Toast Vale Robert Flower (1955 - 2014, 272 games, Captain, HoF member, Legend)

[Viney]

Not for me.

Fair enough

 

[Trav 20]

Fair enough

There were 4 players in line for the wing in the TOC. They chose Bourke and Greig, while Flower and Matera were the other two in question. So it's fair to say that many would agree with you.

I've always lamented that decision, as Bourke didn't play wing and Robbie was most definitely better than Greig (imo). Playing in crap sides cost Robbie from having greater accolades. Robbie kicked 40 from a wing one year, Greig kicked 47 in his entire 290ish game career.

 

[Viney]

There were 4 players in line for the wing in the TOC. They chose Bourke and Greig, while Flower and Matera were the other two in question. So it's fair to say that many would agree with you.

I've always lamented that decision, as Bourke didn't play wing and Robbie was most definitely better than Greig (imo). Playing in crap sides cost Robbie from having greater accolades. Robbie kicked 40 from a wing one year, Greig kicked 47 in his entire 290ish game career.

I was more Robbie > Greig > matera

Bourke hf, definitely not wing

 

[Spiralist]

I would just like to add that the admiration and respect for Robbie Flower as a player and a person crossed the Nullabor in the 70's and stays with those of us who had the good fortune to see him live or on The Winners. Everybody I knew over here was in awe of the way he played and uniformly understood him to be a good man.

 

[Viney]

I would just like to add that the admiration and respect for Robbie Flower as a player and a person crossed the Nullabor in the 70's and stays with those of us who had the good fortune to see him live or on The Winners. Everybody I knew over here was in awe of the way he played and uniformly understood him to be a good man.

He was a great man

So humble, such humility

 

[Viney]

By the way, dees fans if you're up for it, change your av to robbie for 1 week as a mark of respect

Trav 20 if you do, I'll miss yours

 

[maxmustard]

I was 2 when he retired so having not seen him play I can't believe how s**t I felt when I heard this. My old man is/was a Fitzroy person. As a kid when i used to talk about Lyon, Ox etc he always reminded me that Robbie was better and was by far the best Melbourne player he had ever seen. RIP.

 

[Go the Biff]

There were 4 players in line for the wing in the TOC. They chose Bourke and Greig, while Flower and Matera were the other two in question. So it's fair to say that many would agree with you.

I've always lamented that decision, as Bourke didn't play wing and Robbie was most definitely better than Greig (imo). Playing in crap sides cost Robbie from having greater accolades. Robbie kicked 40 from a wing one year, Greig kicked 47 in his entire 290ish game career.

Great post. I feel ill when I look at that ToC. For mine, Greig wasn't even the best winger in his team. I'd have taken Schimma ahead of him every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Greig may have the Brownlows & flags but I watched them play on each other & Flower was comfortably the better player. If that sounds like I'm denigrating Greig, that's not the intention. Great player, but Tulip was greater.

Bourke did play wing but fairly briefly. Richmond had that vaunted centreline of Bourke, Barrot & Clay.

Also agree with Matera second only to Flower. I think it's been forgotten to an extent just how good he was, week in, week out.

 

[Dan Cooper]

So sad to hear of the passing of Robbie. What a player and from what I got to see of him off field, a great bloke too.

Perennially weaker clubs like St Kilda, South Melbourne and Melbourne always had Trevor Barkers, Bob Skilton and Robbie Flower to give their supporters that glimmer of light and hope in what was often otherwise just plain bleakness.

Sadly Barks and Robbie are now both gone and Bobby, the eldest of the three, isn't as well as he's been. Three absolutely marvellous players and men. Three of the very best we've seen.

RIP Robbie. I'm tearing up and I'm an Essendon supporter.

 

[BG32]

really wish i got to see him play, but as stated in here and from someone i know who was at the club during his time, underrated is one of the words that describe this great great player and human.
R.I.P Robbie

 

[BG32]

Just found a Robbie Flower book I was given as a kid anyone interested in me scanning it and uploading it somewhere , it's got plenty of pics and all about him growing up playing afl

 

[Dan Cooper]

really wish i got to see him play, but as stated in here and from someone i know who was at the club during his time, underrated is one of the words that describe this great great player and human.
R.I.P Robbie

Those of us fortunate enough to have seen him play many times never made the mistake of underrating him. Whenever you played Melbourne you just knew Flower would be a huge factor. Champion with a capital C.

 

[Dan Cooper]

Just found a Robbie Flower book I was given as a kid View attachment 84433 anyone interested in me scanning it and uploading it somewhere , it's got plenty of pics and all about him growing up playing afl

Written by Ashley Mallett the cricketer. Interesting.

 

[The Coup]

There were 4 players in line for the wing in the TOC. They chose Bourke and Greig, while Flower and Matera were the other two in question. So it's fair to say that many would agree with you.

I've always lamented that decision, as Bourke didn't play wing and Robbie was most definitely better than Greig (imo). Playing in crap sides cost Robbie from having greater accolades. Robbie kicked 40 from a wing one year, Greig kicked 47 in his entire 290ish game career.

That's pretty egregious. 9/10 AFL fans would choose Flower AND Matera over BOTH Greig and Bourke on the wing if you were selecting a team to play a game your life depended on, I'm certain.

Man Matera was really the first interstate player to suffer from that Victorian bias. He was without doubt up there with Buckley, Hird, Voss etc. as a player, arguably better.

 

[Demon 16]

Just found a Robbie Flower book I was given as a kid View attachment 84433 anyone interested in me scanning it and uploading it somewhere , it's got plenty of pics and all about him growing up playing afl

I have the same book! I think it was part of a small series including Michael Tuck, Bruce Doull and a few others.

My grandfather bought me my first demons jumper when I was about 4 years old. Number 2 on the back. My favourite Melbourne player of all time - and in my lifetime, also the best.

 

[Dee Won]

Sad news
RIP

 

[ponsdale]

By the way, dees fans if you're up for it, change your av to robbie for 1 week as a mark of respect

Trav 20 if you do, I'll miss yours

It's Flower 24/7/365 over here.

 

[Viney]

It's Flower 24/7/365 over here.

You are the original

 

[rjslcM]

Hawthorn president, Andrew Newbold, just paid tribute to 'Tulip' at the Peter Crimmins Medal.

Said he invited him to the President's lunch on the Thursday before the Grand Final (just a week before) and he attended. Towards the end of the function, I think Andrew said, "righto 'Tulip', time to get going" and Robbie said, "are you kidding, let's go have a drink!".

He told Andrew to never take for granted what we've got at Hawthorn because it's something special.

Andrew said that Robbie Flower was a testament to the fact that winning isn't everything, only playing in three finals. There is so much more and he brought that out being a fantastic man.

I do apologize if I have slightly misquoted some words but I am watching it live.

Rest In Peace.

 

[Plugger35]

He was Melbourne's version of Trevor Barker, a shining light in the dark old late 70s and 80s when success was but a rumour for both our clubs.

Massive respect.

RIP Robbie.

 

[CWaffles]

This is a jumper my dad had when he used to regularly head to the G to watch the Dees play in the 80s (he doesn't go much anymore because he lives interstate). He was at the '87 prelim and can recall it vividly. The jumper is well loved and has been worn for many kicks of the footy, both by my dad and me.

The number on the back was, of course, 2. It has since worn off but the jumper remains one of my most prized possessions.

Why can't we bring this back as our clash jumper? I love it!

 

[d33my]

Why can't we bring this back as our clash jumper? I love it!

I'd be a fan of that. We wore a modern version of it a few years ago IIRC. I think Schwab was the main person against it. I think the line he trotted out was 'it was from a bad era'. Doesn't have much weight when the last 40 odd years haven't exactly been brimming with success.

 

[ManWithNoName]

Why can't we bring this back as our clash jumper? I love it!

It kills any "clash" with Essendon.

 

[d33my]

Just found a Robbie Flower book I was given as a kid anyone interested in me scanning it and uploading it somewhere , it's got plenty of pics and all about him growing up playing afl

Might be something Supermercado and Demonwiki would be interested in. Not sure of the legality of scanning/uploading a whole book though.

 

[BG32]

Might be something Supermercado and Demonwiki would be interested in. Not sure of the legality of scanning/uploading a whole book though.

That's what I was thinking, but it's not illegal unless you get caught though