Legendary premiership winner and mentor to Shane Warne, Austin Robertson passes away at 80
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The Australian sporting community is mourning the loss of footy legend Austin Robertson Jr., who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 80.
Widely regarded as Western Australia’s greatest-ever player, Robertson was one of the greatest goal scorers in Australian Football League (AFL) history.
He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2015 for his outstanding footy career.
Nicknamed Ocker, Robertson started his career as a full forward at Subiaco, where he won the premiership in 1973.
He became the Western Australian Football League’s (WAFL) all-time leading goal scorer after kicking 1,211 majors during his time with the Lions.
It's an extraordinary feat that garnered him eight Bernie Naylor Medals as the WAFL's leading goalkicker, averaging 4.83 goals per game.
Another sporting great, Graham Farmer, even said that Robertson was the finest full-forward in Australia then. He also made an impact in Victoria and beyond, having spent a year with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL), booting an impressive 60 goals in 18 games.
However, his contribution to sport extended beyond football.
In the 1970s, Robertson helped develop the concept of World Series Cricket, which was presented to Kerry Packer and revolutionised cricket and sports broadcasting.
After his playing career ended in 1974, he managed some of the greatest cricketers in history, including Shane Warne, during his thirty-year stint in the sport.
Before his passing, Robertson suspected he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)–-the same condition as Wally Lewis—an injury that can only be diagnosed post-mortem.
In an interview earlier this year, he revealed that he would 'get whacked on the head every week, between 10 and 15 times', which he suspected was doing some long-term damage.
‘You could deliberately line up a bloke who's got his eye on the ball running towards you [...], and you could get your shoulder all ready,’ he said.
‘In my day, it was quite deliberate and legal to iron the bloke out. And when the bloke got ironed out, of course, the crowd roared. It was like, not quite, gladiatorial Rome.’
Based on this, he had called for players to wear helmets to protect them from brain injuries.
Tributes for the footy legend have come flooding in from different corners of the country, grateful for his outstanding contribution to sport on and off the field.
One fan wrote on social media, ‘Can remember back to the late 60's and early 70's. Austin Robertson is one of the best full forwards ever played the game. Twelve goals for Subiaco in a game was no problem for him! Great WAFL days!’
The Subiaco Football Club Inc. also posted a photo in tribute, with the title, ‘Vale to Austin Robertson Jr.’
‘So very sad to lose a legend, especially one I admired so much as a young lad. I used to love watching Ocker booting a bag of goals. True legend,’ a comment on the post read.
A second fan wrote, ‘So many memories watching Subiaco with my dad, what an absolute legend Austin Robertson, brilliant full forward, RIP.’
You can watch a snippet of an interview with Ocker here:
The Seniors Discount Club would like to take this opportunity to extend its deepest sympathies to Austin Robertson’s family and friends in this difficult time.
May he rest in peace.
Widely regarded as Western Australia’s greatest-ever player, Robertson was one of the greatest goal scorers in Australian Football League (AFL) history.
He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2015 for his outstanding footy career.
Nicknamed Ocker, Robertson started his career as a full forward at Subiaco, where he won the premiership in 1973.
He became the Western Australian Football League’s (WAFL) all-time leading goal scorer after kicking 1,211 majors during his time with the Lions.
Austin Robertson Jr. passed away at 80 years old. Credit: Alchetron.com
It's an extraordinary feat that garnered him eight Bernie Naylor Medals as the WAFL's leading goalkicker, averaging 4.83 goals per game.
Another sporting great, Graham Farmer, even said that Robertson was the finest full-forward in Australia then. He also made an impact in Victoria and beyond, having spent a year with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL), booting an impressive 60 goals in 18 games.
However, his contribution to sport extended beyond football.
In the 1970s, Robertson helped develop the concept of World Series Cricket, which was presented to Kerry Packer and revolutionised cricket and sports broadcasting.
After his playing career ended in 1974, he managed some of the greatest cricketers in history, including Shane Warne, during his thirty-year stint in the sport.
Before his passing, Robertson suspected he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)–-the same condition as Wally Lewis—an injury that can only be diagnosed post-mortem.
In an interview earlier this year, he revealed that he would 'get whacked on the head every week, between 10 and 15 times', which he suspected was doing some long-term damage.
‘You could deliberately line up a bloke who's got his eye on the ball running towards you [...], and you could get your shoulder all ready,’ he said.
‘In my day, it was quite deliberate and legal to iron the bloke out. And when the bloke got ironed out, of course, the crowd roared. It was like, not quite, gladiatorial Rome.’
Based on this, he had called for players to wear helmets to protect them from brain injuries.
Tributes for the footy legend have come flooding in from different corners of the country, grateful for his outstanding contribution to sport on and off the field.
One fan wrote on social media, ‘Can remember back to the late 60's and early 70's. Austin Robertson is one of the best full forwards ever played the game. Twelve goals for Subiaco in a game was no problem for him! Great WAFL days!’
The Subiaco Football Club Inc. also posted a photo in tribute, with the title, ‘Vale to Austin Robertson Jr.’
Subiaco Football Club Inc. posted on social media about the passing of Austin Robertson Jr. Credit: Subiaco Football Club Inc./Facebook
‘So very sad to lose a legend, especially one I admired so much as a young lad. I used to love watching Ocker booting a bag of goals. True legend,’ a comment on the post read.
A second fan wrote, ‘So many memories watching Subiaco with my dad, what an absolute legend Austin Robertson, brilliant full forward, RIP.’
You can watch a snippet of an interview with Ocker here:
The Seniors Discount Club would like to take this opportunity to extend its deepest sympathies to Austin Robertson’s family and friends in this difficult time.
May he rest in peace.
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