Robert Doyle is a former Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er who played with South Melbourne

Sydney Swans

The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...

 in the Victorian Football League

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 (VFL).

Doyle, a ruckman, was a South Melbourne player from under-19 level and made his senior debut in 1969. Also used in key positions, Doyle had his most productive season in 1973 when he played 20 games. Playing as a forward against North Melbourne

North Melbourne Football Club

The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...

 at Arden Street Oval

Arden Street Oval

Arden Street Oval is a sports oval based in Arden Street, North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is currently the training base of Australian rules team North Melbourne Football Club and up to the end of the 1985 season it was used for elite-level VFL/AFL matches.-History:The North Melbourne...

 in 1974, Doyle kicked a career high five goals, but was overshadowed by Sam Kekovich

Sam Kekovich

Sam Kekovich is an Australian media personality, sports commentator and former Australian rules football player.He is well known for his controversial behaviour, both on and off the field, and most recently for his series of satirical advertisements as the spokesman for Meat and Livestock...

, who kicked 10 majors. He appeared in the opening seven rounds of the 1975 VFL season

1975 VFL season

Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1975.-Premiership season:In 1975, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus two substitute players, known as the 19th man and the 20th man...

 and then transferred to Port Melbourne

Port Melbourne Football Club

The Port Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Borough, is an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Port Melbourne and is currently playing in the Victorian Football League ....

 to play out the year.

Due to his work, Doyle moved to Adelaide in 1976 and began playing for SANFL club South Adelaide

South Adelaide Football Club

South Adelaide Football Club competes in the South Australian National Football League . Known as the Panthers, their home ground is Hickinbotham Oval , located in Noarlunga Downs in the southern suburbs of Adelaide....

. It was from South Adelaide that his son Stephen

Stephen Doyle

Stephen Doyle is a South Australian Australian rules football player with the Sydney Swans of the AFL.Doyle was selected by the Swans under the father-son rule in the 1999 National Draft, as his father Robert had played 77 games for South Melbourne...

 would be drafted to the Sydney Swans, as a father-son

Father-son rule

The father-son rule is a rule that allows clubs to select the sons of players who have made a major past contribution to the team in Australian rules football, most notably the Australian Football League...

selection.