Almanac Footballers: Vale Barrie Robran MBE – The Humble Champion

The devastating news came through this morning of the passing of Barrie Robran MBE, one of South Australia’s finest ever people, let alone sportspersons. The Whyalla lad was a humble champion from the beginning. My thoughts are with Taimi and the Robran family.

 

 

In Robran’s debut season 1967, he shared the North Adelaide B&F with his captain Don Lindner. The modest, multi-talented sportsman from Whyalla was also third in the 1967 Magarey Medal, one vote behind the winner, Port’s Trevor ‘Bubbles’ Obst and Lindner (who lost on countback but was later recognised as an equal winner by the SANFL).

 

His next three seasons brought three more Roosters’ Best and Fairests. Robran was, unsurprisingly, a State representative in each of his first four seasons. Winning the 1968 and 1970 Magarey Medals, by the time Barrie Robran was selected as the number 1 card in the 1971 Mobil collection, he was being lauded as one of Australia’s best footballers.

 

 

This plain pose, a simple chest mark, was like asking Da Vinci to sum up his life’s work via a do a dot-to-dot puzzle. Not only did it overlook the possibility of highlighting Robran’s matchless ball control, either in the air or on the deck, it covered up North’s Big V jumper, brought in mid-1970. (Robran referred to it as “the V with verandahs” according to his biographer Bruce Pointon).

 

The years 1971 and 1972 were the highest points of Robran’s time at North Adelaide. Whilst it took the likes of Russell Ebert and Malcolm Blight to prevent his third Magarey, the Roosters thumped Port Adelaide in both years’ Grand Finals. In 1971, Robran played on the ball virtually the entire game and was acclaimed by (almost) all as the best on ground.

 

In the 1971/72 summer, Robran also made his first class debut as a batsman for South Australia. A couple of his team-mates during his six seasons at Prospect DCC were Barry Richards and Gary Sobers.

 

Putting in another BOG performance in 1972’s SANFL decider (beating Peter Woite, Trevor Sorrell and Russell Ebert- sometimes all at once), Barrie was thrilled that he could share this premiership win with younger brother Rodney, who had joined him at Prospect Oval in 1970. (Rodney also went on the captain the Roosters, in 1980-81).

 

Barrie achieved even more national recognition in the next game. Up against VFL premiers Carlton, Robran played the game of his life to get the Roosters across the line to win the Championship of Australia, 10.13 to 10.12. Footy folklore has it that the Blues’ Alex Jesaulenko was moved to applaud onfield Robran’s football genius.

 

North fell two minutes short of a third consecutive flag in 1973’s thriller against Glenelg, with Robran himself having a quiet match after hurting his right knee in the second quarter. He gain some consolation from his third Magarey Medal with 29 votes. Daylight (or perhaps, ‘Flashlight’) was second, Sturt’s Michael Graham (20 votes). He added a seventh North B&F, one for each season that he’d played for them so far.

 

Bob Hammond’s move to Norwood as their 1974 Captain-Coach allowed Robran to take over as Roosters’ skipper. A further honour was his naming as SA captain for the clash against WA at Football Park. In his seventeenth (and final) match for South Australia against the (other) Big V, Leigh Matthews inflicted the unwarranted injury to Robran’s left knee that ensured that he was never the same player again.

 

Returning for North eight weeks later, he played four games until North’s finals hopes were extinguished.

 

Robran played through pain for fourteen games in 1975 before further surgery revealed the true extent of his knee injury. The correct medical term was ‘rooted’.

 

The next season was a similar tale. Barrie played nine of the first ten games, at times displaying the form of five years earlier. An eight game injury break preceded a low key return for four games near the end of another forgettable North season.

 

Post-season surgery put paid to any league footy for Robran in 1977, but he put his hand up when numbers were thin for the Reserves late in the year, suiting up at full-forward and kicking seven goals in the first half.

 

Mike Patterson’s past four seasons had been ordinary at best, so North looked to Robran as its next senior coach when the ‘Swamp Fox’ departed to coach St Kilda. Robran put together a string of reasonable games as playing coach in 1978 (Barry Stringer was now captain), but North finished last.

 

They improved to sixth in 1979, the year that Robran returned late in the season with his left knee heavily braced for five games.

 

His final year as coach was 1980, which also saw Robran play three mid-season games, bringing up his 200 league games for North. He handed over the coaching reins to Mike Nunan from 1981.

 

The real measure of Robran’s passion for footy was seen when he played five games for the Reserves in 1981 before finishing for good after an injury-filled 1983 season at Walkerville in SAFA Div 2.

 

Barrie Robran has his own statue at Adelaide Oval. He is, of course, a Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

 

Played: 201 SANFL league games with North Adelaide, 1967-1980; represented South Australia 17 times.
Coached: North Adelaide, 1978-1980.
Honours: Magarey Medallist, 1968, 1970 1973; North Adelaide premiership player, 1971 and 1972; North Adelaide best-and-fairest, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973; State captain, 1974; Champion of Australia with North Adelaide, 1972; Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend; South Australian Football Hall of Fame.

 

…

More than all of that, Barrie was the nicest person I’ve ever met. The day he took me under his wing at Chocka Bloch’s funeral was a life highlight. Although I had been just one of his many email correspondents to that point, it was the first time we had met in the flesh and he welcomed me like we were premiership teammates. He caught the bus home afterwards and apologised profusely for not being able to drive me to the airport. That was Barrie all over.

 

An email from Barrie was a joy to receive and I enjoyed being his go-to whenever he was after some Centrals related details. He loved Tony Casserly. He once asked me to pass on his best wishes to Beefy Andrews. We exchanged emails last weekend regarding the Student Teachers District Cricket article which he enjoyed greatly. He enjoyed talking about cricket and bowls as well as his beloved Roosters. I often questioned him about particular games that he had played in, but he shouldered arms. Anything but himself.

 

The North Adelaide Football Club posted these fine words today.

 

Hooroo Barrie.

 

Mark S.

 

 

More from Swish Schwerdt can be read Here.

 

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