Brian Roberts
Richmond and South Melbourne · “The Whale”
AFL career
93 games36 goals
- Debut
- R1 1971 v FIT3 Apr 1971
- Most recent
- R22 1975 v NTH30 Aug 1975
Stats
1975 | SME | 15 | 12.3 | 5.1 | 17.4 | 9.1 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
1975 | RCH | 5 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
1974 | RCH | 11 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 5.1 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
1973 | RCH | 26 | 8.8 | 4.1 | 12.8 | 5.8 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 |
1972 | RCH | 18 | 5.8 | 3.0 | 8.8 | 4.9 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
1971 | RCH | 18 | 8.2 | 3.1 | 11.3 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
NTH | AS | R22 | 16 | 2 | 18 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 22 | 0.1 |
FSC | LO | R21 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 25 | 0.0 |
GEE | KP | R20 | 15 | 7 | 22 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 0.0 |
FIT | LO | R19 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 42 | 0.0 |
CAR | PP | R18 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 37 | 1.0 |
MEL | WP | R17 | 18 | 2 | 20 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 0.0 |
RCH | LO | R16 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 0.0 |
STK | LO | R15 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 34 | 0.0 |
HAW | WP | R14 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 6 | - | 1.0 |
ESS | WH | R13 | 14 | 5 | 19 | 8 | 3 | 2 | - | 0.0 |
COL | WP | R12 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 3 | - | 0.0 |
NTH | LO | R11 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.? |
FSC | WP | R10 | 13 | 7 | 20 | 11 | 8 | 5 | - | 0.0 |
GEE | LO | R9 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 10 | 5 | 3 | - | 0.0 |
FIT | JO | R8 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 9 | 3 | 4 | - | 0.1 |
COL | VP | R6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 0.0 |
SME | MCG | R5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0.0 |
FSC | WO | R4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0.0 |
GEE | MCG | R2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0.0 |
FIT | JO | R1 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 5 | - | 0.1 |
Bio
Recruited from East Fremantle in the WAFL, Brian "The Whale" Roberts was a cult figure at Richmond whose immense physique belied a deft touch in the ruck. Standing at the centre of the Tigers' formidable 1970s lineup, he used his size to intimidate opponents and create armchair rides for his rovers, featuring prominently in the club's back-to-back premiership triumphs in 1973 and 1974. Despite his popularity and on-field success at Punt Road, Roberts became a central piece in one of the league's most infamous transfer sagas during the 1975 season, when he was traded to South Melbourne as part of the controversial deal to secure John Pitura. His time at the Lakeside Oval was brief, adding just 15 games to his tally before retirement, but he remains enduringly recognised for his critical role in Richmond's golden era.
Profile
- Born
- 28 Apr 1946
- Died
- 06 Aug 2016 (aged 70y 100d)
- Birthplace
- Barnsley, United Kingdom
- Deathplace
- Melbourne, VIC
- Height
- 199 cm
- Weight
- 113 kg
Teams
Honours
- Premiership(2×) 1973, 1974
- Brownlow Medal
- Top 10
- 1975
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from East Fremantle in the WAFL, Brian "The Whale" Roberts was a cult figure at Richmond whose immense physique belied a deft touch in the ruck. Standing at the centre of the Tigers' formidable 1970s lineup, he used his size to intimidate opponents and create armchair rides for his rovers, featuring prominently in the club's back-to-back premiership triumphs in 1973 and 1974. Despite his popularity and on-field success at Punt Road, Roberts became a central piece in one of the league's most infamous transfer sagas during the 1975 season, when he was traded to South Melbourne as part of the controversial deal to secure John Pitura. His time at the Lakeside Oval was brief, adding just 15 games to his tally before retirement, but he remains enduringly recognised for his critical role in Richmond's golden era.