INDIGENE - PART FOUR by Whispering Jack

Legendary Melbourne administrator Jim Cardwell was a major force in building the club's successful premiership-winning teams of the 1950s and '60s. He spent close to three decades at the helm of the club and in that time was responsible for luring numerous young potential champions to throw in their lot with the Demons. However, in the early 1970s he missed out on a couple of gems.

Seven years had passed since Melbourne had won its most recent premiership and the club was desperate to bolster its playing stocks and rebuild for the future under new coach Ian Ridley but Cardwell's plan to snare not one but two outstanding young Croweaters went awry. He missed out in his quest to convince diminutive Sturt small man Michael Graham to cross the state border in 1971 and also failed to convince his teammate in ruckman Dean Ottens to make the switch. Both stayed at home and went on to forge magnificent careers in the SANFL.

Michael Graham went on to play 282 games over fifteen seasons (for premierships in 1974 and 1976). He represented South Australia at interstate football on eleven occasions and was named on the interchange bench in the official Indigenous Team of the Century as well as making Sturt's "Team of the Twentieth Century".

Dean Ottens became one of SA's great big men and fathered Geelong premiership player Brad and another son Luke who had a brief injury-plagued career with the Demons.

Ironically, the honour of being the third Indigenous Australian to play at Melbourne remained in the Graham family when Colin, a nephew to Michael, joined the club in 1975 from the Demons' country zone club Kyabram in the Goulburn Valley League after spending his early days at Penola near the South Australian border.

Colin Graham made his debut for the Demons as a 17 year-old in round 15, 1975 against Essendon at the MCG. Like his uncle, he was a lively small forward who was good near goal but his career at Melbourne was short-lived and he crossed to Woodville at the end of 1978 after just 35 games (32 goals).

Four years after Graham's departure another indigenous youngster arrived at the club from its Goulburn Valley zone.

I first saw Les "Lelly" Bamblett play in Melbourne's Under 19s under the legendary junior coach Ray "Slug" Jordan. He came down from Lemnos and I swear that he was every bit as exciting as any of the club's many talented indigenous players going round today. Yes, you can roll Aaron Davey, Liam Jurrah, Jamie Bennell and the others into one and that was Lelly in 1982 when he won the Morrish medal (best and fairest in the VFL Under 19s).

I still remember 178cm tall Bamblett in an Under 19 final. He was cramped up on a half forward flank with four or five Tiger defenders descending and he simply weaved his body around all of them as he slotted the ball through the goals. To suggest that I held high hopes for him and the football club as its finals drought neared two decades in duration would be an understatement.

Season 1983 promised much as the Ron Barassi-coached Demons signed high paid Brownlow Medal winners Peter Moore and Kelvin Templeton, adding to a stable that included Robert Flower, Brian Wilson and a host of young up and coming talent from the Under 19s that included Chris Connolly and young Bamblett.

Lelly made his debut for the club in Round 1, 1983 on the same day as Moore and Templeton but it proved to be another false dawn for the Demons. Moore won a second Brownlow, Templeton kicked 8 goals once against the Cats and Les had a couple of good early games before his form faded. By the beginning of 1984 he was out of the club at 20 years of age and on his way to the Bulldogs where he had one great year and the Doggies almost made it all the way in 1985. He played 11 games and kicked 12 goals at Melbourne and added 37 more games (59 goals) at Footscray until it all ended far too soon in 1988.

That he left the club at 20 and that he had such a short career is testament to his own erratic nature and witnesses the enormous difference in our understanding of the culture of our indigenous people from then till now.

I don't know anything about what went on inside the club in those days. The club had such an eclectic bunch of players and, even with a club legend back at the coaching helm, it wasn't taken seriously in AFL ranks. There were whispers that Bamblett wasn't popular at the club and that the feeling was mutual. There were hushed suggestions of racism and unsubstantiated stories that he was susceptible to alcohol but in the end, he switched quietly to the Bulldogs where he had brief moments before ending his career all too young; overweight in his mid twenties, his speed and his sparkle having deserted him.

I often wondered how and why we lost Les "Lelly" Bamblett or whether it was a case of him losing himself - not just at Melbourne but at the Bulldogs too. Then I came across an interview with him conducted on Whitten Oval Online Forum in July 2009, excerpts of which I would like to share here because, among other things, they tell Lelly's story from his perspective*:-

Hi Les & thank you so much for your time. One of our moderators on the site will be beside himself.

No worries.

Firstly, where did the nickname Lally come from?

It's actually Lelly. When I was little one of my cousins couldn't say Leslie and used to pronounce it Lelly. It just stuck.

Where did you grow up and who did you barrack for as a kid?

I grew up in Shepparton and was a mad Richmond supporter. I loved Royce Hart, KB, Francis Bourke, Dick Clay etc.

Who did you start playing footy for?

Chris Connolly's dad, Barry owned the local milk bar. He got me to play with Nathalia in one of the junior competitions that were played on Sunday's. I then played school footy and when I was older I played thirds for Lemnos in the Goulburn Valley Football League. I was only 17 at the time but also played seniors that year for Lemnos.

How did you get to Melbourne?

I was invited to come down to the Norm Smith Scholarship Squad, but I didn't want to leave home, so I stayed in Shepparton. One day in the main street I bumped into Ron Barassi who was in Shepparton. He made it very clear to me that I should be in Melbourne and not Shepparton. I missed the first few games of the 1982 season before finally coming down.

How did you go that season?

Well, I missed about 5 or 6 games as I was late getting down and I played a few games for the reserves. I won the Morrish Medal that year too as the best player in the Under 19's comp.

These days, the Brownlow is a huge TV event, how were you notified that you had won the Morrish Medal?

A Melbourne Football Club official came to my house to tell me.

Can you remember your first game?

It was round 1, 1983. We played Collingwood at the MCG and there was over 70,000 people there. We lost by 10 points, but a lot of the game is vague as David Cloke run through me and cleaned me up. All my family came down for the game, there were heaps of them there that day.

So what happened after the 1983 season?

I got homesick and mucked around a bit. I didn't like it at Melbourne and didn't want to go back. Richmond had Maurice Rioli and Phil Egan there so I went to Punt Road and did a pre season. Melbourne wanted a transfer fee and Richmond didn't want to pay it, so I ended up going to WA. Graham Moss came to see me and got me over to play with Claremont, but with clearance wrangles I didn't end up playing.

How did you become a Bulldog then?

Just before the clearance deadline at the end of June Shane O'Sullivan came to WA and asked if I wanted to return to Victoria and play for Footscray? I jumped at the chance and in return Steven O'Dwyer was cleared to Melbourne.

You arrived mid 1984, but made a huge impact in 1985. Why was that?

I just loved being there, loved the blokes like Doug Hawkins, Steve McPherson, Peter Foster, Magic McLean, Jim Edmond and Rod McPherson. I just couldn't wait to get to training. I was so happy. It was a special time to be around the place.

I remember a game against Essendon at Windy Hill where you came in as a late replacement after having your appendix removed. Do you recall that?

Yeah, we had played Geelong at Kardinia Park one Saturday and afterwards I felt a pain in my stomach and was in hospital that night. I had an appendicitis and missed out on playing for Victoria and against Melbourne the following week. When we played Essendon it was like espionage as someone else took in my bag with all my gear in it. It certainly fooled Essendon, but didn't help as we went down by 4 goals anyway.

Who were some of the better players you played with?

* Robert Flower - A sensational footballer for his build.

* Doug Hawkins - A great guy who could just play football.

* Stephen McPherson - Hard, tough, a larrikin!

* Jim Edmond - A great mark for his size, top bloke too.

* Michael McLean - The best trainer I ever saw. I'm still great mates with Magic.

* Brian Royal - A real good rover.

What about some of the players you played against?

* Ken Hunter - Very hard on his attack at the ball.

* Tom Alvin - Never gave you a moment's peace, always at you.

* Robert Dipierdomenico - Hard & rugged, skilful & quick for his size.

* Gary Ayres - A real backman who never gave up, was disciplined continually punched from behind and always ran off.

* Keith Greig - Easy to see why he won 2 Brownlow Medals. I played on him late in his career but he was silky smooth.

Now, in 1986, 87 & 88 you managed 3 games each year. What happened?

Injuries. We were playing at Waverley in 1986 & I turned and my Achilles snapped. It felt like I had been shot in the heel. In 1987 I did my knee and had a total reconstruction. It was never the same after that though. I called it a day at the end of 1988. I tried a few games with my mates playing for Maldon, but didn't last long.

Now, it's fair to say that the 3 men who coached you when you came to Melbourne would have left an impression upon you.

Oh yeah!

* Slug Jordan - He was very intimidating. A great junior coach and I reckon if Melbourne would have allowed him to go to Sydney he would have been a great senior coach. Slug had some funny sayings and swore a lot too.

* Ron Barassi - Great knowledge of the game and really knew how to get his point across.

* Mick Malthouse - Like Barassi, Mick had a great knowledge of the game and knew how to get the best out of each player. I'm still friends with Mick.

Do you still follow the footy?

Yes, I'm an Assistant Coach with Fitzroy Stars in the Northern Football League so I can't get to AFL games on a Saturday. I get to about half a dozen games a year.

Who do you watch?

The Bulldogs of course! Also watch Essendon as my nephew, Andrew Lovett plays there, but I'm a Bulldog.

Any particular Bulldog players catch your eye?

Lindsay Gilbee goes alright, so too does Robert Murphy. I know Jarrod Harbrow's family from Shepparton so I like him and Josh Hill.

Married/Children?

Not married although my partner and I have been together forever!

We have 6 children, 5 girls aged 27, 26, 25, 19 and 16 and a boy aged 22.

What do you do work wise?

I'm a youth worker and work for a youth hostel.

Les, thank you so much for your time and for those of us who were fortunate to see you at your scintillating best it was a privilege.

Thanks for that, you're welcome.

* changes made for minor corrections.

I learned a few things about Lelly's past from this interview, among them the connection with the Connolly family, that he was swapped for Strawbs, that he's related to Andrew Lovett and that he's not the father of 2010 draft hopeful Richard Bamblett (who inspired my search for the article in the first place but wasn't drafted) and, above all, that football clubs provide a much different environment these days in the way they understand and make our indigenous players welcome.

TO BE CONTINUED

This series is written in honour of the late Matthew Wonaeamirri, father of current Melbourne player Austin. Our hearts go out to all of the family.

Great article WJ but I take issue with one matter. You refer to "diminutive Sturt small man"

Michael Graham. He was certainly not diminutive. He was a good size half forward flanker about Russell Robertson's size who could occasionally fill in at CHF or FF.

Incidentally in the off season he went up to Darwin & played for St Marys, winning several flags & the Nicholls Medal for B&F in the Darwin competition.

He was a great player & could take spectacular marks - the only downside was that he was a bit "hungry" anywhere close to goal & would never pass it off.

Hi Cranky Franky,

I did get to see Michael Graham playing for Sturt in SA and he didn't look big to me. His height in the books I consulted was given as 175cm.

However, if you saw him in his later days I bow to your greater knowledge.

Cheers,

WJ

Another slightly pedantic correction, WJ. Dean Ottens played for Sturt, not Glenelg. His sons, Brad and Luke did, however, play for Glenelg. Dean later spent a few years in gaol for drug offences.

Another slightly pedantic correction, WJ. Dean Ottens played for Sturt, not Glenelg. His sons, Brad and Luke did, however, play for Glenelg. Dean later spent a few years in gaol for drug offences.

Thanks for that (article corrected). Now that I come to think of it, I remember Ottens in his later years wearing the Sturt guernsey which wasn't too flattering when he put on weight in the twilight of his career.