Phil Rhoden

[dee-eee 231]

The Tilbrook post reminded me of a Reserves stalwart from the late 60's , Phil Rhoden , of a famous Melbourne legal family . A back-pocket specialist (not uncommon in that era) he was bald , short, slow and stocky and a VERY ordinary footballer but was the most prodigious kick I have seen in my 55 years of attendance . He would always take the kick after a behind and lob drop kicks almost to the centre circle . He had quite a cult following with the earlybird supporters who would make a whooping sound as he kicked or just laugh .

[chook fowler 18,327]

Remember him well. Never seen a better drop kick.

[monoccular 16,222]

Don't remember him (had a few years in the footy wilderness) but was he really better at the long lost art of drop kicking than Tassie Johnson #8? He would seriously be hard to beat. Regularly kicked it as far as the mud patch at the G in our glory years.

Remember him well. Never seen a better drop kick.

[Whispering_Jack 28,010]

Phil Rhoden was a few years ahead of me when I arrived at Melbourne University in 1967 and already a legend with the Uni Blues where he was runner up in the VAFA B & F a couple of years earlier. I remember seeing him in the law library early on and because he was balding and looked much older, I thought he was one of the lecturers.

I had a modest sporting career at school but it didn't stop me from trying. I joined the Athletics Club that was coached by the legendary Franz Stampfl stacked with champions including Ralph Doubel who won the 800m gold equalling the world record at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Anyway, I was no good at that so I decided to try out for the inter faculty law team.

At the first (and for me it was the only) training session, about 50 blokes turned up and I learned that a handful of them were also training with VFL teams (Mike Green actually played in Richmond's premiership team that year), quite a few VFA players as well as members of the Uni Blacks and Uni Blues team. Anyway, I didn't last - those blokes were too big, too strong and too rough and I ended up playing a much lower standard for the Italian club (as a guest) against the Classics club which was highlighted by shortened games and a great wine and cheese tasting in the aftermath.

It was at the inter faculty try out that I noticed the stocky bald bloke who wasn't much taller than me and wasn't a law lecturer after all but 21 year old Rhoden who was tied to Richmond but soon to be cleared to Melbourne. Co-incidentally at around the same time we cleared Kevin Sheedy to Richmond and given their respective careers in football and the fact that we were about to witness a golden era for the Tigers and a half century drought from the Demons, I'll leave it to you to work out who got the better of the dealing there.

Rhoden might not have looked like a footballer but you could tell at training that he was good. He was outstanding the following year with the Melbourne reserves, winning the Gardiner Medal but only played three senior games.

His kicking was his forte and just as good as the great Bob "Tassie" Johnson if not better. He was the type of player who had what Jack Dyer (bless him) would describe as being a "prodigerous kick"!

I remember clearly one of his kicks for the ressies on a wet day on the MCG. He gathered the ball in a back pocket and, running along the flank he booted it in the direction of Ross Dillon who had started his lead at full forward and marked near centre half forward. The ball had covered 80 metres. You don't often see that sort of thing these days but Rhoden did it regularly - it was just a pity that he was unfashionable as a player and rarely got the chance to play at senior level.

He went on to play for the Zebras in the VFA and was briefly on the MFC Committee.

The game was so much different at all levels back in those days. The highlight was the social side - especially at uni when you finished your training runs with a good old fashioned pub crawl.

[Redleg 37,831]

Remember him well. Never seen a better drop kick.

Agree.

[John Crow Batty 8,266]

About the only thing I remember of the reseves games from then was Phil Rhoden's booming kicks. They were a highlight never to be forgotten. I don't believe there is a comparable long kicker around these days. I remember Allan Martello from Hawthorn also had an enormous roost.

Edited August 7, 2015 by america de cali

[chook fowler 18,327]

Agree Tassie was a fantastic drop kick, as was the late/great Donny Williams but Phil had them covered.

[Deeoldfart 7,788]

I regularly watched our ressies 'kicking the dew off the grass' way back then. Mention of Phil Rhoden didn't immediately jog my memory, but Redleg and WJ's description of his long kicking and physique quickly reminded me. Casting my mind back to around that time for some reason reminded me of another reserves player who is memorable more for the way he was built, than for his football prowess. If I recall correctly his name was Terry Johnson (or Johnston?), and he was a ruckman built along similar lines to the "galloping gasometer'. I have looked up his name in a few of my references, but can find no mention of him. Do any of you MFC aficionados remember him (?) or is time starting to take its toll on my long-term memory? It killed off my short-term memory years ago!

[Trisul 640]

Trevor Johnson 1955-62. 118 games, 9 goals. 185cm 83kgs. Defender and ruckman from Epping ?

[Deeoldfart 7,788]

Trevor Johnson 1955-62. 118 games, 9 goals. 185cm 83kgs. Defender and ruckman from Epping ?

Nup. I remember Trevor very well from our Premiership years, but I'm thinking of a different beast who never played a senior game ........come to think of it, that might be the reason he doesn't appear in my MFC 'library'.

[Whispering_Jack 28,010]

I regularly watched our ressies 'kicking the dew off the grass' way back then. Mention of Phil Rhoden didn't immediately jog my memory, but Redleg and WJ's description of his long kicking and physique quickly reminded me. Casting my mind back to around that time for some reason reminded me of another reserves player who is memorable more for the way he was built, than for his football prowess. If I recall correctly his name was Terry Johnson (or Johnston?), and he was a ruckman built along similar lines to the "galloping gasometer'. I have looked up his name in a few of my references, but can find no mention of him. Do any of you MFC aficionados remember him (?) or is time starting to take its toll on my long-term memory? It killed off my short-term memory years ago!

Yep. I think he was a Johnston with a t and was recruited very young with the future in mind back in the late 50s or early 60s but never quite made it beyond the reserve grade. Terry Johnston: Demonwicki

Melbourne was particularly strong back in those days and hence, a lot of good players who otherwise might have made it but didn't. One of them was a bloke called Brendan Rice who these days is a property valuer. I met him at a luncheon quite a few years ago and the story about him is that he was an up and coming quality key defender who broke down with a knee injury in about 1962 and never played again. These days an arthroscopy would probably repair the damage and the player would be back in a few weeks.

Two others were the Minton-Connells from Tasmania who were fantastic players in the ressies but they couldn't break into the seniors, Mike a CHB because we had players like Doc Roet and Ray Groom ahead of him and Adrian a ruckman who also suffered a knee injury. One of them was the father of Simon Minton-Connell who later played for Carlton and one or two others. Unbeknown to any of us at the time, they were also cousins of Peter Hudson and I believe that had they made the grade with us, then Huddo would have signed with us instead of Hawthorn. We also missed out by a year on the Matthews brothers and Mike Moncrieff when our local zone was changed.

So imagine a Melbourne with Sheedy, Hudson, Leigh and Kelvin Matthews and Mike Moncrieff in the late 60s and 70s - perhaps the Norm Smith curse might not have happened.

[Deeoldfart 7,788]

Thanks Jack. Very reassuring that I still have a smidge of memory left.

The names you mention would have made the world of difference to our team through the '70s , but I reckon it was the administration of the Club that Norm mostly frowned upon, and that inexorably led to our downfall on the field as well. It took him 50 years to again smile on the Club that had treated him so shabbily.

[hemingway 7,597]

Agree Tassie was a fantastic drop kick, as was the late/great Donny Williams but Phil had them covered

Bernie Massey was just as good as Tassie but Phil has the longest drop kick no doubt about it.

[hemingway 7,597]

Yep. I think he was a Johnston with a t and was recruited very young with the future in mind back in the late 50s or early 60s but never quite made it beyond the reserve grade. Terry Johnston: Demonwicki

Melbourne was particularly strong back in those days and hence, a lot of good players who otherwise might have made it but didn't. One of them was a bloke called Brendan Rice who these days is a property valuer. I met him at a luncheon quite a few years ago and the story about him is that he was an up and coming quality key defender who broke down with a knee injury in about 1962 and never played again. These days an arthroscopy would probably repair the damage and the player would be back in a few weeks.

Two others were the Minton-Connells from Tasmania who were fantastic players in the ressies but they couldn't break into the seniors, Mike a CHB because we had players like Doc Roet and Ray Groom ahead of him and Adrian a ruckman who also suffered a knee injury. One of them was the father of Simon Minton-Connell who later played for Carlton and one or two others. Unbeknown to any of us at the time, they were also cousins of Peter Hudson and I believe that had they made the grade with us, then Huddo would have signed with us instead of Hawthorn. We also missed out by a year on the Matthews brothers and Mike Moncrieff when our local zone was changed.

So imagine a Melbourne with Sheedy, Hudson, Leigh and Kelvin Matthews and Mike Moncrieff in the late 60s and 70s - perhaps the Norm Smith curse might not have happened.

I have not thought about Terry Johnston for 50 years. Wow memory is an amazing thing. Now have a clear vision of Terry. A very good tap ruckman but slow and took very few marks. Naturally, running was not his forte. And he had a body like a Noons meat pie. The face on the Demonwicki link says it all.

[angrydee 842]

Two ton Terry never really fitted in at the MFC, being very left of centre. He felt out of place with the conservatives at the club.

A great bloke who was a regular attendee at Jim Hill's soirées in the hills during the 1960's.

[daisycutter 28,626]

Two ton Terry never really fitted in at the MFC, being very left of centre. He felt out of place with the conservatives at the club.

A great bloke who was a regular attendee at Jim Hill's soirées in the hills during the 1960's.

would that be jim hill of cpa infamy?

[radar 1,853]

Remember the MCC members always yelling at Ridley to give him a go in the firsts.

[angrydee 842]

would that be jim hill of cpa infamy?

His brother

[angrydee 842]

Oops. His brother Ted sas THE cpa man.

[Bitter but optimistic 21,342]

I was out at Waverley one Saturday. PR was playing for the reserves against Richmond. No [censored] - he was drop kicking into the centre circle every time. Absolutely magnificent to watch! Even the ninthmond supporters were cheering. [censored] me he could kick a football!!

[radar 1,853]

I was out at Waverley one Saturday. PR was playing for the reserves against Richmond. No [censored] - he was drop kicking into the centre circle every time. Absolutely magnificent to watch! Even the ninthmond supporters were cheering. [censored] me he could kick a football!!

was pretty sure Ricmond - by a quirk of the fixture - was the one team we never played at Waverly.

[Bitter but optimistic 21,342]

was pretty sure Ricmond - by a quirk of the fixture - was the one team we never played at Waverly.

Check again Radar will you - surely I wasn't that [censored]. Possible I suppose - after all I'm talking late 70's..

[radar 1,853]

Like Einstein said when told Hitler had 100 German scientists sign a letter saying Einstein was wrong : "it only takes one scientist to show me where I'm wrong."

I'll try n check the stats but don't think we ever got the Tiges at Waverley. Maybe something with the G being vacant or co- tenants.

Not sure.

[Whispering_Jack 28,010]

Reckon we might have played Richmond at Waverley in one of those night series games they used to have in the 70s & 80s - like the Escort Cup.

[radar 1,853]

Yep - don't think we ever got them in official 4 point game there.

Actually saw the very last official AFL game there - night pre-season semi about 97 - 98.

Drug cheats did us.