Russell "Robbo" Robertson (born 24 November 1978) is a former professional

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er, who last played for the

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons or colloquially the Dees, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...

. Robertson is one of the Melbourne's great goalkickers, being one of just four players in the club's history to have led the goalkicking in four or more seasons. Robertson is well known for his ability to take regular spectacular marks. Late in his career he was also known outside the football community, through

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

appearances, modelling and

singing Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

Early life

Robertson grew up in the small town of Penguin, Tasmania, where he attended high school between 1991 and 1994. He played his early football in nearby

Burnie, Tasmania Burnie ( ; Aboriginal Tasmanians#North, pirinilaplu/palawa kani: ''Pataway'') is a port city located on the North West Tasmania, north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is the fourth largest city on the island, located approximately north ...

and recruiters first spotted him in a home video featured on The Footy Show's "Almost Footy Legends" segment. He was added to the

rookie list and seen as a potential player.

AFL career

Robertson made his debut in the 1997 season. He did not take long to find his feet and became known as one of the game's most exciting forwards, taking numerous "Marks of the Week" (putting him in the running for Mark of the Year, however he never won the award). Robertson is known for his sometimes miraculous snap shots at goal as much as his accurate set shot kicking and was a regular feature in the Melbourne's senior side for well over a decade. It was not until the 2005 season that Robertson became one of the Demons star players and regularly among the leading goalkicker list. Despite being short for a full-forward, Robertson became the second option in the key position to David Neitz. In 2005, he played for

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

in his first International Rules series against

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. He was unlucky to miss

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perfo ...

selection despite finishing third in the Coleman medal. In that year he took out the Demons' leading goalkicker award. In the same season he achieved a personal best haul of 7 goals against Geelong in round 20. Robertson's 2006 season was hampered by soft tissue injuries. In 2007, he started the season strongly, kicking a handful of goals against the

Saints In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...

in the Demons 31-point loss, including a miraculous snap shot whilst sitting on the ground in the goal square. In Round 2 against the Hawks on Easter Monday, Robertson landed awkwardly while trying to take one of his trademark high flying marks and injured the medial ligament in his knee, along with David Neitz who suffered the same injury, and missed up to 7 weeks of football. However he still finished the season as the club's leading goalkicker, for the third time. Returning from injury, Robertson hit back to his best, kicking 7 goals against Collingwood in the traditional Queen's Birthday game at the MCG in Round 11. On 1 June 2008, Robertson snapped his

achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

in what could have been a season-ending, and a career threatening, injury. He was added to the veterans list by the club in an effort to extend his career. Robertson returned for Melbourne playing against

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

on 3 May,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the Lis ...

. Robertson performed well in his return, kicking three goals. On 20 August 2009, Robertson announced that he would be playing his last match with the Demons in season 2009 having been advised that his contract would not be renewed. After 13 seasons and 226 games, the 30-year-old and the club agreed to part ways. Robertson also announced that he would nominate for the 2009 AFL National Draft and 2010 pre-season draft, saying that he felt he still had some good footy left in him and as keen to play on for at least one more year. He played most of the 2010 season in the Goulburn Valley Football League, one of the top country leagues in Australia and kicked a record 106 goals for Shepparton Swans Football Club. In late 2010 he signed to be the playing-coach for St Josephs in the Geelong Football League. In 2012 and 2013, he signed to be a fly-in player for

Burnie Burnie ( ; Aboriginal Tasmanians#North, pirinilaplu/palawa kani: ''Pataway'') is a port city located on the North West Tasmania, north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is the fourth largest city on the island, located approximately north ...

in the

Tasmanian Football League The Tasmanian State League (TSL), colloquially known as the Tasmanian Football League (TFL), was the highest-level Australian rules football competition in the state of Tasmania. It disbanded following the end of the 2024 TSL season, 2024 season ...

. Russell played in the 2013 Grand Final against South Launceston. In 2016, Russell signed on to play at the Kangaroo Flat Football Club of the Bendigo Football Netball League. In the second half of 2016 and the start of 2017, he is currently playing for the Toora and District Football Club.

Statistics

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1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

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1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 16 , , 15 , , 16 , , 90 , , 58 , , 148 , , 41 , , 11 , , 0.9 , , 1.0 , , 5.6 , , 3.6 , , 9.3 , , 2.6 , , 0.7 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 13 , , 11 , , 11 , , 65 , , 38 , , 103 , , 36 , , 3 , , 0.8 , , 0.8 , , 5.0 , , 2.9 , , 7.9 , , 2.8 , , 0.2 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 25 , , 44 , , 31 , , 225 , , 100 , , 325 , , 131 , , 21 , , 1.8 , , 1.2 , , 9.0 , , 4.0 , , 13.0 , , 5.2 , , 0.8 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 22 , , 42 , , 26 , , 194 , , 69 , , 263 , , 101 , , 17 , , 1.9 , , 1.2 , , 8.8 , , 3.1 , , 12.0 , , 4.6 , , 0.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 21 , , 32 , , 28 , , 186 , , 51 , , 237 , , 114, , 28 , , 1.5 , , 1.3 , , 8.9 , , 2.4 , , 11.3 , , 5.4 , , 1.3 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

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2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 22 , , 30 , , 29 , , 214 , , 99 , , 313 , , 113 , , 36 , , 1.4 , , 1.3 , , 9.7 , , 4.5 , , 14.2 , , 5.1 , , 1.6 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 23 , , 73 , , 30 , , 207 , , 58 , , 265 , , 134 , , 28 , , 3.2 , , 1.3 , , 9.0 , , 2.5 , , 11.5 , , 5.8 , , 1.2 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 23 , , 44 , , 28 , , 190 , , 52 , , 242 , , 106 , , 28 , , 1.9 , , 1.2 , , 8.3 , , 2.3 , , 10.5 , , 4.6 , , 1.2 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 15 , , 42 , , 28 , , 139 , , 30 , , 169 , , 85 , , 10 , , 2.8 , , 1.9 , , 9.3 , , 2.0 , , 11.3 , , 5.7 , , 0.7 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 10 , , 20 , , 13 , , 96 , , 20 , , 116 , , 57 , , 8 , , 2.0 , , 1.3 , , 9.6 , , 2.0 , , 11.6 , , 5.7 , , 0.8 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 13 , , 29 , , 21 , , 97 , , 22 , , 119 , , 59 , , 18 , , 2.2 , , 1.6 , , 7.5 , , 1.7 , , 9.2 , , 4.5 , , 1.4 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 228 ! 428 ! 293 ! 1942 ! 699 ! 2641 ! 1112 ! 237 ! 1.9 ! 1.3 ! 8.5 ! 3.1 ! 11.6 ! 4.9 ! 1.0

Non-football activities

Outside of football, Robertson is a musician, who has abilities in singing and playing guitar, modelling and has become somewhat of a television personality. He was featured in ''The Footy Show'' "Screamers" talent quest competition. Robertson released an album titled ''Higher'' in 2008. On 26 October 2006, Robertson married former

Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm is a rugby league football club based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia that participates in the National Rugby League (NRL). The club plays its home games at AAMI Park, and wears a purple and navy blu ...

cheerleader and aspiring

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Brooke Aust. In February 2008, he was a contestant on the Australian television show ''Deal or No Deal''. Robertson also made an appearance in 2008 singing on the Australian television show ''It Takes Two'' with partner

Kate Ceberano Catherine Yvette Ceberano ( or , born 17 November 1966) is an Australian singer and actress who performs in the rock, soul, jazz and pop genres, as well as in film and musicals such as '' Jesus Christ Superstar''. Her single " Bedroom Eyes" re ...

in which they were runners-up. In 2012, Robertson re-joined the

to produce his own show, ''The Robbo Show'', for the Melbourne FC website and is a regular MC at home matches at the MCG. He took over the role of Club Development Manager after the suspension and subsequent sacking of Chris Connolly for his role in the Melbourne tanking scandal. In 2012, Robertson starred in ''Barassi'', a stage show about Ron Barassi. In 2018, Robertson sung a drawn-out and off-key version of the Australian National Anthem at the VFL Grand Final. In September 2018, Robertson was a football consultant, and appeared in Season 1, episode 2, on the Australian drama '' Playing for Keeps''.

Discography

References

External links

* *
Russell Robertson Music website Uncle Jimmy's Pool Room
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Russell 1978 births Living people Melbourne Football Club players Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy winners Australian rules footballers from Tasmania Tassie Mariners players Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Burnie, Tasmania Casey Demons players Burnie Dockers Football Club players People from Penguin, Tasmania Australia international rules football team players