Jump to content

Robert Flower - 20 Great Goals (can never get enough of our Robbie)

Whispering_Jack
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

 

Gee, the commentators were so understated in those days. If he was playing today they would be frothing at the mouth and looking in the dictionary for new words to praise his skill. 

There will never be another Bobby. ❤️?

  • Quote
    • Like 3
     

    I would have been about 5 when he retired so didn't see him play in the flesh but gee, his balance turn of speed and IQ was phenomenal.

    Also, I'm so used to checksides/bananas/snaps, that seeing a bloke try and drop punt from the boundary almost seems like lairising.

    What a gem!

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    Brilliant player. Ripping bloke. So sad that he left us way too early.

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    Robbie was simply the best and fairest of his era.  No Charlie makes a mockery of the system.

     

     

     

    Edited by Deeoldfart

  • Quote
    • Like 3
    • Love 1

    Watching some of the Melbourne sides in the late 70s and early 80s the only thing to look forward to was Robbie.

    Like a diamond in brokenglass.

  • Quote
    • Like 5
    • Love 2
    23 hours ago, Whispering_Jack said:

    Just the best  player we ever had. Incredible footballer par excellence.

  • Quote
    • Like 2
    • Love 2
     

    Great post. Was the only reason to go to the footy. Legend 

  • Quote
    • Like 6

    The Great man kicked  left foot goals from as far out as he did with his right. Lucky to find a handful of players that can mange to do that. One that comes to mind is Melksham. However  there is no comparing. 

    For some reason he  mostly bounced the ball with his left hand although he was a right hander.

    Robbie Flower's highlights are always great to watch you can never be bored  watching the Champ.

  • Quote
    • Like 5
    4 minutes ago, Pickett2Jackson said:

    This is what Cale Morton should have become if we had the player development and culture when he was drafted.

    Possibly in a parallel universe somewhere but not planet Earth ?

  • Quote
    • Thanks 1
    • Haha 1
    45 minutes ago, Pickett2Jackson said:

    This is what Cale Morton should have become if we had the player development and culture when he was drafted.

    Physicality was very similar, yes. Run and use of ball, again, similar but not at Tulip's expertise level. Marking - not nearly as adept at reading the flight as Tulip and the heights he could reach were about the same on a good day. Pace and evasion, free range- finding and evasion, not as strong or sustained as that provided time and again by Flower - but this could have been largely learned given development. Overall, I agree with you (had we had a focus on player development but as we didn't then - and still don't - Morton missed the bus in his time at the Club relative to Flower in a previous era. I do think Morton's attributes and physical similarities to Flower were two factors that may have been put to more confident and sustained use through the coaches. I can see a role for Jackson as a utility that might reflect some of the skills of Robbie, however. 

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    13 minutes ago, Deemania since 56 said:

    Physicality was very similar, yes. Run and use of ball, again, similar but not at Tulip's expertise level. Marking - not nearly as adept at reading the flight as Tulip and the heights he could reach were about the same on a good day. Pace and evasion, free range- finding and evasion, not as strong or sustained as that provided time and again by Flower - but this could have been largely learned given development. Overall, I agree with you (had we had a focus on player development but as we didn't then - and still don't - Morton missed the bus in his time at the Club relative to Flower in a previous era. I do think Morton's attributes and physical similarities to Flower were two factors that may have been put to more confident and sustained use through the coaches. I can see a role for Jackson as a utility that might reflect some of the skills of Robbie, however. 

    What kind of player development coaching did Robbie Flower receive as opposed to Cale Morton? Perhaps poor development was a factor with Morton but the club weren't much chop when Robbie was playing either and it didn't stop him from becoming a fabulous player.

  • Quote
    • Like 2

    Just now, Better days ahead said:

    What kind of player development coaching did Robbie Flower receive as opposed to Cale Morton? Perhaps poor development was a factor with Morton but the club weren't much chop when Robbie was playing either and it didn't stop him from becoming a fabulous player.

    Flower was a benchmark of player development; how he got there might well be a mystery with a rather poor player development process at the Club remaining as a testament to his intelligence, Club loyalty and of course, his/these remarkable skills and courage 'for the ball'.

    We have all heard of players being 'naturals'; Flower was not just one of these. He was an 'exceptional' - one of the very few.

    He came into the Club raw but within a few weeks, was blossoming in the opportunity and this represented a quantum leap in his footballing prowess. As a recruit, he had astounding skills development; on the reserves and big time fields, these skills combined with his intellect and love of the game to continue to improve, carving a stellar capacity to extract the most that he could from the game with uncanny consistency.

    Morton, on the other hand, had certain attributes that some of us had seen before - without anything being a full suite of skills being evident. However, he provided some considerable similarities with the great Tulip (and we did not have the impetus and developmental regimen to make the most of these 'early' signs). 

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    49 minutes ago, Better days ahead said:

    What kind of player development coaching did Robbie Flower receive as opposed to Cale Morton? Perhaps poor development was a factor with Morton but the club weren't much chop when Robbie was playing either and it didn't stop him from becoming a fabulous player.

    Perhaps not a great  development and  the poor years the  club had..  He was just a natural player that  adapted with time got smarter and better.  If he played for a top side there would be no doubt a champion recognized by all, 

    That the proof can be on the games he played for Victoria  15 times and  Captained by Robbie 3 times .and was always impressive ,

    The time he kicked 5 goals playing at CHF for the Vics.  Point taken however Flower was something special

    IMV he cannot be compared. Should have been in the ultimate Team of the Century.

    Edited by nosoupforme

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    Just a beautiful player. I saw him many times.

     

    This year there has been a bit of talk about Clarrie not doing as well as expected in the Bluey Truscott. Robbie won ONE, while his teammate Laurie Fowler (a good serviceable player) won THREE. Which shows that medals are meaningless. 

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    Ps I was there when he kicked that goal against Collingwood, blind turning to avoid getting nailed as he got the ball. Totally freakish.

  • Quote

    Might be a tad biased as per my profile pic but the best footballer I've ever seen in a Melbourne jumper

    Consistent, reliable, supremely talented whether playing for a very ordinary football team or for the cream of the crop representing the Big V back in the good old days when that actually meant something 

    Simply the best

  • Quote
    • Like 4

    On 12/5/2020 at 6:37 PM, Whispering_Jack said:

    The evasion and ability to break tackles and blind turns were what made him remain so strong in the memory, and the log runs around the wing and flanks. I had not even considered how many of his goals were long kicks, many on this selection from the centre square line. He often collected and gave to a teammate with a short kick or handpass an kept attacking, running forward to receive or assist.

    He was incredible and earned the most memorable line from a Doggies supporter that "the trouble with Robbie Flower is that he can't kick it to Robbie Flower".

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    Simply the greatest....

    Could you image the damage Robbie could do now on our wing....one can dream!

     

  • Quote
    • Like 3
    • Thanks 1
     

    Few luminaries there, Len Ghandini, Roger Ellingworth, Tapman, Warren Dean. 
    Fading afternoon sun at muddy G 

    Good to hear Doug Heywood. 

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    Would have to be our best ever imo.

    My uncle raves about a goal he kicked at Windy Hill on a cold Saturday avro when he took on Essendrugs almost on his own but those were the days when not all the games were televised or had TV cameras at them.

    Im sure some of the 60 year old and plus die hards that went to every game back in the 80s would remember this one as well.

     

  • Quote

    • Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
    Reply to this topic...
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • NON-MFC: Round 13

      Follow all the action from every Round 13 clash excluding the Dees as the 2025 AFL Premiership Season rolls on. With Melbourne playing in the final match of the round on King's Birthday, all eyes turn to the rest of the competition. Who are you tipping to win? And more importantly, which results best serve the Demons’ finals aspirations? Join the discussion and keep track of the matches that could shape the ladder and impact our run to September.

        • Shocked
      • 133 replies
      Demonland

    • PREVIEW: Collingwood

      Having convincingly defeated last year’s premier and decisively outplayed the runner-up with 8.2 in the final quarter, nothing epitomized the Melbourne Football Club’s performance more than its 1.12 final half, particularly the eight consecutive behinds in the last term, against a struggling St Kilda team in the midst of a dismal losing streak. Just when stability and consistency were anticipated within the Demon ranks, they delivered a quintessential performance marked by instability and ill-conceived decisions, with the most striking aspect being their inaccuracy in kicking for goal, which suggested a lack of preparation (instead of sleeping in their hotel in Alice, were they having a night on the turps) rather than a well-rested team. Let’s face it - this kicking disease that makes them look like raw amateurs is becoming a millstone around the team’s neck.

      • 1 reply
      Demonland

    • CASEY: Sydney

      The Casey Demons were always expected to emerge victorious in their matchup against the lowly-ranked Sydney Swans at picturesque Tramway Oval, situated in the shadows of the SCG in Moore Park. They dominated the proceedings in the opening two and a half quarters of the game but had little to show for it. This was primarily due to their own sloppy errors in a low-standard game that produced a number of crowded mauls reminiscent of the rugby game popular in old Sydney Town. However, when the Swans tired, as teams often do when they turn games into ugly defensive contests, Casey lifted the standard of its own play and … it was off to the races. Not to nearby Randwick but to a different race with an objective of piling on goal after goal on the way to a mammoth victory. At the 25-minute mark of the third quarter, the Demons held a slender 14-point lead over the Swans, who are ahead on the ladder of only the previous week's opposition, the ailing Bullants. Forty minutes later, they had more than fully compensated for the sloppiness of their earlier play with a decisive 94-point victory, that culminated in a rousing finish which yielded thirteen unanswered goals. Kicks hit their targets, the ball found itself going through the middle and every player made a contribution.

      • 1 reply
      Demonland

    • REPORT: St. Kilda

      Hands up if you thought, like me, at half-time in yesterday’s game at TIO Traeger Park, Alice Springs that Melbourne’s disposal around the ground and, in particular, its kicking inaccuracy in front of the goals couldn’t get any worse. Well, it did. And what’s even more damning for the Melbourne Football Club is that the game against St Kilda and its resurgence from the bottomless pit of its miserable start to the season wasn’t just lost through poor conversion for goal but rather in the 15 minutes when the entire team went into a slumber and was mugged by the out-of-form Saints. Their six goals two behinds (one goal less than the Demons managed for the whole game) weaved a path of destruction from which they were unable to recover. Ross Lyon’s astute use of pressure to contain the situation once they had asserted their grip on the game, and Melbourne’s self-destructive wastefulness, assured that outcome. The old adage about the insanity of repeatedly doing something and expecting a different result, was out there. Two years ago, the score line in Melbourne’s loss to the Giants at this same ground was 5 goals 15 behinds - a ratio of one goal per four scoring shots - was perfectly replicated with yesterday’s 7 goals 21 behinds. 
      This has been going on for a while and opens up a number of questions. I’ll put forward a few that come to mind from this performance. The obvious first question is whether the club can find a suitable coach to instruct players on proper kicking techniques or is this a skill that can no longer be developed at this stage of the development of our playing group? Another concern is the team's ability to counter an opponent's dominance during a run on as exemplified by the Saints in the first quarter. Did the Demons underestimate their opponents, considering St Kilda's goals during this period were scored by relatively unknown forwards? Furthermore, given the modest attendance of 6,721 at TIO Traeger Park and the team's poor past performances at this venue, is it prudent to prioritize financial gain over potentially sacrificing valuable premiership points by relinquishing home ground advantage, notwithstanding the cultural significance of the team's connection to the Red Centre? 

      • 4 replies
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: Collingwood

      After a disappointing loss in Alice Springs the Demons return to the MCG to take on the Magpies in the annual King's Birthday Big Freeze for MND game. Who comes in and who goes out?

      • 385 replies
      Demonland

    • PODCAST: St. Kilda

      The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 2nd June @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we have a chat with former Demon ruckman Jeff White about his YouTube channel First Use where he dissects ruck setups and contests. We'll then discuss the Dees disappointing loss to the Saints in Alice Springs.
      Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show.
      Listen LIVE: https://demonland.com/

        • Sad
        • Clap
      • 47 replies
      Demonland
    View All