Ken Roberts
Essendon and Melbourne
AFL career
112 games127 goals
- Debut
- R14 1970 v SME4 July 1970
- Most recent
- R1 1979 v FSC7 Apr 1979
Stats
1979 | MEL | 1 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
1978 | MEL | 11 | 9.9 | 3.6 | 13.5 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
1977 | ESS | 21 | 15.4 | 4.0 | 19.3 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
1976 | ESS | 22 | 15.2 | 3.5 | 18.7 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
1975 | ESS | 10 | 8.1 | 1.8 | 9.9 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
1974 | ESS | 7 | 11.1 | 3.3 | 14.4 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 0.9 |
1973 | ESS | 16 | 9.0 | 2.0 | 11.0 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
1972 | ESS | 21 | 11.4 | 2.2 | 13.7 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 0.5 |
1971 | ESS | 1 | 10.0 | 3.0 | 13.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
1970 | ESS | 2 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Bio
Born into a football family as the son of former Richmond player Ken Roberts, Roberts arrived at Windy Hill via local outfit Essendon Baptists-St John's. He quickly established himself as a talented utility capable of swinging between half-back and the forward line, using his goal sense and reading of the play to great effect. His career appeared set for a steep upward trajectory in the early 1970s, highlighted by a six-goal haul against North Melbourne in 1973, but a severe knee injury against Geelong later that season proved to be a significant turning point.
While the injury robbed Roberts of his natural pace, he adapted his game to rely more on positioning and football nous. This reinvention culminated in his best individual season in 1976, where he finished fifth in the Bombers' Best and Fairest count. Despite this resurgence, he found himself languishing in the reserves throughout 1977 and sought a fresh start the following year. He was cleared to Melbourne early in the 1978 season—a move facilitated by the Demons believing Essendon owed them a favour from a previous trade dispute—but he managed just a dozen games in red and blue before finishing his VFL career. He later returned to Essendon in an off-field capacity, serving as a recruiting officer during the 1990s.
Profile
- Full name
- Ken W. Roberts
- Born
- 13 May 1952 (age 74y 161d)
- Height
- 185 cm
- Weight
- 85 kg
Teams
Family
- Father:Ken Roberts
Bio
1 revisionBorn into a football family as the son of former Richmond player Ken Roberts, Roberts arrived at Windy Hill via local outfit Essendon Baptists-St John's. He quickly established himself as a talented utility capable of swinging between half-back and the forward line, using his goal sense and reading of the play to great effect. His career appeared set for a steep upward trajectory in the early 1970s, highlighted by a six-goal haul against North Melbourne in 1973, but a severe knee injury against Geelong later that season proved to be a significant turning point.
While the injury robbed Roberts of his natural pace, he adapted his game to rely more on positioning and football nous. This reinvention culminated in his best individual season in 1976, where he finished fifth in the Bombers' Best and Fairest count. Despite this resurgence, he found himself languishing in the reserves throughout 1977 and sought a fresh start the following year. He was cleared to Melbourne early in the 1978 season—a move facilitated by the Demons believing Essendon owed them a favour from a previous trade dispute—but he managed just a dozen games in red and blue before finishing his VFL career. He later returned to Essendon in an off-field capacity, serving as a recruiting officer during the 1990s.