The Legacy Series - Episode 1, Robert Flower

[Deevout 523]

23 hours ago, Dee Dee said:

The Robert Flower Terrace is a permanent fixture in the cricket club area of the ground and was an initiative of the cricket club. I went to the formal opening, as did Robbie’s brother Tom.

Thanks for that information. Very happy the MCC did this in honour of Robbie. I only remembered that the MFC were going to put a sign on the Nothern Stand on game days “The Robbie Flower Wing” (which they were doing and I presume they still are) or similar naming to that, I personally would like to see the MFC for whom he played for do something more in his honour. Cheers.

Edited Saturday at 07:12 by Deevout
Spelling, plus my usual afterthought

[picket fence 17,601]

Great footballer and an even better bloke! LOVED playing practical jokes as well! A few little known facts, he was an excellent left arm medium fast bowler who once took 5 for playing in Melbourne District team, and was a great golfer as well. His brother Tom featured in the interview kicked 5 goals in a game V Filth in his 26 senior games! Tom was an almost scratch golfer as well. Older Brother Jim was a sensational all round cricketer who had match figures in a Grand Final of 13/32. Jim also shared the new ball with Gladstone Small in Sub District cricket. All in all a very sporting family, all highly regarded by those priveleged to know them as fine people, and brought up by sensational parents! Great documentary!

 

Edited Saturday at 04:56 by picket fence

[Heart Beats True 1,258]

I used to love visiting his sporting goods shop at Forest Hill shopping centre and he was always great to chat with. Such a lovely, softly spoken gentlemen.

[Whispering_Jack 30,738]

23 hours ago, Whispering_Jack said:

This discussion has reminded me of a couple of odd circumstances that happened over the ensuing years which I will come back to later. But for now, bring on the tributes for one of our all time great heroes.

It took until right at the end of Robbie’s career for him to appear in a finals series and he never played in a grand final. In 1987, his last year at the club, the club made a late run for the finals and the theme at the time was for the club to “do it for Robbie”. The scenes at Whitten Oval at the end of Round 22 when we finally knew we had made it, were euphoric. But I have confess that we could have done it a lot earlier and better, but for a couple of odd coincidences -

Odd Spot (1): Coincidentally, one of the other panelists on Episode 1 of the Legacy Series program was a client for who I acted in connection with a business transaction about a year and a half after I started my legal practice. I won’t name any names for professional reasons but he played in a drawn match in the final round of the 1975 season which resulted in his team keeping Melbourne and Robbie out of the finals (the Demons beat the Magpies in the same round).

On the Monday following the game, the client attended my office and broke the news to me that he saved the game when he “touched” a shot at goal from a Carlton player in the tricky wind in the last minute of the game. He said he thought he might have been lucky to get the benefit of the decision which of course, kept us out of the finals for another 12 years!

Odd Spot (2): Fast forward another three years and I’m now acting for a young footballer from Prahran who just played in their VFA premiership team where he kicked 4 goals in the Grand Final. He wants to play for Melbourne (I can’t mention the name for professional reasons but he became a football great who was a dominator in finals matches). He’s been knocked back after two preseasons with the Blues and wants to go to the club that his Prahran teammates John Townsend and Ken Emselle suggested he give a try. Carlton are bargaining for a trade - they want Tom Flower who kicked 5 goals in the final match of the 1978 season against Collingwood. It’s no deal. My client has to do the preseason with the Blues and kicks four goals in a quarter in an intraclub practice match that he was told was his last chance to impress the coach. His opponent in that fateful quarter was the club’s newly appointed captain-coach, A. Jesaulenko. The young player went on to play in four Carlton premiership sides including 1987. 

How different would things have turned out had he gone to Melbourne and played in the same team as Robbie all those years ago?

Sorry Robbie and the Demon fans of that generation - I feel like I let you down.

 

[Sir Why You Little 37,175]

Never won the Brownlow. 
 

What an absolute disgrace….

[Cranky Franky 2,100]

Mike Sheahan is a pretty shallow interviewer.  Why didn't he talk about Robbie's relationship with his coaches, practise match with Jacko, how he wouldn't shake hands with Rhys Jones & the big money offers by other clubs.

[rjay 25,155]

You can argue about who was the best etc...but surely Robbie was the most graceful player to ever pull on a footy boot.

...the phrase "poetry in motion" comes to mind.

[At Least I Saw a Flag 5,281]

Agree with all the above comments.

One thing that's overlooked was his bravery. Despite his slight frame, he never squibbed a contest.

FWIW my son was a friend of his daughter. He (my son) visited his house and confirmed that he was a ripper bloke. Sadly I never met him.

RIP great man.

[Grapeviney 9,827]

Treasured our occasional trips out to Sportsco as kids, where we'd buy a tracksuit or footy jumper, chat to Robbie, and get an autograph. 

On Good Friday, he would always be part of the RCH appeal and in the phone-room taking donations - another opportunity to talk with him.

As I've posted before, the goal he kicked on the run against Richmond, after spoiling a mark in the centre and sharking the ball over an opponent, is one of the best of all time. 

It's at the 1.50 mark of this video.

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Grapeviney

[tiers 2,849]

Always the practical joker. In 2010, at dinner in Shanghai after beating the Lions in an exhibition match, we were talking to Neita on the outdoor balcony of the restaurant where the team and supporters celebrated, Neita was distracted by what seemed to be spit balls hitting him in the side of the head. Of course, it was Robbie who was having a great laugh.

We were on the supporters' tour and got to meet Robbie who was always happy and friendly. There are some memories that will never fade.

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,908]

On 04/01/2025 at 18:02, Sir Why You Little said:

Never won the Brownlow. 
 

What an absolute disgrace….

Shows what a joke the award is.  But maybe some if it is down to the bad luck of Robbie having his best years the same as those of other absolute champions of the game like Bernie Quinlan, Malcolm Blight or a Ross Glendinning played a blinder of a season?

What year(s) do you think were Robbie's best that went unnoticed by the men in white?

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,908]

19 hours ago, Grapeviney said:

Treasured our occasional trips out to Sportsco as kids, where we'd buy a tracksuit or footy jumper, chat to Robbie, and get an autograph. 

On Good Friday, he would always be part of the RCH appeal and in the phone-room taking donations - another opportunity to talk with him.

As I've posted before, the goal he kicked on the run again Richmond, after spoiling a mark in the centre and sharking the ball over an opponent, is one of the best of all time. 

It's at the 1.50 mark of this video.

 

I grew up in Box Hill and really wished dad had taken us out to Sportsco to meet Robbie. 

I did get out to the Western Oval last round in 87 though and standing up the back against the fence behind the goals is memory that will be etched in my memory forever and probably solidified my passion for being a MFC supporter and I have Robbie to tank for that.  The elation of MFC supporters that day when we realised we'd made it through to the top 5 was amazing and that Robbie would get to play finals was frequently mentioned, not just that it was our first finals appearance in over 20 years 

Edited 23 hours ago by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

[picket fence 17,601]

43 minutes ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

Shows what a joke the award is.  But maybe some if it is down to the bad luck of Robbie having his best years the same as those of other absolute champions of the game like Bernie Quinlan, Malcolm Blight or a Ross Glendinning played a blinder of a season?

What year(s) do you think were Robbie's best that went unnoticed by the men in white?

1979 for a start

[Supreme_Demon 3,903]

A wonderfully enjoyable video about the great Robbie Flower.

 

I think it is long overdue that a statue of Robbie Flower should be placed at the MCG.

 

Hopefully with Steven Smith taking over as MFC President later this year in 2025, that he can use his MCC connections to expedite this possibility.

 

[Dee Dee 1,126]

Does someone have access to the Martin Flanagan article he wrote on Robbie Flower? If so, could it be re-posted here please? I remember reading it when it was first published in (I think) the Age. It was as you would expect of anything written by Flanagan, beautifully written and very sincere.

 

 

[demosaw 1,082]

1 hour ago, Dee Dee said:

Does someone have access to the Martin Flanagan article he wrote on Robbie Flower? If so, could it be re-posted here please? I remember reading it when it was first published in (I think) the Age. It was as you would expect of anything written by Flanagan, beautifully written and very sincere.

 

 

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/time-catches-up-with-robbie-flower-20141009-113odk.html

[demosaw 1,082]

1 hour ago, Dee Dee said:

Does someone have access to the Martin Flanagan article he wrote on Robbie Flower? If so, could it be re-posted here please? I remember reading it when it was first published in (I think) the Age. It was as you would expect of anything written by Flanagan, beautifully written and very sincere.

 

 

Once there was this position called the wing. Wingmen don't exist any more, having been merged into the collective we call the midfield. 

Back in the days of wingmen, the game was slower and there was more space on both sides of the ground. Often, there would be no one else in the contest but the two wingmen, which meant their "duels", as they were called, were highly visible. Wingmen had to have all the skills: they had to be swift, they had to win the ball on the ground and fly for marks. The best wingmen were a pure expression of what was best in the game. 

 

Robert Flower played with a bravery at odds with his slight build.

Mick Malthouse said last year that Dougie Hawkins was the most talented player he ever coached. Dougie played on the wing for the Dogs. Dancing Dougie Hawkins, as they called him, was a knockabout bloke with the common touch and the outer side of the Western Oval - a gravel standing area with a tin roof - became known as the Doug Hawkins Stand. 

Dougie grew up admiring another wingman, North Melbourne dual Brownlow medallist Keith Greig. Greig played with an impassive face but the rhythms of his game were fluid and elegant. Another great wingman was West Coast's Peter Matera – he had grace, searing speed and a booming kick that was accurate over 60 metres. These are some of the game's great stylists and Melbourne wingman Robert Flower, who died last week aged 59, was their peer. 

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Flower was skinny, wore glasses and looked like a laboratory assistant. But on a football field he had superb balance and an awareness that was repeatedly shown to be superior to that of his opponents. He played with a bravery that was at odds with his slight build and regularly outmarked bigger opponents. When Ron Barassi returned to Melbourne as coach and sought to alter Flower's game by playing him in defence, the Melbourne members nearly rioted.

In 1986, I went to see Melbourne play with singer-songwriter Paul Kelly, a Melbourne fan prior to Adelaide (his home town) entering the AFL. Something happened right in front of us involving Flower that startled him and he wrote a lovely article about it. Here it is in part: 

"Robbie Flower has always appeared to be playing in slow motion. He does this by slowing down time. He makes the players around him look even slower. This is his magic. Everything he does is seen so clearly because he gives you time to see it. He slows down the whole world.

"But today something has gone wrong, terribly wrong with the magic. Sure, Flower has slowed himself down, hovering like a dragonfly in the sunshine, but the rest of the world is still hurtling at the same speed. Two North Melbourne players catch him, one from the side, one from the front, as Flower, suddenly human, tries to handpass at the last minute. Down he goes in a heap, collared, dumped, the humiliation total: the umpire's decision – holding the ball.

"Now every champion player gets clobbered at one time or another. They are often subject to close checking and any player can be at the wrong end of a hospital handpass. But I had never seen Flower start in the clear and end in a tangle. Usually it was the reverse – conjured from the pack into space and the ball unerringly delivered to a red and blue jumper further downfield ..."

 

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But, in one respect, Flower was even greater than his peers because for a time Flower was the reason for his whole club to exist. People went to watch Robbie play. He was the silver lining, the hope, the pride. Yet, by all accounts, around the club, he was just another person. When Melbourne's long-time doorman Arthur Wilkinson had a period when he couldn't drive, it was Flower, the Melbourne captain, who picked him up each night before training and took him home. 

We are now in the era of free agency, which is going to lead to the competition dividing into first-world clubs and third-world clubs. To the players utilising free-agency rules, I'd like to say there is something you'll never know. You'll never know the feeling people have for Robbie Flower. You're a professional sportsman and you'll be cheered for winning performances and, if you're lucky, you'll get professional satisfaction from your efforts. But you'll never receive the gratitude and respect, the depth of feeling, that's going to be at the MCG on Monday at 2pm when people gather for Robbie Flower. 

GALLERY

 

Remembering legendary AFL player Robert Flower 

Ironically, Paul Kelly's 1986 piece about Flower was ultimately an intimation of mortality. It concluded: "Flower did many good things that day, directing traffic along his wing in statesmanlike fashion. But somewhere up in the stands, a man thought of time and death and diminishing age and on the fence two young boys in red and blue scarves and beanies were cheering younger, fresher-faced heroes."

Paul Kelly is singing How To Make Gravy, Robbie Flower's favourite of his songs, at Monday's memorial service at the MCG

[48 Year Now 97]

On 03/01/2025 at 12:44, Robbie02 said:

I have been a passionate Melbourne supporter since the mid 70’s. Robbie is by far my favourite ever player. Daylight second.

In my early days going to watch him play was pretty much the only reason to go to our matches. The other team probably won but they didn’t have Robbie playing for them. 

Yes, Robbie then daylight for me too. And how about when he played for Victoria. We all knew he would be a star amongst stars. Only saw he slightly beaten once, a much younger Blue in Peter Motley just got him at Princess Park one day.

Edited 19 hours ago by 48 Year Now

[Sir Why You Little 37,175]

11 hours ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

Shows what a joke the award is.  But maybe some if it is down to the bad luck of Robbie having his best years the same as those of other absolute champions of the game like Bernie Quinlan, Malcolm Blight or a Ross Glendinning played a blinder of a season?

What year(s) do you think were Robbie's best that went unnoticed by the men in white?

Robbie was the most consistently fine Player in the league, he was still dancing around opponents and flying gracefully through the air in 1987. 
He shone in every State Game he played in

He played a lot of his football in the midfield running past umpires controlling the ball on both sides of his body 

How could he be missed?

Corruption 101

[Slartibartfast 17,654]

You’re worried about Brownlows, I’m worried about best and fairest.

One?  Give me a break. 

[picket fence 17,601]

Im sure Laurie Fowler 3 B& F was confused with Robert Flower, just think about it a back pocket player winning 3 B & Fs seriously??

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,909]

2 hours ago, Slartibartfast said:

You’re worried about Brownlows, I’m worried about best and fairest.

One?  Give me a break. 

I'm not old enough to remember Barassi as a Melbourne footballer, so Flower is clearly the best player I've seen in a Melbourne jumper. Also, the most watchable. 

I have never understood how he only received the B&F once. All I can think of is that the voters of the award in his time held him to impossible standards that others did not have to meet. 

I concur with earlier comments that the MFC should do more to recognise him. I like the idea of an award named after him...but what should it be for?

[Cranky Franky 2,100]

2 hours ago, picket fence said:

Im sure Laurie Fowler 3 B& F was confused with Robert Flower, just think about it a back pocket player winning 3 B & Fs seriously??

He actually played as an on baller for the majority of his career at Melbourne and remains criminally underarappreciated by the Club & by most supporters.