The following content was collected from the Club's Lion Loyalist luncheon in Victoria at which Robert Walls was a special guest together with David Parkin.
What are your fondest memories of your time at Fitzroy - both as a player and coach?
I had eight years at Fitzroy and they were eight of the best years in my time in footy. I really enjoyed my time there and made some terrific friends.
I look at Laurie Serafini - who’s in his 50s now - and remember bossing him around on the training track.
Then there’s Des and Margaret Luckman who used to cook the meals for the senior players on a Thursday night. I remember on Thursday nights after training, I’d pull in one or two or three players to tell them they were out of this week’s team. They were so disappointed, not because they were out of the team, but because they were no longer getting a feed from Des and Margaret!
Do you still catch up with any of your team-mates?
I turned 61 yesterday and I can’t believe the years have gone so quickly.
But wherever you go, you seem to still bump into people from the old days. You see them now as parents and even grandparents and it’s wonderful to see that they’ve achieved so much in life and that they’re happy.
That’s the important thing - you enjoy your footy days, but then life goes on.
During my time at Fitzroy, some outstanding people came through the Football Club. One thing I really enjoy now is that so many of them are good mates with each other.
They are godparents of each other’s’ kids and went to each other’s weddings. They’ve just remained friends right through. That’s one of the lovely things football can give you.
Compared to your first club Carlton, Fitzroy wasn’t a particularly ‘rich’ club - at least in terms of finances. How did you find that change?
I still remember Les Parish, who was one player I played with and then later coached, had to be sold mid-season to generate some money.
Les came to the Club as an older player and was much loved by his teammates. But he went to Melbourne and it was like we had lost a member of our family. That part was tough.
Of course Les passed away at a very young age, but he left an impression on all his teammates. I remember they played a game for him up on the river and his old teammates came from everywhere to watch. Ron Alexander came over from Perth, Bobby Beecroft came from Adelaide and everyone dropped what they were doing to be there and honour a mate.
That was the sort of spirit that was at Fitzroy.
Did your relationship with your teammates change once you became coach in 1981?
Mick Conlan and I had a love/hate relationship.
I remember one day Mick did something that didn’t make me too happy in the first quarter, so I sent the runner out to get him off. Then, in the corner of my eye, I saw Mick walk down the race and into the rooms. I thought that was strange.
So I rang the runner from upstairs in the coaching box and said “Where’s Mick?”
He said “He’s gone in the rooms”.
I said “Why?”
He said “I dunno”.
I said “Well go and find out what’s going on!”
This all happened while the game was still going.
The runner came back from the rooms and said “Mick says he’s not coming out”.
I said “What do you mean he’s not coming out?”
“He said as long as you’re coach he’s not coming out!”
That was Mick (laughs).
The Brisbane Lions are currently in the process of updating their database of past players and coaches. If you played a senior match with Fitzroy, the Bears or the Brisbane Lions (or know someone that has) and haven’t remained in contact with the Club, please email your phone and address details to melbourne@lions.com.au so that we can keep you in touch with any future events with past players.
