A crowd favourite when he played, one of the most enthusiastic and exciting of his era, Russell Robertson remains an integral presence in red and blue, and shares some of his stories from a memorable time in the game.

The start
Back in my old stomping ground of Tasmania, I was a late starter to football, only taking it up as a couple of my mates had played mini league and then school footy.  I picked it up reasonably quickly, winning the league best and fairest by year’s end.  I bumbled along enjoying football until I was selected to represent Tasmania in the Under 18 National Carnival.

Being drafted was over and done with by 11 am, but by 7 pm that night I still had no idea I had been picked up by Melbourne.  I had been to school that day – the draft was not televised or broadcast on radio back then.  I took off to a schoolmate’s 18th, and needless to say, once I received a call, the party became a little more festive!



Early games
My first game came in 1997 – Round 20, against the West Coast Eagles, at the WACA, playing on John Worsfold.  I remember the whole experience being loud, fast and exciting.  I was playing next to champions.  The air was thick and all my senses were in overdrive.  It was adrenaline and the excitement of something unique every Saturday.  Football can do that.



Great moments
There are other moments I remember, like the marks and goals – but they hardly rate a mention next to the great wins.  Round 14, 1998, was amazing.  We travelled to the west (again!) to take on the then mighty Eagles with a depleted team – no Lyon, Stynes, Ingerson and the like.  We had a team of untried and unproven players, but we rallied and took home one of the famous victories.  I remember that Stinga gave Peter Matera a bath, and blokes like Brown and McDonald started careers.  We sang the song as loud as we had ever sung that day.



Celebrations
We played a pre-season game in Darwin against the Bulldogs.  How can a pre-season competition game have any effect?  It was all about the brotherhood and the emotion of a win, regardless of the price of the outcome.  The rain came down in the last quarter in biblical proportions in a game that was close all night.  In the end, we scraped in, and as is usual in hot climates, we had to warm down in an ice truck.  We were so pumped that we sang the ‘Grand Old Flag’ in that truck – all 22 of us.  Being in a small area in complete pitch black – the internal light was blown – with the chorus reverberating through us...I will never forget that moment as long as I live.



Finals time
The Preliminary Final in 2000 against the Blues was undeniably – for all Demons, both players and fans – unforgettable.  Green and Bruce became names we all used for another ten plus years after that day.  What more can I say? – it was ecstasy.

All moments can be trumped by one thing – a premiership.  Unfortunately, it was not to be, and so, because of the pain of that loss, I have blocked a lot of what happened that day.  To play in and be a part of Grand Final Week was amazing, and I would be heartless and cold if I did not feel that emotion, and therefore remember it.



Best and Fairest
To win the Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott Memorial Trophy is the only individual award I rate in my top ten moments.  To have the ultimate award at this grand old football club in your possession as a retired footballer now...it’s nice.  I do treasure it, and I am very proud.  I was never the best growing up, pretty inconsistent, made many mistakes out there, but I got it together there for a while.  So for me...it’s just nice.