Footy legend Austin Robertson dead aged 80 as tributes pour in for premiership winner who mentored Shane Warne
Footy legend Austin Robertson dies aged 80 as tributes pour in for premiership winner who mentored Shane Warne
- Austin Robertson passed away on Wednesday at the age of 80
- He was widely regarded as Western Australia’s greatest ever player
- Robertson scored 1,211 majors for Subiaco during a stellar career
Western Australia lost a footballing legend after Austin Robertson Junior passed away at the age of 80.
Widely regarded as WA’s greatest football player ever, Robertson is the WAFL’s all-time leading goalscorer having scored 1,211 majors during his sparkling career for Subiaco.
The star forward won the Bernie Naylor Medal eight times as the WAFL’s leading goaltender, averaging 4.83 goals per game during his time with the Lions.
Robertson’s performances in the 1960s and 1970s were so amazing that fellow great Graham Farmer even considered him the best full-forward in Australia at the time.
The man nicknamed ‘Ocker’ won a premiership with Subiaco in 1973 and played a season with VFL club South Melbourne in 1966, scoring 60 goals in 18 games during his short spell in Victoria.
Western Australian football legend after Austin Robertson passed away aged 80 on Wednesday
Renowned for his accurate set shots on goal, Robertson was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
Earlier this year, Robertson told the ABC he suspected he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and wanted to donate his brain to science after his death.
CTE can only be diagnosed postmortem.
“I got hit on the head every week. You probably got hit to the back of the head between 10 and 15 times, which I’m sure is of no use,” Robertson said in May.
“You could intentionally line up a guy who has his eye on the ball and runs towards you (…) and you can get your shoulder all ready.
Robertson scored 1,211 majors for Subiaco during a stellar career in the 1960s and 1970s
“In my day it was very deliberate and legal to smooth that guy over.
“And when the dude got laughed at, the audience, of course, roared. It was a bit of a gladiatorial Rome.’
During that interview, Robertson called on players to wear helmets to protect them from brain injuries.
After his career ended in 1974, Robertson played a key role in presenting the World Series Cricket concept to Kerry Packer and helping to get it started.
He also managed many of Australia’s leading cricketers, including Shane Warne, over a span of 30 years.