Robert Flower

DOB: 5 August, 1955
Debut: Round 10, 1973 against Geelong at MCG
Last Game: Preliminary Final 1987 against Hawthorn at Waverley

Games: 272
Goals: 315
Career Statistics

From: Murrumbeena Districts

Number: 2 1973-1987

Honours
Captain: 1981 - 1987
Best and Fairest - 1977
Leading Goalkicker - 1979, 1983, 1987
All Australian - 1980, 1983
Life Member
150 Heroes selection
Team of the Century - Winger
Victorian state player - 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982 (c), 1983 - 15 games
AFL Life Member
Australian Football Hall of Fame member
Best First Year Player - 1973
Australian representative - 1984

Recruited to the Demons from the South-Eastern suburb of Murrumbeena, Flower fit nobody's vision of what a superstar footballer should look like. He was frail and shortsighted, but when he stepped onto the field Flower was in all senses of the word a Demon.

Not only was he supremely skilled, often in poor teams, but was courageous to a fault and suffered many injuries as the result of not knowing when to quit. In an era when others like Stan Alves and Greg Wells moved to other clubs and won premierships, Flower was supremely loyal to the Demons.

In 1980, the year after he had finished third in the Brownlow, Flower played the season under an injury cloud with a dislocated shoulder but still managed every game for the year and racked up 14 Brownlow votes.

In 1982 he was named Victorian captain, the first Demon to receive the honour since Ron Barassi in 1961.

In 1984 he played 21 of 22 games despite having to have treatment to relieve the pressure on a nerve in his back which was affecting his legs and restricting acceleration. The injury forced him out of a state match against Western Australia where he would have captained Victoria.

In Round 4, 1985 he suffered a broken collarbone when driven into the Waverley turf by Footscray's Neil Cordy. The injury kept him out for the rest of the year.

Midway through 1986 Flower made the decision to retire at the end of the year but was convinced to stay on for one more year by John Northey. It was a fateful decision as the Demons rode a late season wave to win their last five games and sneak into the final five for the first time since 1964. They then won two finals before being knocked out in heartbreaking circumstances by Hawthorn.

Already acknowledged as legend who would have missed out on ever playing a final had it not been for the amazing sequence of events on the final day of the home and away season in 1987. After having waited so long to play finals, and missing the chance to captain the side in the that year's night flag? Flower saw his side demolish North Melbourne and Sydney en route to a Preliminary Final showdown with Hawthorn. Even if Hawthorn hadn't goalled after the siren to win the game Flower wouldn't have been able to play the Grand Final - he had been collected by Robert DiPierdomenico earlier in the match and suffered a broken collarbone.

In the Encyclopedia of AFL Players Brent Crosswell is quoted as saying "...beat Flower and you could just about retire from League Football because anything else smacked of anti-climax."

In 1999 Flower was voted on a wing in the AFLPA best team of the previous 25 years, he was also named as the wingman in the Demons Team of the Century.

Flower held the club games record until overtaken by David Neitz in 2006. Over his career he played in just 88 wins, and 184 losses.

In retirement

Flower was elected to the board for 2002 as part of Gabriel Szondy's "Team Vision" ticket. Recieved the most votes of any candidate with 10,529.

In 2004 he was forced to resign from the board as he struggled with heart disease. In 2006 he was still battling the disease and fans were urged to show support for Robbie, and the Heart Foundation, but wearing red to the round 5 game against Geelong.

Media
"Hospital stay for Flower" - The Age 09/07/1984
"Anzac Day four hit by injuries" - The Age 22/04/1985
"Demons fight back to win by 16 points" - The Age 25/02/1987
"Flower to power on despite setback" - The Age 30/01/2004

Links
Wikipedia profile