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The Robbie Flower Education Thread

Bluey's Dad
Bluey's Dad
in Melbourne Demons

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Posted

There's a lot of love for Robbie here but I was too young in the 80's to really remember him.

I was hoping some of you guys could share some Robbie Flower memories so I can bask in the love as well.

What was he capable of? What was he like? How awesome was he on a scale of 1 to Chuck Norris?

Educate me (and the younger dees)!

Thankyou in advance :)

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    This might give you some idea. At one game against Richmond at the MCG, when kicking out after a Richmond behind, we'd put all our players on one side of the ground except Robbie. He was left on his own on the other side with his Richmond opponent. (Remember, this is in the days of man-on-man and no flooding/press etc). Richmond kicked something like 18 behinds. Out of the 18 returns, Robbie won all bar one. If I recall correctly, that might have been the last game for that particular Richmond coach. (May have been Francis Bourke - but who knows, they went through so many).

    Robbie was the visual equivalent of liquid Lindt chocolate.

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    I remember him in 87 taking a mark on the Olympic park side,Punt rd end over a few players.

    I cant remember who we were playing but the opposition fans were laughing and hanging it on him for trying to have a shot from about 60 metres out, lining up outside the boundary.

    Anyway, it went straight through the middle at about half post height.

    He could execute every skill of the game perfectly, except maybe the shirtfront or the bump.

    He was as evasive as Doug Hawkins or Brian Wilson.

    He could hit a target every time.

    One on one he was virtually unbeatable in the air or on the ground.

    He would often win in two on ones.

    He was a freak.

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    The guy could play off half back, then dominate on the wing, or play forward and bag 5 goals, its inditement on the club that we havnt had a player like him since, if he played today he would just dominate, the guy copped alot knocks off the ball, you cant get away with that anymore, the best thing about him was he never took his eyes off the ball and he was a great role model.

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    I remember the numerous occasions opponents would line him up and charge - only to collect their own teammates while Robbie would run on bouncing the ball.

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    Unfortunately he played for the MFC mostly during some very lean years.

    There is not a lot of footage on him because they only broadcast two matches during most of that period.

    And as the dees were very ordinary ( sound familar ) he did make it onto small screen to often.

    I often think that without R. Flower I may have given up on the dees during that period.

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    Thanks H_T that was great to watch, left and right foot in a time when many players kicked with only one foot.

    Bloody magic to watch.

    Imagine him playing for a good side in those days.

    In a GF he would have won the Norm Smith medal if they had one then.

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    He would make Cale look solid - but his courage was huge. Suberb evasive skills which only let him down in his last game - 1987 Prelim Final when Dipper fixed his AC joint.

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    Seriously i don't think i ever saw Robbie play a bad game...he had quiet quarters, but always played a part.

    He was a freak..pace to burn..pick up the ball one handed, a strong mark with a deadly kick.

    He also Played magnificently when wearing the Big V jumper.

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    Seriously i don't think i ever saw Robbie play a bad game...he had quiet quarters, but always played a part.

    He was a freak..pace to burn..pick up the ball one handed, a strong mark with a deadly kick.

    He also Played magnificently when wearing the Big V jumper.

    That showed how good he would have been at carlton, Hawthorn or North at the time.

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    Unfortunately he played for the MFC mostly during some very lean years.

    There is not a lot of footage on him because they only broadcast two matches during most of that period.

    And as the dees were very ordinary ( sound familar ) he did make it onto small screen to often.

    I often think that without R. Flower I may have given up on the dees during that period.

    Me too OD.

    This might give you some idea. At one game against Richmond at the MCG, when kicking out after a Richmond behind, we'd put all our players on one side of the ground except Robbie. He was left on his own on the other side with his Richmond opponent. (Remember, this is in the days of man-on-man and no flooding/press etc). Richmond kicked something like 18 behinds. Out of the 18 returns, Robbie won all bar one. If I recall correctly, that might have been the last game for that particular Richmond coach. (May have been Francis Bourke - but who knows, they went through so many).

    Robbie was the visual equivalent of liquid Lindt chocolate.

    Thanks for the memory.

    That day sitting in the old south stand & Robbie putting on a showcase.

    Was worth going to the football even to see Melbourne lose in those days

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    Robbie's light frame and ability to be almost equal on both sides of his body and kick with both feet, enabled him to be an elite elusive footballer with very good excelleration off the mark, evading opponents and breaking lines enabled the team to go from under the pump defensively to attack very quickly.

    Yes, he played in poor teams of his era. But he also showed how good he was in an improved team in 1987, including the '87 finals, particularly his team lifting Rd 22 performance against Footscray. He contributed very well at a high level in his last 3-4 games right up until the end of his career.

    Not many footballers (even star footballers) can lay claim to that.

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    I saw Robbie play his first game for the MFC as a 10 year old in 1973....My dad said very early in the game

    "Watch the kid wearing no. 2, he is going to be good"

    He wasn't wrong i can tell you...

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    Untouchable literally, would make opponents look foolish.

    I am convinced had he played in a top team he would have won the Chas every year for about 10 years.

    Whilst I grew up with 31 on my back and boots (anyone else have RDB boots?) my fondest memories are of Robbie running down the wing at the G.

    I recall one day he ran the whole wing brushing off tacklers like he was running through a wheat field and yet he made Morton look overweight.

    The clip reminded me of how good he was in the air.

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    He wasn't perfect, though. I saw him on a mudheap at Kardinia Park once and someone (Adrian Battiston?) drilled a tumble punt at him with a ball that must have weighed twenty or thirty kilos. It hit RF in the chest and bounced straight off.

    Of course, he then scooped it up left handed, baulked and wove around three Geelong scrappers and then slammed home a left footer from forty metres ...

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    Imagine a perfect diamond set in pure gold, that's Robbie. The most graceful player I've had the pleasure of seeing in 60+ years following the game. He didn't run, he would glide across the ground, leaving opposition players looking befuddled and silly in his wake. Individual highlights are too numerous to mention here, but take it from me, Robbie was poetry in motion, like no other I've ever had the pleasure of watching.

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    He wasn't perfect, though. I saw him on a mudheap at Kardinia Park once and someone (Adrian Battiston?) drilled a tumble punt at him with a ball that must have weighed twenty or thirty kilos. It hit RF in the chest and bounced straight off.

    Of course, he then scooped it up left handed, baulked and wove around three Geelong scrappers and then slammed home a left footer from forty metres ...

    He chested it into space deliberately.

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    One of Robbie's trademark 'plays' was to go up at the back of a pack , get his fist to the ball and in the next instance be running on to grab the ball, dodge and weave, take a bounce or 2 and kick a goal .

    He did this countless times and it was always mesmerising and thrilling to watch .

    He was a star

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    Poetry in motion.

    When i have a shower i always say im going to have a "Robbie Flower" , because cleanliness is next to godliness, and Robbie was the closest thing to God that i knew.

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    really wish i could've seen this guy play. Looks like he was an awesome player

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    really wish i could've seen this guy play. Looks like he was an awesome player

    He was actually better than awesome...
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    There's a lot of love for Robbie here but I was too young in the 80's to really remember him.

    I was hoping some of you guys could share some Robbie Flower memories so I can bask in the love as well.

    What was he capable of? What was he like? How awesome was he on a scale of 1 to Chuck Norris?

    Educate me (and the younger dees)!

    Thankyou in advance :)

    on a scale of 1 to Chuck Norris, he would be about a Bruce Lee. Similar frame.

    He was, would be a beaut, but would like some space as the players all fill space today so they would really congest his area. He would weave thru them, but any topline players are intimately guarded, in todays defensive game.

    Flower weaving around a circle of 4 or 5 players & snapping a goal over the shoulder off a step, was awesome to witness.

    2nd to none.

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