https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au The complete history of Australia's greatest sporting club Tue, 30 Jan 2024 23:13:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.21 https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/recognising-robert-rose/ Wed, 25 May 2016 05:24:13 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/?p=10472 By: Glenn McFarlane, Herald Sun journalist  So much of the focus on Robert Rose‘s life centres on the tragic turn of events that followed one night in February 1974, but what should never be lost was what came before it, and what fine young sportsman he was. For a moment, forget about what might have been, and think about what was. Robert Rose was born to be a sportsman. He had that natural aptitude from the start; that passionate competitiveness; and that determination of spirit. He even had the pedigree. The eldest son of Collingwood champion Bob Rose and his wife Elsie always seemed destined to wear the Black and White. But he had to earn those stripes as much as anyone else, as well as endure the endless comparisons with his father that he could never hope to live up to. He even had to put up with conjecture about whether he had had an easier passage than others because his father was his coach – even though he hadn’t. He was almost a natural from the start. One of the earliest photos of Robert with a football in his hands – detailed in his brother Peter’s remarkable book, Rose Boys – shows him at full stretch kicking the ball, his technique already crafted by endless practice, his face etched in endeavour. He is not yet three years of age. Behind him, his father watches on with careful attention, and, one senses, more than a little pride. This wasn’t just a shot for the camera. It was part of a bond they would share forever, one that would be tested over time, but never weaken. Years later, in an interview the pair did for The Age in 1971, they spoke of the countless hours put into honing those skills. Bob would recall his “unobtrusive grooming” of Robert in the backyard in the early 1960s, when he was coach of Wangaratta Rovers, just ahead of his return to Victoria Park in 1964 to coach the Magpies. “(But) I never had to teach him how to kick,” Rose said. “He could kick without effort, either foot, since he was able to handle a ball.” Robert Rose was always destined to play for Collingwood. Father and son used to play kick-to-kick “in the backyard for hours” during those formative years, but only once did they play in the same match. That was a game for charity, and Robert, then a 15-year-old student at Haileybury College, recalled the moment he lined up alongside Bob, who was then almost 40. When asked about that match much later, he recalled: “We probably looked for each other a bit with kicks.” Robert joined Collingwood in 1968, playing in the under 19s, and made the supplementary list the following season. In that year, 1969, he began training with the seniors, and with that came even more attention. The Herald ran a headline “Another Rose Blooms for Collingwood” after one of his first practice matches. It detailed how he was likely to carry on the family tradition, following on from his father, and his uncles Kevin, Bill and Ralph in playing senior football with the Magpies. Another uncle, Colin, had played with the reserves. “The old timers could not believe their eyes,” the article read. “It’s incredible that it could happen all over again. But when 17-year-old Robert Rose snapped up the first kick of the practice game on Saturday then seconds later kicked the first goal, they were convinced. By now, it’s common knowledge that the sixth Rose had bloomed at Collingwood.” Rose was only 18 years and 114 days old when he made his VFL debut, in round nine, 1970, in the same game that West Australian recruit Peter Eakins played his first game with the club. That news came with the headline: “Magpies select Coach’s son.” But there was little doubt Rose had earned his spot. In an interview with Lou Richards, his father’s former teammate, he said he wasn’t fazed by the famous name he shared with his father. He explained: “Well, it’s just like any other, and at least it’s a lot better than being called Marmaduke or Archibald. But I don’t like being called Bob – that’s too close to home. Robert is the name.” Later, he said: “When I first started at Collingwood, I’d often hear people yell out that I was only getting a game because my father was the coach. It used to upset me. Now I don’t take any notice of it.” Rose was named as one of the reserves in that first game and he only came onto the Windy Hill ground late in the last quarter, recording two kicks and one mark in the six-point loss. Four games came in that debut season of 1970, none of them after round 14, and he was a spectator when his father’s team gave up a 44-point half-time lead to lose to Carlton in that remarkable 1970 Grand Final. Playing mainly as a utility/half-forward, Rose found a more permanent position within the Collingwood team in 1971, even if the early part of the season he was primarily used as either 19th or 20th man. Five of his first six VFL games were as a reserve, which, as he explained, “you could hardly call special treatment.” But the confidence derived from his first full game – round nine, 1971 against South Melbourne at Victoria Park – seemed to further validate his worth to the team. He had 21 disposals, took eight marks and kicked two goals. “I knew I had to play well to stay in, and I went reasonably well against (South Melbourne) Eric Sarich,” he said. “And I remember my first goal in league football. (Graeme) Jenkin handballed and I shot it through. It helped the tight feeling to fall off, and you could breathe easier. “I realise I am in the hot seat at the moment as other players recover from injury. But I am in the side and they have to force me out. I will fight every inch of the way to stay in the side.” His coach was just as pleased that his son’s hard work was starting to pay off – “I’ll vote for him if he’s good enough.” Rose was slightly taller than his father, yet a little leaner. One newspaper said: “Young Rose is different. Certainly, he has all the courage of his father, but … it would be stupid for him to throw himself at bigger players. He must depend on his pace, understanding and ball handling for kicks. He is probably a more skilled player than his father.” But even Robert conceded that no matter what happened, he could never reach the lofty heights that Bob achieved. Into the fray in the No. 35. Like his father, Rose excelled at dual sports. Bob had been a talented boxer as well as an exceptional footballer. Robert was a good footballer, and seemingly had even more talent as a cricketer. He would come to play in two Collingwood district premierships, as well as represent Victoria as a right-handed middle order batsman. If things had turned out differently, Keith Stackpole Jr., among many others, was certain he would have played Test cricket. Stackpole said years later: “Robert would have only got better – he would have played for Australia, no doubt about it.” Perhaps Rose’s best VFL game came in round 20, 1971, when he kicked 4.3 and had 29 disposals the next time the Magpies took on the Swans. But the season ended in disappointment when the Magpies bowed out of the finals with a Semi-Final loss to Richmond. That would be his father’s last game as Collingwood coach in that tenure. Bob resigned and he took on the Footscray coaching job in 1972. Robert remained a Magpie for another season, but managed only six games that year. His 26th and last game for Collingwood came in the 1972 first Semi-Final loss to St Kilda. Seeking a change, he tried to join his father at the Bulldogs, but a transfer was initially refused. He didn’t want to fuel the fire by saying that he no longer wanted to play under Collingwood coach Neil Mann, but that was the case. So he played for a time for his uncle Kevin at Prahran in the VFA before the Magpies finally gave their permission for him to cross to Footscray. He was married by that stage, and had a young daughter, Salli. Nine more games came with the Bulldogs – wearing his father old No.22 for the first time – in the second half of the 1973 season, including a career-best 30 disposals in his first match with the club. That summer produced his best return for Victoria, including scoring an unbeaten 118 runs against Queensland at the Gabba, and playing an important role in helping Victoria to secure another Sheffield Shield title. Rose turned 22 on February 5, 1974. Nine days later, he and two friends had enjoyed a day at the Ballarat races, but on their return, the car in which they were travelling flipped over on the Western Highway. His mates walked away from the wreckage, but tragically Rose’s spinal cord was severed. There were initial fears he would not survive. But the same determination he showed in his sporting pursuits crossed over into his recovery and stayed with him for the remainder of this life, despite his quadriplegia. Robert Rose remained a fixture around the Collingwood Football Club for the rest of his life, with his devoted father religiously taking him to football games and cricket matches across Melbourne. His family supported him throughout his battle, which ended in 1999, when he was aged only 47. Bob said of Robert after he died: “Quite simply, he was the bravest man I’ve ever known.” The Robert Rose Foundation, which provides support to those with spinal cord injuries and their families, was founded in his honour, and Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs still play for the Robert Rose Cup.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/the-coaches-bob-rose/ Sat, 23 Aug 2014 07:51:48 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/?p=7521 Coach: 1964-71, 1985-86 (part) Games coached: 193 Bob Rose was a great player, arguably the greatest this club has ever produced. He was also a great coach. But he was also one of the unluckiest coaches ever to have picked up a clipboard. There were the three famous grand final losses, of course: by four-points in his very first season, by a solitary point in his third and by 10 points in the most famous grand final of all, after the team blew a seemingly unassailable half-time lead. But there were other, less well-remembered heartbreaks as well. In 1965 a preliminary final appearance was derailed by the flattening of Essendon’s John Somerville. In 1969 the team finished on top of the ladder but lost both its finals matches. In 1971, the team imploded late in the season after being flag favourites after 17 rounds. Nothing seemed to go right for Bobby Rose and his boys. The team, it was often said in later years, seemed to be cursed. It had all been so different when the prodigal son returned to Victoria Park at the end of the 1963 season. Rose had retired from the VFL in 1955 and moved to Wangaratta Rovers as playing coach on big money. He guided them to two flags in seven seasons there, and it became widely known he was keen to return to Melbourne and coach in the VFL. Amidst reported interest from Richmond, the Pies moved swiftly late in 1963 to secure Rose’s signature after Phonse Kyne was encouraged to move aside. But in doing so he had to defeat former teammate and loyal reserves coach Neil Mann for the position, and in the aftermath of the result he displayed the humility and grace that would characterise much of his reign. “I am very pleased to get such an honoured position in the Collingwood Football Club, but I feel sorry that Neil Mann had to be the loser,” he told the press. “I understand how disappointed he must be.” The Pies were not in good shape when Rose took over. They’d missed the finals for three successive years, and the last had been dominated by unrest and infighting. Still, Rose felt there was potential there and that a significant improvement was possible. But even he must have been surprised at just how far, and how quickly, the players improved. He set them a punishing pre-season fitness schedule, even having a 100-yard sprint track marked out on the ground to improve performances in the sprints that now became a staple of summer sessions, alongside plenty of gut-busting long runs. His new broom even extended to the clubrooms, which were given their biggest facelift since the 1930s. Rose’s coaching philosophy became evident soon after the season began. While he was a traditionalist who came from the McHale-Kyne school of love the club and bleed for the guernsey, he was also a forward thinker who introduced greater attacking flair to the Collingwood game. He believed greater emphasis had to be placed on fast, play-on football. He reintroduced Tuesday night match practice, and the rule within those games was to play on at all costs. He also believed in greater use of handball, seeing it as an effective attacking weapon rather than just a last resort to get out of trouble. As the 1960s rolled on, sublimely skilled players such as Wayne and Max Richardson, Barry Price, John Greening, Len Thompson and Peter McKenna all joined the club and became perfect exponents of the Rose style of play. Under Rose they played fast, attacking football, with lots of run, plenty of handball and potent scoring power. They were thrilling to watch. Indeed, Bobby Rose’s boys played some of the best, most exciting football ever produced by any Collingwood outfit down the years. But it was never quite enough to secure the ultimate prize. He went agonisingly close in his very first season, taking a team that had finished eighth in 1963 to second on the ladder and a place in the grand final. The players looked like an entirely different outfit, reinvigorated, fitter and more enthusiastic, and for a few brief moments late on grand final day looked like emerging as surprise premiers. Ray Gabelich kicked one of the most famous grand final goals late in the game, but a freak goal to Melbourne back pocket player Neil Crompton with less than a minute left broke Magpie hearts. It was to be the start of a trend. The near-miss of ’64 was followed two years later by Barry Breen’s wobbly point that gave St Kilda their first flag. Four years after that it was Teddy Hopkins coming off the bench as Carlton overcame a 44-point half-time deficit to demoralise players, coaches and fans alike. Through it all, Bob Rose emerged with great credit. He carried himself wonderfully well in the face of continued sporting heartbreak, his dignified response to increasingly crushing defeats a lesson to all on the meaning of sportsmanship. The sight of him making his way through a crowd of excited St Kilda officials to shake hands with Allan Jeans after the siren in 1966 spoke volumes. A former opponent, Brian Dixon, once wrote that the secret of Rose’s success lay in “his love of Collingwood and football, his preparedness to learn and give deep thought to the game…and his capacity for self-analysis and consequent effective direction to others.” But his greatest strength was, perhaps, his relationship with the players who played under him. Almost to a man, they loved him. Many remain heartbroken to this day that they could not win a flag, not just for themselves but also for Bobby. They felt they had let him down. Certainly, they gave everything they could to Bob and the Collingwood cause. But the footy gods decided that would not be enough. And the late-season implosion in 1971 that saw the team suddenly go into freefall and captain Terry Waters resign, was one blow too many for Rose. He retired at the end of that year, though he returned to the VFL in 1972 to coach Footscray for several seasons. Remarkably, Bobby Rose’s coaching story didn’t end when he finished up at the Western Oval. In 1985 he returned to Victoria Park for a second stint as coach. By this stage his standing both inside and outside Collingwood had grown even larger, if that was possible, by virtue of his handling of the tragedy that had befallen his family when son Robert, a promising footballer with Collingwood and Footscray and an even better cricketer, became a quadriplegic after a car accident in 1974. But his second stint as Collingwood coach was brief. The Pies missed the finals in 1985, and Rose retired again – this time for good – after just three rounds of 1986, handing over the reins to a newly-hired assistant coach called Leigh Matthews. Four years later, the drought-breaking flag that Bobby Rose so desperately craved flew again from the stands at Victoria Park. Even now, the hand that fate delivered to Bob Rose’s coaching career seems to have been a particularly cruel one. If anyone deserved to coach his team to a premiership, it was Rose. His teams played brilliant, thrilling football, and only a few pieces of misfortune deprived him of a place among the pantheon of coaching greats. He could easily have had two or three flags to his name. Still, as one of the greatest players to have played for the club, and one of the finest men ever to have represented it, his place in Collingwood’s history is secure.]]>