Robert Flower
Encyclopedia
Robert Flower is a former Australian rules football
er with Melbourne Football Club
. His first game was against Geelong
in 1973 and he captained the team from 1981 until his final game in 1987. He held the record for the number of games for his club, 272, until overtaken by David Neitz
in 2006.
In a radio interview in July 2006 on the Coodabeen Champions
Flower stated that the club secretary Jim Cardwell rang to offer him the number 2 guernsey before his first senior game, an unofficial statement that the club saw great potential in the seventeen year old.
He was a wingman for most of his career and was characterised by his ability to create space for himself and kick and handpass the ball with extraordinary accuracy. He possessed speed, surefootedness and unrivalled tactical awareness.
In Ken Piesse
's " The Complete Guide to Australian Football" Flower's player summary quotes Brent Crosswell
"...beat Flower and you could just about retire from League Football because anything else smacked of anti-climax." Wayne Schimmelbusch
in the same publication said: "I paid more attention to Robert Flower than any other opponent."
Jim Main and Russell Holmesby mention Flower's thin physique and low playing weight-68 kilograms. It was assumed early in his career that he could not succeed because of his "wiry" frame. He sustained injuries that kept him from appearing in another 52 games but he still played 272 out of a possible 324 games and was never left out of the senior side when available.
It was not until 1987 that he played his first finals match, the last three games of his career were in the 1987 finals series. He played for the club he had supported all his life and his dedication to a team which, before his final year at least, had never looked likely to win a premiership, was commendable.
His last game was against Hawthorn
in the Preliminary Final. It was a disappointing end to a distinguished career, his team had been leading all day and it seemed there was a real possibility that his last game could be a Grand Final against Carlton
and a chance for their first premiership since 1964.
Melbourne were leading when the final siren blew, however a free kick with a fifteen metre penalty saw Gary Buckenara
kick the winning goal after many had thought the game had finished. Flower recalls in his book Robbie that he started to run from the ground and paused to see the ball go through the goal and then went to the dressing rooms where he threw a can of drink against the wall in anger. This was uncharacteristic for a man whose on field record was unblemished by reports for striking or other misconduct.
Had Melbourne won and played in the 1987 Grand Final a shoulder injury may have excluded him from the game although, considering the determination that marked Flower's career, it would have been unlikely.
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 with Melbourne Football Club
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
. His first game was against Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
in 1973 and he captained the team from 1981 until his final game in 1987. He held the record for the number of games for his club, 272, until overtaken by David Neitz
David Neitz
David Neitz , nicknamed Neita, is a retired Australian rules footballer. The strongly built centre half back who became a full forward was the longest-serving captain in the history of the Melbourne Football Club and the first Melbourne player to achieve the 300-game milestone.Neitz was born in...
in 2006.
In a radio interview in July 2006 on the Coodabeen Champions
Coodabeen Champions
The Coodabeen Champions are an Australian comedy team with several programs currently broadcast on ABC Radio...
Flower stated that the club secretary Jim Cardwell rang to offer him the number 2 guernsey before his first senior game, an unofficial statement that the club saw great potential in the seventeen year old.
He was a wingman for most of his career and was characterised by his ability to create space for himself and kick and handpass the ball with extraordinary accuracy. He possessed speed, surefootedness and unrivalled tactical awareness.
In Ken Piesse
Ken Piesse
Ken Piesse is a Melbourne-based Australian sports journalist, commentator and after-dinner speaker. He has written many publications, mostly focusing on cricket and Australian rules football....
's " The Complete Guide to Australian Football" Flower's player summary quotes Brent Crosswell
Brent Crosswell
Brent Tasman Crosswell is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton, Melbourne and North Melbourne in a 222 game Victorian Football League career...
"...beat Flower and you could just about retire from League Football because anything else smacked of anti-climax." Wayne Schimmelbusch
Wayne Schimmelbusch
Wayne Schimmelbusch is a former Australian Rules Footballer in the Victorian Football League .A courageous wingman and inspirational speedster who seemingly never knew when to give up, Schimmelbusch played in 306 games, including 29 finals games, for the North Melbourne Football Club...
in the same publication said: "I paid more attention to Robert Flower than any other opponent."
Jim Main and Russell Holmesby mention Flower's thin physique and low playing weight-68 kilograms. It was assumed early in his career that he could not succeed because of his "wiry" frame. He sustained injuries that kept him from appearing in another 52 games but he still played 272 out of a possible 324 games and was never left out of the senior side when available.
It was not until 1987 that he played his first finals match, the last three games of his career were in the 1987 finals series. He played for the club he had supported all his life and his dedication to a team which, before his final year at least, had never looked likely to win a premiership, was commendable.
His last game was against Hawthorn
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
in the Preliminary Final. It was a disappointing end to a distinguished career, his team had been leading all day and it seemed there was a real possibility that his last game could be a Grand Final against Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
and a chance for their first premiership since 1964.
Melbourne were leading when the final siren blew, however a free kick with a fifteen metre penalty saw Gary Buckenara
Gary Buckenara
Gary Buckenara played Australian rules football for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL during the 1980s.Buckenara first played senior football for Subiaco in the WAFL from 1979 to 1981. Subiaco agreed to lease him for three years for $210,000 and after a court case began his career at Hawthorn...
kick the winning goal after many had thought the game had finished. Flower recalls in his book Robbie that he started to run from the ground and paused to see the ball go through the goal and then went to the dressing rooms where he threw a can of drink against the wall in anger. This was uncharacteristic for a man whose on field record was unblemished by reports for striking or other misconduct.
Had Melbourne won and played in the 1987 Grand Final a shoulder injury may have excluded him from the game although, considering the determination that marked Flower's career, it would have been unlikely.
Books
- Robbie by Robert Flower with Ron ReedRon ReedRonald Lee Reed is a retired American starting/relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves , St. Louis Cardinals , Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox...
(1987). Caribou Publications. - Ken PiesseKen PiesseKen Piesse is a Melbourne-based Australian sports journalist, commentator and after-dinner speaker. He has written many publications, mostly focusing on cricket and Australian rules football....
The Complete Guide to Australian Football Pan Macmillan Australia (1995) ISBN 0-330-35712-3. - Main, J. & Holmesby, R. Encyclopedia of AFL Football Players AFL Publishing (2005) ISBN 1-920910-38-7.