Barrie Robran’s “dream”: Malcolm Blight reveals why the legend never left the SANFL

In 1972, Victorian clubs were circling both Malcolm Blight and Barrie Robran. But when Blight asked his great mate if he’d ever make the jump to Melbourne, Robran’s answer was defiant.

An overseas conversation at the height of Barrie Robran’s illustrious career highlighted to Malcolm Blight that the North Adelaide legend would never join the VFL.

Robran had just come off a 1972 season in which he was best-and-fairest during the Roosters’ SANFL premiership campaign and instrumental to their Champions of Australia triumph over Carlton when he and Blight were part of an all-stars team that took on the Blues in exhibition matches in London, Athens and Singapore.

Victorian clubs had shown interest in both of them – Robran was already a two-time Magarey Medallist and Woodville star Blight was fresh from All-Australian selection in the national carnival in Perth.

SA footy legend Barrie Robran died on Wednesday. Picture: Mike Burton

So on the trip, Blight asked his London roommate if he would ever go to Melbourne to play.

“He said something like ‘no, after leaving Whyalla my dream was to play at North Adelaide. I’m living my dream and I’m going to live it for much longer,’” Blight told this masthead.

“He was so rapt with the North Adelaide experience, so job done.

“North Adelaide was his club.”

Blight started at Woodville in 1968, a year after Robran’s debut season, when the Roosters forward/follower won his club’s best-and-fairest and polled third in the Magarey Medal.

As well as being SANFL opponents during the late 1960s and early ‘70s, state teammates and overseas representatives, the duo continued their links in the AFL when Blight coached Robran’s son, Matthew, in Adelaide’s back-to-back flags in 1997 and 1998.

Blight and Robran, who died on Wednesday morning, aged 77, were later honoured as two of SA’s five “legends” in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

They are also part of what Blight has referred to as “The Brass Club”, the four football greats to have their images captured in bronze with statues outside Adelaide Oval.

Matthew Robran (l) with Malcolm Blight (r).

The others are Port Adelaide’s Russell Ebert and Roosters goalkicker Ken Farmer, whom join Blight and Robran as national Hall of Fame legends, along with master coach Jack Oatey.

Robran was the inaugural South Australian recognised for both, elevated to legend status in 2001 and having his statue unveiled in 2014, when Adelaide Oval reopened after its revamp.

“He’s the first name – with Russell Ebert – that come to mind of footballers who primarily played in South Australia of the last 50 years,” Blight said.

“I’m sure there were great players before that, but those two were the modern South Australian greats everyone knew.

“You need a team to win premierships, we know that.

“But Barrie Robran was the glue for the team, even at a very young age.”

Blight said Robran’s brilliance was backed by an unbelievable work ethic.

“I always talk about 10 qualities of a footballer and you go through the list of what they need to be.

“He’d probably hit 9.9 of them.

“Everyone has a little chink now and again, but he didn’t have a lot, I can tell you.

“He had that innate ability to read the game, he was a good handballer, a good mark, good skills both sides.

“But he also had a sensational appetite to work really hard.”

Blight said Robran was also a lovely person who would sometimes ring him asking him to sign items for charity.

“It would be for Novita or one of those we’d be involved with and he was almost apologetic,” he said.

“He was a really nice fella.

“Not aggressive, softly spoken, just got his point across.”

Robran is survived by his wife, Taimi, and two sons, Matthew and Jonathan, an ex-Hawthorn and Essendon player.

“It’s a sad, sad day,” Blight said.

“They’re a marvellous family and I feel for their grief today.”

Originally published as Barrie Robran’s “dream”: Malcolm Blight reveals why the legend never left the SANFL