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Superboot's sixty!

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Robroy

Robroy

Debutant
Jun 4, 2008
78
1
Balnarring
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Other Teams
Fitzroy F.C.(1883-1996)
Bernie Quinlan is turning 60 today. Anybody out there with any great memories or stories to share?
 
I don't have any special or insider story, but I do have a truck load full of wonderful memories. I still say he is the most supremely gifted big man I have ever seen play the game and one of the most gifted players, full stop. He'd have been an absolute sensation in today's game (watered down and soulless though it is) and without guys like Rod Carter belting him behind the ear every time he went for the ball and playing on pristine grounds he'd have kicked 150 goals without breaking a sweat.
 
I don't intend to divert this thread however I understand Bernie isn't in the best of health these days. I don't intend to divulge information in case it has not been made public yet. However us regulars to the Fitzroy board have nothing but love and admiration for our spearhead and hope he is doing well.
 
I don't have an insiders view of Superboot but I can tell you I had his number on my back and absolutely idolized him when I was at pimary school. I met him at ins and outs night at the Fitzroy Club Hotel and it was unbelieveable how many people they crammed in that night. He was fantastic as he went around each table and shook everbody's hands and was able to oblige all requests. I had a few things for him to sign that night and he did it without complaint. This is what a legend of the game is about not the Gary Ablett Jnr's and the Tom Scully's chasing money.
Happy birthday superboot
 

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Bernie Quinlan - my first ever favourite player, and he remains my all time favourite to this day.

Superboot was like a God at Fitzroy, everyone loved him so much.

He didn't deserve what happened in 1996 from Fitzroy (we were trying to pull the messiah out one last time) and I think from Brisbane (who may have denied him some money owed).

It would be good if one day soon the Brisbane Lions could heal the rift (if it still exists - I have no idea how Bernie feels about the Lions these days).
 
Where to start. I remember Bernie when he played with Footscray. He was exquisitely talented when he first came up to Melbourne, but he suffered from inconsistency with the Dogs. Not unheard of for a young bloke. When he was 'on' though, there was nobody who could compete with him.

From the time Fitzroy picked him up, he gained consistency, and built even more on his brilliance. It's not widely known that he played as a ruck-rover in his Brownlow year. Obviously, he was also a champion centre-half forward and full-forward. He also played with distinction as a centre-half back with both the Dogs and the Roys. One day at Waverley, all of the Roys' ruckmen had fallen over by half time. Bernie went into the ruck, and creamed our opponents, to be, IMHO, the best on the ground.

I have an anecdote about Bernie from his time as a Footscray player, which says much about his talents. It was during the half-time break of a Night Final, at the Lake Oval, somewhere around 1968 - 1969. If I recall correctly, Fitzroy were playing South Melbourne. At half time, they had a long-kicking competition, between Bernie, a rugby player and a soccer player. The Rugby player and the soccer player were both good kicks, using their preferred ball, but Bernie unloaded a drop-kick with the Aussie footy which went 84 yards, thus easily winning the competition.

Bernie was duly presented with his prize for winning, and the three of them started to troop off the ground. Seemingly as an afterthought, Bernie sauntered over and picked up each of the balls from the other codes and, in turn, proceeded to boot them twenty yards further than each of the players had who initially kicked them.

In 1987, whilst doing my first-year studies at uni., I interviewed Bernie for a feature article I was required to write. I went to his place ( I think it was in Sandringham) and spent about an hour and a half with him. I was very nervous, but Bernie could not have been more helpful. An absolute gentleman of the highest order. He even complimented me on the research I'd done. It seems I knew things about him he'd forgotten.

About three years before this, I ran into Rod Vernon, a Fitzroy centre-half forward from the 1950s, at the MCG Hotel. Naturally, because I recognised him, we got to talking about footy, and shamelessly reminiscing. I made what I thought was an unexceptionable statement by saying that Kevin Murray was the best footballer I'd seen play at Fitzroy. Rod disagreed. He thought Bernie was the best player he'd seen there in his lifetime, even though he'd played with Mussa. He said, "Are you seriously trying to tell me that you think Murray was a better footballer than Quinlan?"

I felt very foolish.

Edit: I've never seen a better goal kicked, in pure football terms, than the one Bernie kicked from the wing at the Junction Oval (shepherded through by Rendell). To kick a goal from the wing is exceptional. To do so with a torpedo, on the run, beggars belief. There'll never be another like him.
 
skilts said:
Where to start. I remember Bernie when he played with Footscray. He was exquisitely talented when he first came up to Melbourne, but he suffered from inconsistency with the Dogs. Not unheard of for a young bloke. When he was 'on' though, there was nobody who could compete with him.

From the time Fitzroy picked him up, he gained consistency, and built even more on his brilliance. It's not widely known that he played as a ruck-rover in his Brownlow year. Obviously, he was also a champion centre-half forward and full-forward. He also played with distinction as a centre-half back with both the Dogs and the Roys. One day at Waverley, all of the Roys' ruckmen had fallen over by half time. Bernie went into the ruck, and creamed our opponents, to be, IMHO, the best on the ground.

I have an anecdote about Bernie from his time as a Footscray player, which says much about his talents. It was during the half-time break of a Night Final, at the Lake Oval, somewhere around 1968 - 1969. If I recall correctly, Fitzroy were playing South Melbourne. At half time, they had a long-kicking competition, between Bernie, a rugby player and a soccer player. The Rugby player and the soccer player were both good kicks, using their preferred ball, but Bernie unloaded a drop-kick with the Aussie footy which went 84 yards, thus easily winning the competition.

Bernie was duly presented with his prize for winning, and the three of them started to troop off the ground. Seemingly as an afterthought, Bernie sauntered over and picked up each of the balls from the other codes and, in turn, proceeded to boot them twenty yards further than each of the players had who initially kicked them.

In 1987, whilst doing my first-year studies at uni., I interviewed Bernie for a feature article I was required to write. I went to his place ( I think it was in Sandringham) and spent about an hour and a half with him. I was very nervous, but Bernie could not have been more helpful. An absolute gentleman of the highest order. He even complimented me on the research I'd done. It seems I knew things about him he'd forgotten.

About three years before this, I ran into Rod Vernon, a Fitzroy centre-half forward from the 1950s, at the MCG Hotel. Naturally, because I recognised him, we got to talking about footy, and shamelessly reminiscing. I made what I thought was an unexceptionable statement by saying that Kevin Murray was the best footballer I'd seen play at Fitzroy. Rod disagreed. He thought Bernie was the best player he'd seen there in his lifetime, even though he'd played with Mussa. He said, "Are you seriously trying to tell me that you think Murray was a better footballer than Quinlan?"

I felt very foolish.

Edit: I've never seen a better goal kicked, in pure football terms, than the one Bernie kicked from the wing at the Junction Oval (shepherded through by Rendell). To kick a goal from the wing is exceptional. To do so with a torpedo, on the run, beggars belief. There'll never be another like him.
Click to expand...

Excellent read... :thumbsu: ...

Superboot absolute all time legend!

Thank you for that... :thumbsu: ...
 
Must have been something about the Lakeside Oval and Bernie: I remember a night he came down to Fitzroy Training when they were trying to get him back to the club and coach and he came down at the end of the night when you had the likes of Doc Wheildon, Roosy et al having practice shots for goal and us trainers kicking the ball back to them. Afterwards Bernie saunters down in his Suit and Italian business shoes and starts punting the ball 55+ yards with two trainers working in tandem to kick the ball back to him! Amazing stuff.
 
Bernie was a genuine superstar and all round nice guy. In 1984 he cut loose at Mortlake against the reigning premiers Hawthorn and kicked about 8 in a half before checking out to ice the ankles and talk to the kiddies. I got to spend a treasured ten minutes with my hero while he unstrapped and iced the ankles. I doubt there has been a better kick of the Sherrin than he.

As coach he was hamstrung from the start - no players - no resources, however the game had clearly passed him by and his methods were out of date. It was heart breaking to watch it all play out.

I still revere him.
 
if only he wore a pies jumper !!

whenever memories are discussed on the pies board, and reference made to the lost opportunities of the late 70's/early 80's i always hark back to the insane decision of collingwood to not take up bernie quinlan. (and compared with the spuds we did take up)

i will forever believe we would have won 2 flags during that era if only we had grabbed superboot.

the only consolation is that he did give you great service and made a good team of midfielders seem great by converting all their work.

cherish the memories.
 

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I remember at the Team of the Century dinner that he stood up and said how pleased he was to be nominated as a player but was disapointed not to be nominated as coach.Humble and funny.
 
IAMDASH said:
Anyone catch Bernie on the Marngrook Footy Show last week? Apparently he was on.

Is Marngrook available to watch on the ABC website?
Click to expand...

I saw it and he looked in reasonable health. Very sharp and very strong opinions on the game today and the players. Plus a great clip of him putting through a torp goal on the run from almost the wing at Junction Oval.

I think they only have a few clips from each show on the Marngrook site.
 

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Superboot's sixty!

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