Vale Russell Ebert

[Ford Fairlane]

North Melbourne people are unanimous in their love of Russell. It was a bloody difficult year for Russell as a fly-in, fly-out player arriving from Adelaide for one training session a week on Thursday. We also had so many bad injuries so Ron Barassi had to play Russell in so many spots. But when he was put in the centre, he really showed his wares.


Russell - even at training - had a great take of the ball. Like all the greats, he did not fumble. He was clean. And he did not miss when he moved the ball on. He was a talent.


Malcolm Blight

Football pays tribute to Russell Ebert

Russell Ebert's mark on Australian football transcends the Port Adelaide Football Club and South Australia - and the admiration extends beyond football, as the tributes prove.

www.portadelaidefc.com.au

 

[The Brady Bunch]

You could argue that the side we had in 1979 was just about the strongest in the club's history. We had nine players who are currently in the Hall of Fame (Ebert, Cornes, Murphy, Dempsey, Greig, Schimma, Blight, Dench and Glendinning) - the 1975 side had 8, 1977 had 5, and the 90s teams had 4. We had 20 Premiership players still on the list. We beat every other team at least once - the only season we've ever done that. Our H&A record of 17 wins and a percentage of 123 is the club record. We were 1st or 2nd after 17 of the 22 rounds - never falling below 4th. We entered the finals having won 8 of the previous 9 games - the last 4 all by over ten goals.

But we blew it in the finals. We comfortably won the Qualifying Final against Collingwood although the Pies blew their chance in the first half leading by 1.12 at half time and us scoring 10.2 to 1.6 in the third quarter. Carlton trounced us in the Second Semi by 4.14 and were behind all day in the Preliminary Final.

Having played every game that year, Russell Ebert holds the club record for most games per season (albeit in just 1 year). The only ones above 22 are

Russell Ebert - 25 games per year (1 year)
Peter Bell - 24.6 (5)
Barry Davis - 23.7 (3)
John Rantall -23.3 (3)
John Blakey - 22.4 (10)
Graeme Melrose - 22.2 (5)
Shannon Grant - 22.1 (11)

What doesn't show up in the stats regarding that 79 prelim is the fact that the ruck rules were changed due to Peter Moore's tactics in that game, choosing to wrestle with Gary Dempsey at every contest to nullify his influence and deny North's champion midfield first use of the ball. The two ruckmen were so focussed on each other that several centre bounces went uncontested as the ball bounced a second time. Worth noting that Russell Ebert only picked up 5 disposals that day. I don't recall him being injured. I think it was just the result of Collingwood's negative tactics.

In the off season, the VFL brought in the line across the centre circle so that rucks could not wrestle at centre bounces.

Anyhow, Ebert was a wonderful player and I was sad when he didn't come back in 1980. It's also worth noting that North had three Magarey Medal winners on the list that year - Ebert, Blight and Graham Cornes. It's a shame we couldn't get more out of Cornes.

 

[Portmagpies36]

What doesn't show up in the stats regarding that 79 prelim is the fact that the ruck rules were changed due to Peter Moore's tactics in that game, choosing to wrestle with Gary Dempsey at every contest to nullify his influence and deny North's champion midfield first use of the ball. The two ruckmen were so focussed on each other that several centre bounces went uncontested as the ball bounced a second time. Worth noting that Russell Ebert only picked up 5 disposals that day. I don't recall him being injured. I think it was just the result of Collingwood's negative tactics.

In the off season, the VFL brought in the line across the centre circle so that rucks could not wrestle at centre bounces.

Anyhow, Ebert was a wonderful player and I was sad when he didn't come back in 1980. It's also worth noting that North had three Magarey Medal winners on the list that year - Ebert, Blight and Graham Cornes. It's a shame we couldn't get more out of Cornes.

Just a side note Graham Cornes did not win a Magarey Medal however a player who joined North Melbourne a couple of years later (Kym Hodgeman) did win a Magarey Medal in 1978. The player he beat by 1 vote was Russell Ebert, preventing Russell winning an unbelievable 5th Magarey Medal.

 

[The Brady Bunch]

Just a side note Graham Cornes did not win a Magarey Medal however a player who joined North Melbourne a couple of years later (Kym Hodgeman) did win a Magarey Medal in 1978. The player he beat by 1 vote was Russell Ebert, preventing Russell winning an unbelievable 5th Magarey Medal.

I stand corrected. Always thought Cornes won the Magarey.

 

[edgie]

What was the story with Cornes at North? His stats from the few games he played certainly weren't bad, though stats might have been meant different things back then.

Seeing Cornes, Ebert, and Blight running around together was something.

Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using Tapatalk

 

[DarwinRoo]

A medel should be struck in his name for the player that gets BOG in every Port vs North game from now on a champion of the PAFC a champion of the NMFC and a champion of Australian football it would be a nice touch from both clubs

Pass.

 

[Mr north man]

Pass.

Why
Ok only played 1 year with us but with the achievements he received I think a medal would be appropriate but hay some people may not want it.

 

[ferball]

Why
Ok only played 1 year with us but with the achievements he received I think a medal would be appropriate but hay some people may not want it.

What about Choppy?

 

[SpiderBurton22]

What about Choppy?

What about Stuie Cochrane?

 

[Marstermind]

What about Stuie Cochrane?

Alright. So we're all agreed then. The Pickett-Ebert-Cochrane-Geister-Abernethy-Thomas-Stevens-Motlop-Pittard-Jacobs-Polec Medal. Got a nice ring to it.

 

[DarwinRoo]

Why
Ok only played 1 year with us but with the achievements he received I think a medal would be appropriate but hay some people may not want it.

Because awards like that are cringeworthy. If it was a once off for the next time we play Port that would be fine but they lose its meaning very quickly.

Could you name the last player to win the McCartney medal?

 

[Marstermind]

Pass.

Because awards like that are cringeworthy. If it was a once off for the next time we play Port that would be fine but they lose its meaning very quickly.

Could you name the last player to win the McCartney medal?

Scott Pendlebury in 2013. Before that it was A.Rocca in 2003, Johnson in 2004, Tarrant in 2006, Clement in 2007 and Lockyer in 2009. No medal was awarded in 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 or any year after 2013. No NMFC player ever won the McCartney Medal.

 

[edgie]

Alright. So we're all agreed then. The Pickett-Ebert-Cochrane-Geister-Abernethy-Thomas-Stevens-Motlop-Pittard-Jacobs-Polec Medal. Got a nice ring to it.

Well that's not fair to Melbourne or Brisbane, did they play for anyone else that I'm missing?

Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using Tapatalk

 

[franjon]

I don't normally post on opposition boards but given the circumstances I thought I'd share a personal story from 1979.

Early in that year, before the start of the football season, my mother took me to the sports store that Russell Ebert had with Paul Weston in the Adelaide CBD to buy me a tracksuit for my birthday. This was not long after it had been announced that Port were going to "lease" Russell to North Melbourne for the coming season.

We were served in the store by Russell himself and he was very generous with his time and talked footy with us at some length. We said we were disappointed about losing him for 1979 and then Paul Weston jumped in and said don't worry he'll be back and made a joke about Russell only being "leased" because no-one would want to "buy" him.

I walked out of the store with my new tracksuit and an impression that Russell Ebert in person was every bit the humble champion and generous individual that he was publicly believed to be and that he was clearly loved and respected by all those he worked, played and interacted with.

I make this point because in the 1970s, like the majority of Port supporters, I followed Collingwood in the VFL and I was pissed off when they lost the GF replay to North in 1977 and then the PF in 1978. But with Russell Ebert in their side, I just couldn't bring myself to barrack against North Melbourne in 1979 and have to admit to being a little disappointed when Collingwood finally did knock them off in the 1979 PF, denying Russell the opportunity to play on the biggest stage in the game.

Anyway, as an old timer, I'm just glad there's enough other old timers around here to remember Russell's time at North Melbourne and his contribution to your club.

It took us a long time to get him. From memory we went after him when we got Blight, but he wouldn't come. I think he had interest's, didn't want to uproot his family and felt that he would be turning his back on Port Adelaide. Even when we finally got him across he commuted from Adelaide every week. We loved him. Even looking back now his skills not just as a player, but also as a person, were phenomenal. Will be greatly missed.

 

[gokangas]

State Funeral. Was bigger in SA than I realised.

 

[Rising Power]

State Funeral. Was bigger in SA than I realised.

The funeral was streamed on Youtube. Can be viewed via this link.

 

[HumphreyBBear]

I was lucky enough to see most of the games that he played for the Kangas. The first time I saw him play was a practice match at Skinner reserve and I'll never forget him sticking one hand into a pack, grabbing the ball, raising it above his head, and punching it with the other hand straight to a player running past. Sounds normal, but he hit the ball at the side where the right thumb on the hand holding the ball was. I practised doing the same thing after that - it's hard.

He had a special level of skill. One of the best I have ever seen.

I was also lucky enough to have a long talk with him at the Team of the Century dinner. He played his first game the same day as Cornesy and my brother, so they were on a table together (seating was in number order). What a gentleman.

Vale Russell Ebert.

 

[franjon]

I was lucky enough to see most of the games that he played for the Kangas. The first time I saw him play was a practice match at Skinner reserve and I'll never forget him sticking one hand into a pack, grabbing the ball, raising it above his head, and punching it with the other hand straight to a player running past. Sounds normal, but he hit the ball at the side where the right thumb on the hand holding the ball was. I practised doing the same thing after that - it's hard.

He had a special level of skill. One of the best I have ever seen.

I was also lucky enough to have a long talk with him at the Team of the Century dinner. He played his first game the same day as Cornesy and my brother, so they were on a table together (seating was in number order). What a gentleman.

Vale Russell Ebert.

He had special skills.

 

[giantroo]

Fitting to post this in here.

Now the 32nd Legend of the AFL Hall of Fame.

 

[koshari]

What about Stuie Cochrane?

What about froggy?

 

[giantroo]

How Ebert pulled off one “remarkable” season with North Melbourne

The Port Adelaide legend played in the VFL in 1979.

www.sen.com.au

 

[hilly]

I was lucky enough to see most of the games that he played for the Kangas. The first time I saw him play was a practice match at Skinner reserve and I'll never forget him sticking one hand into a pack, grabbing the ball, raising it above his head, and punching it with the other hand straight to a player running past. Sounds normal, but he hit the ball at the side where the right thumb on the hand holding the ball was. I practised doing the same thing after that - it's hard.

He had a special level of skill. One of the best I have ever seen.

I was also lucky enough to have a long talk with him at the Team of the Century dinner. He played his first game the same day as Cornesy and my brother, so they were on a table together (seating was in number order). What a gentleman.

Vale Russell Ebert.

G.Dempsey your brother?

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Respect guys