Jump to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.
Demonland

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Demons mourn premiership hero Bobby McKenzie

Wilson7
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

 

Don't believe the story, here I am! No, seriously, very sad news. Bobby was my childhood hero and one of most exciting players I have seen. His pace, elusiveness and goal kicking ability had to be seen to believed. Even the great Ron Barassi marvelled at Bobby's deeds. He was a bit of a larrikin but that added to his personality. A wonderful article is on the MFC website. Thanks Bobby, you were a real champion. Only wish most of the posters here could have seen you play. RIP mate.

  • Quote
    •  

    Don't believe the story, here I am! No, seriously, very sad news. Bobby was my childhood hero and one of most exciting players I have seen. His pace, elusiveness and goal kicking ability had to be seen to believed. Even the great Ron Barassi marvelled at Bobby's deeds. He was a bit of a larrikin but that added to his personality. A wonderful article is on the MFC website. Thanks Bobby, you were a real champion. Only wish most of the posters here could have seen you play. RIP mate.

    Had to let you go first Bobby.

    I never saw him play as he retired at the end of my first year as a supporter of the MFC and I never went to the footy while he was playing. But I knew him by reputation and from the radio broadcasts of the time as a clever forward whose career interestingly, spanned the end of the Checker Hughes era and the beginning of the Norm Smith era so he played together with the Red Fox in the '48 premiership and under him in '55. Like many Demon stars of the era he retired at far too young an age (26) and he could have played on till the end of the decade but it was not to be. Ironically, we picked up another sensational forward flanker at the beginning of 1957 in Geoff Tunbridge who was 25 on debut. Imagine the brilliance of those two on opposite flanks!

    Bobby McKenzie's reputation never diminished and I remember the excitement around the club when his son Robert McKenzie Junior made his debut for the club in 1969 under the father/son rule (just missing the end of the Norm Smith era but he would probably have played against him as coach of South Melbourne). Wore number 50 in his first game, changed to 10 and finished with #2. He showed a bit of promise but lasted only 42 games and, after he left the club, the number 2 went to another bloke who made his mark on the club in much the same vein as his father as a skillful winger/flanker.

    We mourn Bobby McKenzie, a link between the club's two great eras. Condolences to the family.

  • Quote

    Had to let you go first Bobby.

    I never saw him play as he retired at the end of my first year as a supporter of the MFC and I never went to the footy while he was playing. But I knew him by reputation and from the radio broadcasts of the time as a clever forward whose career interestingly, spanned the end of the Checker Hughes era and the beginning of the Norm Smith era so he played together with the Red Fox in the '48 premiership and under him in '55. Like many Demon stars of the era he retired at far too young an age (26) and he could have played on till the end of the decade but it was not to be. Ironically, we picked up another sensational forward flanker at the beginning of 1957 in Geoff Tunbridge who was 25 on debut. Imagine the brilliance of those two on opposite flanks!

    Bobby McKenzie's reputation never diminished and I remember the excitement around the club when his son Robert McKenzie Junior made his debut for the club in 1969 under the father/son rule (just missing the end of the Norm Smith era but he would probably have played against him as coach of South Melbourne). He showed a bit of promise but lasted only 42 games.

    We mourn Bobby McKenzie, a link between the club's two great eras. Condolences to the family.

    Tunbridge and Mckenzie on opposite flanks and both on their preferred side. (Tunbridge was a left footer). Mouth watering indeed.

  • Quote

    Way before my time, but that article is great - really paints a picture of one of the greats of the club at that time. RIP

  • Quote

    Way before my time, but that article is great - really paints a picture of one of the greats of the club at that time. RIP

    Way before my time, but that article is great - really paints a picture of one of the greats of the club at that time. RIP

    A great article on Bobby. A real down to earth, modest champion. Interesting that his full name was Robert Davis McKenzie when his main rival as an elite half forward flanker was none other than Geelong champion, Bob Davis.

  • Quote
    •  

    Archived

    This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • AFLW PREVIEW: Brisbane

      Forget the haunting of Round 11 — we’ve got this. Melbourne returns to its inner-city fortress for its milestone 100th AFLW match, carrying a formidable 10–2 record at IKON Stadium. Brisbane’s record at the venue is more balanced: 4 wins, 4 losses and a draw. 

        • Like
      • 11 replies
      Demonland

    • AFLW REPORT: Geelong

      Melbourne wrapped up the AFLW home and away season with a hard-fought 14-point win over Geelong at Kardinia Park. The result secured second place on the ladder with a 9–3 record and a home qualifying final against the Brisbane Lions next week.

        • Love
        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 2 replies
      Demonland

    • AFLW PREVIEW: Geelong

      It’s been a season of grit, growth, and glimpses of brilliance—mixed with a few tough interstate lessons. Now, with finals looming, the Dees head to Kardinia Park for one last tune-up before the real stuff begins.

        • Like
      • 3 replies
      Demonland

    • DRAFT: The Next Generation

      It was not long after the announcement that Melbourne's former number 1 draft pick Tom Scully was departing the club following 31 games and two relatively unremarkable seasons to join expansion team, the Greater Western Giants, on a six-year contract worth about $6 million, that a parody song based on Adele's hit "Someone Like You" surfaced on social media. The artist expressed lament over Scully's departure in song, culminating in the promise, "Never mind, we'll find someone like you," although I suspect that the undertone of bitterness in this version exceeded that of the original.

        • Love
        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 9 replies
      Demonland

    • AFLW REPORT: Brisbane

      A steamy Springfield evening set the stage for a blockbuster top-four clash between two AFLW heavyweights. Brisbane, the bookies’ favourites, hosted Melbourne at a heaving Brighton Homes Arena, with 5,022 fans packing in—the biggest crowd for a Melbourne game this season. It was the 11th meeting between these fierce rivals, with the Dees holding a narrow 6–4 edge. But while the Lions brought the chaos and roared loudest, the Demons aren’t done yet.

        • Love
      • 5 replies
      Demonland

    • Welcome to Demonland: Picks 7 & 8

      The Demons have acquired two first round picks in Picks 7 & 8 in the 2025 AFL National Draft.

        • Haha
      • 908 replies
      Demonland
    View All

    Configure browser push notifications
    Chrome (Android)
    1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
    2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
    3. Adjust your preference.
    Chrome (Desktop)
    1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
    2. Select Site settings.
    3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.