s without a doubt."

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The 1992 Steelers team fielding household names such as Paul McGregor and Brett Rodwell fell one game short of a grand final, losing a heart-breaking preliminary final to St George Dragons.

Fans still bring up "that forward pass" but Wishart remember three forward passes and as many disallowed tries.

"It was really close. In hindsight it could have gone either way," Wishart said.

"I think if it went our way we would have stood a decent chance to beat the Broncos.

"Look, the Broncos were a bit of a powerhouse back then, but we were a bogey team for then and I'm sure we would have given them a run for their money.

"I think we would have put up a really good fight for a premiership in 92, if we had got through."

The goal-kicking winger said the Steelers reminded him a lot of modern-day powerhouse Melbourne Storm, the club his son Tyran Wishart plays for.

"The standards and the great culture at the Storm is well documented but I've learned first hand from Tyran just how good it is. He absolutely loves what is happening down there," he said.

"The Storm are not rich in history but they've set some really good things in place at the club, just like the Steelers did.

"In Melbourne every player knows the club is bigger than any player. That was the case also with the Steelers.

"Players who let their egos get out of control were quickly brought into line by experienced guys like [club captain] Chris Walsh and Mick Carberry. They would set the standards and expect us young guys to follow.

"Soon it was guys like myself, Mary [Paul McGregor} and Brett Rodwell who were expected to set the same standards. In a lot of ways, that is what Melbourne do as well."

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