Where Are They Now, with Jesper Fjeldstad. This week: Rodney Robran

JESPER Fjeldstad catches up with former North Adelaide captain and premiership player Rodney Robran.

RODNEY Robran was a North Adelaide premiership player, best-and-fairest, captain and leading goalkicker.

When he finished playing in mid-1983 he had chalked up 184 senior SANFL games for a handy return of 312 goals. He was often overshadowed by his brother, Barrie, who is widely considered the best player to ever come out of South Australia.

But Rodney enjoyed a career from the top shelf and is still held in the highest esteem at Prospect Oval.

JF: Haven’t heard from you for a while, Rodney. What are you up to these days?

RR: I’m living on the Gold Coast, have been up here for 19 years now, and call myself semiretired. I play golf a lot, four times a week.

JF: What do you play off?

RR: About 10, something like that.

JF: That’s not bad golf.

RR: Yeah, it’s not bad mate. We play a pretty tough course so I’m pretty happy with that.

Rodney Robran, right, with brother Barrie Robran in 1980.

JF: And for work?

RR: I’m involved in management rights up here, but only as a silent partner. I go to a few meetings but that’s about it now. But I was involved in management rights, which is the high-rise building and looking after the people on holidays. It’s what brought me up here in the first place.

JF: Have you been involved in football much since you finished playing?

RR: No, not at all. I probably follow the SANFL more than I follow the AFL now because I just don’t like the game now. I don’t like the way it’s umpired and I don’t like a lot of the rule changes. So having the family involved I sort of follow the Roosters more than the AFL. But I do follow the scores because my son-in-law (Ben Williams) is a player manager and I follow his players rather than the team. I think I’ve been to about two games in four years. But I am going to a game in a couple of weeks with (SANFL identity) David Shipway. He’s coming up here for the Crows-Lions game at the Gabba. And then Port’s coming up against the Suns so that will probably be more footy than I’ll do in years.

JF: Do you still love the game.

RR: No I don’t. I’m very disappointed with the way it’s gone. The holding the ball and the taking out of the high mark because of the quickness of the game. The umpiring ... you can’t even speak to them; they just give you a 50 (m penalty).

Rodney Robran at SA state training in 1982.

JF: Other sports grab you? You mentioned golf.

RR: I’m just a mad, fanatic golfer, really, but I follow all sports. I had sports stores in Adelaide and that was my passion. I watched a bit of World Cup but mainly golf. I’ll watch that until the cows come home. I’ve got Foxtel and it’s on all the time.

JF: When you did retire, did you find it difficult to walk away from the game?

RR: Look it was a hard decision to make but one I had to make because of my injuries. I retired halfway through the year because I just couldn’t go on. My knees were bad, I had a couple of bad eye injuries and I just knew it was time to walk away from the game. It was hard because I loved the game back then. You had good mates and you had characters in the game. They’re outlawed now; you don’t have too many characters in the game any more. But I just knew it was time to retire.

JF: What do you think is a main issue that the AFL could improve today?

RR: I think the umpiring needs to be looked at. I think it’s a hard job, but I think somebody has to take control and improve it. There needs to be more communication with the coaches, because they get frustrated too, as much as the players. Bring back the high mark. I know the way the game is played now — they play on at all costs and bypass the packs — but people love a bit of high marking and I think the umpires are too soft on the players. You can’t even touch a bloke any more. You can’t grab a jumper and the bump’s just about been taken out of the game. A fair hip and shoulder — there’s nothing wrong with that. I agree with the head one (umpires ruling out headhigh contact) but a fair bump between two players ... it’s become very soft.

JF: I was going to ask you if the game was better in your day, but you’ve just about answered that, Rodney.

RR: It’s not the game it used to be. I was brought up in a good era, I suppose. They’re umpiring for the future generation, and they won’t know how we played. It’s a good question but a very hard one to answer.

Rodney Robran tries to elude Robbert Klomp watched by Russell Palmer, Mike Nunan and Greg Wild at Unley Oval in 1977.

JF: You still close to North Adelaide?

RR: Yes. Last year we had our ’72 reunion and I usually go back two or three times a year and I try to coincide those with past players shows and I try to get to at least one or two of them. And every time I get back to Adelaide I get back to Prospect and I watch them play. And I have the app on the phone when it brings up the scores and while I’m playing golf I bring up the SANFL app and see how my side’s going. I do follow it a lot, actually.

JF: Who do you like of the current-day AFL players?

RR: Obviously (Gary) Ablett, living on the Gold Coast. I just like the way he goes about things; he’s just a machine. Not following the game that closely I don’t know all of the players. But I suppose (Lance) Franklin, when he’s going. They’re probably the two who stand out.

JF: Premiership tip for this year?

RR: God almighty ... on current form, six or seven games to go and depending on injury ... you have to go the Swans, I’d say. They’re travelling well, have players to come back in. They’ll be hard to beat. Hawthorn’s there. I’d pick those two sides, and maybe throw in Fremantle. The other sides I don’t think have a lot of hope at this stage.