Where are they now? - Brisbane Lions website interviews of Fitzroy players

[royboy2]

Jim Wynd - a gritty rover who played 137 games and kicked 62 goals for Fitzroy between 1986-94.

What are you up to these days?

I am the Regional Development Manager for YMCA youth services.

We run everything from youth justice programs for young offenders to things like youth parliament.

I’ve been with the ‘Y’ now for 11 years.

Do you still see with any of your former Fitzroy team-mates?

Yes, I still catch up with Michael Gale, David Strooper, Jamie Cooper, Ross Lyon, Jason Baldwin, Brett Stephens and a few others.

Ross is pretty busy these days with St Kilda, so we only really catch up with him when he’s available.

But otherwise, we do things like go out to dinner. A few of us have places down the beach, so sometimes we go down there and play a bit of golf, go surfing or hang-gliding.

What are your fondest memories from your playing days?

My first AFL game still sticks in my mind. It was against Essendon back in 1986.

In my first year (1986) the Club made the Finals, and we only just missed out in 1987 and 1989. Then we ended up losing a lot of good players because of the lack of finances at Fitzroy. We ended up giving away great players because we weren’t able to keep them ourselves. By 1991 and 1992, it got really hard.

But it was great to playing alongside some really fantastic players like Paul Roos, Gary Pert, Matt Rendell and Leon Harris.

What are your thoughts on the modern game?

I actually helped Ross Lyon out a bit during 2009 including the Grand Final - I was doing some running for him.

The game’s a bit quicker nowadays and the ball gets moved on a bit faster.

The biggest change that I’ve probably seen is that you now get put on the interchange bench as a reward - not a punishment. In our days, when you got dragged, that was it. It meant that you were playing terribly.

Now with the rotations, it is just amazing how they are able to keep players fresh and fit. Football has become smarter with player development.

http://www.lions.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/5085/newsid/109927/default.aspx

Looks like there will be more of these to come

 

[AndrewD]

Re: Where are they now?

If they are doing a few more I'd put in a vote for an interview with Bob Beecroft, Ron Alexander and Leigh Carlsson; three of my favourites when I was a kid.

That aside, perhaps it's the first step in trying to reconnect with the old Fitzroy supporters. If that's the intention, I think it's a bloody good idea and will be appreciated.

 

[Mobbs]

Re: Where are they now?

Note the original "Where Are They Now" thread that has backslid a bit these days. But as this is a specific ... thingy, I won't merge it.

 

[royboy2]

Re: Where are they now?

You just love a merger don't you Mobbs?

 

[SA1NTER]

Re: Where are they now?

You just love a merger don't you Mobbs?

Ouch!

 

[royboy2]

Re: Where are they now?

You should see his list, I think every club he has ever followed has merged!

Jason Baldwin

Lions.com.au catches up with past player Jason Baldwin - a tough and fearless ball-winner who played 125 games and kicked 36 goals for Fitzroy between 1989-96.

What are doing with yourself these days?

My full-time employment is now in scaffolding - I work for a company called Central Scaffolds. We do a lot of commercial stuff in and around Melbourne and are based in Dandenong.

(You can contact Central Scaffolds on 03 9793 2233 or visit www.centralscaffolds.com.au for more information)

I’ve been in the scaffolding game since I finished football, which has been around 15 years now. It helps keep you fit because you’re on the go all the time. It’s better than sitting in an office, I say.

You recently returned to the field as part of a Lions Legends team that played in between the Brisbane Lions’ NAB Cup matches at Etihad Stadium. How did you pull up?

I didn’t pull up too well after having a bit of a kick and run, I can assure you that. It’s funny when you don’t do it too often how sore you can get for the next couple of days.

It was good fun. I still catch up a bit with ‘Doc’ Wheildon, we go away and do a spot of fishing a couple times a year, so it was good to get out there and have a kick with him.

I actually got a bit of a kick behind my knee - I don’t know how it happened. I ended up with a huge bruise down the back of my leg for the next week. I thought, geez, I never got a bruise like that throughout my playing career. Maybe it was because we’d had a couple of lagers throughout the evening which might have gotten the blood flowing a bit. It was a good night.

Do you keep an eye on the AFL these days?

I’ve got a Supercoach competition going on at work, so I need to keep in touch with at least a bit of it. There are so many young kids to keep up with these days.

Footy is obviously a lot more full-time now than it was back then. The game has gotten so much quicker. It’s hard to keep in touch with the rules and their interpretations. But they’re certainly getting good crowds in, so whatever they’re doing must be right.

Any hot Supercoach tips?

There’s a few of these young kids you should look at. But you have to pick some of these Gold Coasters I reckon - they’ll be the cash cows.

Do you have children? Are they heavily involved in AFL or sport in general?

I have a daughter who is near eight years old. She is into gymnastics and has also done a bit of athletics.

The young bloke is going to be four this weekend and is into just about anything at the moment. He’s a nutcase, I’ve gotta stop him climbing fences.

What are your fondest memories from your Fitzroy days?

Probably the friendships, most of which I have kept with me after football.

But it was just an honour to play against blokes like Tony Lockett, Jason Dunstall and Garry Ablett - and also run out alongside guys like Roosy, Richard Osborne and Perty who are Legends of the game.

Do you get still get recognised much in the streets?

There’s a few every now and then on the worksites around the town, but only from some of the old Fitzroy supporters who would’ve seen me play.

http://www.lions.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/5085/newsid/110381/default.aspx

Might as well merge it mobbs, and ill just keep adding to that one

 

[Mobbs]

Re: Where are they now?

You should see his list, I think every club he has ever followed has merged!

Fitzroy merged.
Coburg-Fitzroy merged.
Marnoo folded.
Oakleigh folded.
West Torrens merged.
Balmain (NRL) merged.
South-Eastern Spectres (basketball) merged, then, the club they merged with, merged.

 

[royboy2]

Re: Where are they now?

Matthew Armstrong

Lions.com.au catches up with past player Matthew Armstrong - a talented ruck rover who played 132 games and kicked 71 goals for Fitzroy between 1987-94.

What are you up to these days?

I’m the Academy Coach for AFL Tasmania. Basically, I go out and find the talented kids around Tasmania, set up all their training, train them up and hopefully get them drafted.

I’ve actually dealt with a lot of kids who are now at the Lions. You’ve got a few of them up there at the minute.

You’re obviously doing a great job because there are plenty of talented young players currently in the AFL system who were originally drafted from Tasmania.

We do our best, but our jobs are going to get much harder down here now that there’s been a greater push into the northern states - particularly in NSW and Queensland.

I think Queensland football is flying with the amount of junior football clubs starting up. In years to come, it’s going to make our job harder because there will be more players in the market.

We’re producing enough talent down here at the moment and we believe the things we’ve got in place are working. But we’re always open to try and find ways to do things better.

How long has it been since you’ve been out of the game as a player?

I officially stopped playing at the end of 1998. My last season was with the Northern Bombers down here in Tasmania. We went through undefeated in the state-wide league and I thought that was good enough, I’ll hang the boots up now.

I finished in the AFL in 1997 (with North Melbourne), came back Launceston to join the Northern Bombers and at the end of that year, I moved to Brisbane as one of the Lions’ Assistant Coaches to Leigh Matthews.

What are your fondest memories from your playing days with Fitzroy?

I had a lot of great memories. There was a real closeness between the players because we were such a battling club.

There were times when we would rock up to training and the facilities and the changerooms were locked. We battled to get paid on time, so we had to stick together pretty close. I think that’s my fondest memory.

I still have friends today that I keep in contact with from that era. I still talk to Lynchy a little bit.

The club went through a hell of a lot during my time there, but there were still a lot of good footballers at Fitzroy. We didn’t have as much as the other clubs in Melbourne and we had to work very hard for what we got. I guess it was a good learning curve

Do your kids share your interest in footy?

They’re just starting to figure it out. One’s four and one’s seven. They’re just starting to figure it all out and who their favourite players are.

But the only problem is that they’re all over Geelong at the moment, obviously with their success over the last couple of years. I’m finding it very hard to change them to the Lions at the minute.

What’s the biggest change you’ve noticed in modern football compared to your days as a player?

You certainly have to communicate a lot differently now.

You have to be able to communicate in three or four different ways - verbally, with the vision, on-ground practice, whiteboard sessions. You really have to communicate and be careful with the way you put things across at times.

http://www.lions.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/5085/newsid/111063/default.aspx

 

[Mobbs]

Re: Where are they now?

Actually this might be better renamed to reference it to what it actually is, a series of Brisbane Lions website interviews of Fitzroy players.

 

[royboy2]

John Murphy - a former five-time Club Best & Fairest winner - who played 214 games and kicked 326 goals for Fitzroy between 1967-77.

What are you up to these days?

I’m still in the insurance industry, working for a company called WHK.

I’m their Insurance Risk Advisor.

What do you remember most from your playing days at Fitzroy?

I just remember the enjoyment of playing football at the highest level of that time. And the supporters, we had a terrific bunch of supporters. Even though they were a small band back in those days, they were first class.

I also had some pretty big thrills over my career.

I remember playing in the first ever Sunday game in front of the Queen in 1970. We were playing against Richmond who had just come off winning the 1969 flag and we played them at the MCG in the first Round of 1970. I got to meet the Queen at half-time which was pretty special and we went on to win the game which was even better.

The next week we played the first ever game at the Junction Oval as our home ground and then the week after that we played the first ever VFL game at Waverley Park.

Those were three big firsts I suppose, three weeks in a row.

You’ve won countless individual honours including numerous Club Best and Fairest awards as well as selection in Fitzroy’s Team of the Century. Is there any particular achievement you are most proud of?

It’s probably being given the honour of captaining the Club for a period of five years. That would be my number one.

Do you still catch up with any of your team-mates?

Not really.

We all used to catch up once a year at Past Players functions, but we haven’t had any of those lately.

Given now your son Marc now plays with Carlton, I presume you follow the Blues pretty closely…

It’s always pretty hard to barrack for the Blue-baggers, particularly after hating them for so long.

But blood’s thicker than water and I figure I probably should barrack for them considering my son’s there. He’s had a good career so far, so hopefully it continues.

I also regularly go and watch my other son Leigh play out in the Eastern Football League with Doncaster East.

What’s your opinion on the modern AFL game and how has it changed from your playing days?

It’s a great TV sport these days.

I think there were some good parts about the old days, but there were also some shocking parts of the old days. Back in those days there were some shocking games played and there are still some shocking games being played today.

But as a spectacle, I reckon AFL is as good as it’s ever been right now.

http://www.lions.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/5085/newsid/113129/default.aspx

 

[The Chiefton]

On John Murphy, do you guys think Marc is a similar player or not really?

How good was John?

Were you spewing when Marc decided not to go to the Lions under the father son rule?

Cheers guys, I have close ties with the Fitzroy Football club.

 

[Last of the Roys]

On John Murphy, do you guys think Marc is a similar player or not really?

How good was John?

Were you spewing when Marc decided not to go to the Lions under the father son rule?

Cheers guys, I have close ties with the Fitzroy Football club.

Not being around when John Murphy played, I don't really know about the comparisons. Although I always imagined him as taller than Marc.

He won five Fitzroy best and fairests and was in the team of the century, so he was definitely one of the best Fitzroy players of all time, so I think Marc has still got a fair way to go - although obviously he is a good player.

It was a huge loss for the Lions not getting Marc. The Club did a huge amount of work to get him up to Brisbane, but he decided he wanted to keep living in Melbourne close to his family. I don't think his father was ever a huge fan of the merger either.

When the Lions play Carlton and Marc gets the ball near where I am sitting I will always give him the "traitor" spray, although I am only half serious about it.

 

[OldLion]

On John Murphy, do you guys think Marc is a similar player or not really?

How good was John?

Were you spewing when Marc decided not to go to the Lions under the father son rule?

Cheers guys, I have close ties with the Fitzroy Football club.

Murph was a 'real' footballer - knew where it was going, got there, won his own ball and had courage and a few tricks. Pretty quick but also in-and-under - and handy around goal. A modern comparison - Bartel maybe.

Brisbane had both Riewolt and Murphy training with them at some stage - oh well then chose Fev !!

Good luck with the 2001 reunion, Vossy !

 

[Fat Pizza]

If Marc Murphy had played for the Lions, I think I would have barracked for them.

 

[Carn the Roys!]

If Marc Murphy had played for the Lions, I think I would have barracked for them.

It would take a lot more than Marc Murphy to make any of us barrack for Carlton though

 

[Fat Pizza]

It would take a lot more than Marc Murphy to make any of us barrack for Carlton though

Agreed.

 

[Tim the Toolman]

Oh the irony! Carlton help send Fitzroy to the wall through its draconian beverage, food and signage rights at Princes Park and then one of our favourite sons sends his very-talented son there to play.

 

[royboy2]

Leon Harris who played 189 games and kicked 99 goals for Fitzroy between 1979-89.

What are you up to these days?

I’m still working full-time in footy.

I’m one of the high performance managers of the TAC Cup, which predominantly involves looking over all the young talent in Victoria.

When the U18 National Championships Carnival comes around, I overlook the Victorian Country side.

Do you keep in touch with any of your former team-mates?

A couple of my ex-Fitzroy team-mates are currently recruiters working at other AFL clubs in Matt Rendell (Adelaide) and Scotty Clayton (Gold Coast). So they keep in regular contact with me and vice versa.

With regards to other guys, you cross paths with them every now and then, but not that frequently I must admit.

Matt Rendell and Scott Clayton are probably the ones I keep in most frequent contact with because they’re in the same industry that I’m in.

Given your association with the TAC Cup and the Victorian Country side in particular, you must have worked closely with young Lions midfielder Tom Rockliff before he was recruited to the Club? Coincidentally, Rockliff also inherited the number 38 guernsey which is the same jumper you wore in 186 games with Fitzroy.

Yes, Tom was part of the Victorian Country program and I also coached him at U16 level.

I watch very closely the progress of young Tommy and have given him a challenge to make sure he plays more games than I did. That’s a challenge I put squarely on his shoulders and he seems to be coming along quite well.

I’ve had some fun and games with him. He’s a great kid.

Because I’m kept busy with my own involvement with the TAC Cup, I don’t get to see too many AFL games. But I certainly watch Tom and the Lions from a distance with a keen interest.

What are your fondest memories from your playing days with Fitzroy?

We played Finals in 1979, 1981, 1983, 1984 and 1986, so got to experience a fair bit of on-field success. They’re probably the things that you remember fondly.

That and, of course, the mates you played with.

Which of your team-mates was the biggest ‘character’ around the Club?

In my early days when I first started, it was probably Warwick Irwin. He’s a bloke whose company I really enjoyed. He was quite humorous.

What are the biggest changes you have noticed in the modern game compared to your era?

The players are now fully professional and their fitness levels have to be far greater if they’re to make it.

These days, if you can’t run or you can’t kick then you probably can’t play at the elite level. That’s the bottom line.

You really need to be able to hit targets and get to contests if you’re going to make it.

http://www.lions.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/5085/newsid/114239/default.aspx

 

[salty parish]

Murph was a 'real' footballer - knew where it was going, got there, won his own ball and had courage and a few tricks. Pretty quick but also in-and-under - and handy around goal. A modern comparison - Bartel maybe.

Brisbane had both Riewolt and Murphy training with them at some stage - oh well then chose Fev !!

Good luck with the 2001 reunion, Vossy !

Agree totally with your description of "Murph". He was a great extractor of the ball at centre bounces, rarely got less than 30 possessions a game. A tough player, who once delivered a huge forearm to the head of Des Tuddenham at the Junction Oval-got 4 weeks for that but mostly he was a fair player in and under the packs.

 

[Last of the Roys]

There is another one - this time from Richard Osbourne:

http://www.lions.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/5085/newsid/114705/default.aspx

 

[royboy2]

Beaten to it, cheers LOTR

Richard Osborne who played 187 games and kicked 411 goals for Fitzroy between 1982-92.

What are you up to these days?

I work in real estate for CB Richard Ellis. The head office is located in Collins Street in the city, but I work in the area of project marketing so operate all over Melbourne.

We basically sell apartments off the plan to developers.

You represented the Lions in the recent Legends Game during the 2011 NAB Cup. How did it feel running out onto Etihad Stadium back in Lions colours?

It’s funny really. I ended up playing for a few different clubs, but my heart was always with Fitzroy after spending 11 years there. I guess I’d spent my entire adult life at Fitzroy up until that stage.

Just running out onto the field again with a few of the boys I used to play with and having a Lions jumper on was fantastic. It actually helped me to place a call to the Club and offer some Melbourne-based help. If I can help a current player in any way, I’d be happy to.

I really felt connected that night. It was great to just have a Lions jumper back on and run around with a few of the boys I played with.

The Legends Game also proved that you’ve still got that ability to boot bags of goals…

I hadn’t kicked a footy in anger for 13 years and I’d certainly lost more than a yard on my distance.

It’s funny, you go out there and look at the 50 metre line and think “I used to do that easily”. But now I would even contemplate trying it.

How did your body hold up after the match?

I was a little bit sore.

But I actually went over to Vietnam during the Easter break and played in the charity football game over there to try and raise funds for kids. The fundraiser was to help teach a lot of the Vietnamese kids how to swim.

I trained for five weeks to prepare for that game. I’m actually down to 82kg at the moment which is probably the lightest I’ve been since I was about 20.

I’m not in great nick with regards to playing a full game of AFL, but I still play basketball a couple nights a week so I’m still pretty healthy for a bloke whose 47 years of age and played AFL for 17 years.

What are your most treasured memories from your playing days with Fitzroy?

I still can’t get it out of my head when Micky Conlan kicked that goal in the 1986 Elimination Final against the Bombers out at Waverley.

Then the following week we beat the Swans by five points from memory. I remember watching Matty Rendell - who was off the ground at the end of the game - sprint onto the field after the siren.

The following week we went back to Waverley and played Hawthorn. Bernie Quinlan kicked a few goals early and I remember thinking “here we go again, we’re going to make the Grand Final!” We unfortunately didn't, but 1986 was still just an amazing year.

Do you still catch up with many of your former team-mates?

It’s hard because I’ve got three kids now and you find yourself moving around in different circles.

Guys are spread around a bit and busy with their own things. Roosy’s up in Sydney now with his kids and Perty is CEO at Collingwood. You really don’t see each other that much anymore.

The last serious reunion we had was the big one in Melbourne a few years ago. There were a lot of people there that I hadn’t seen in a number of years, so it was good to reconnect with your past.

The Club was a huge part of my life from age 16 to 28.

Have any of your kids followed in their Dad’s footsteps by playing AFL?

My son Mitch played three years with South Melbourne Districts. He was a good little footballer, but around the time when Australia was doing well in the soccer World Cup - not the recent one, the one before - he took up soccer and has stuck with it ever since.

He’s a good little soccer player. He’ll follow the round ball game and achieve whatever he achieves.

 

[royboy2]

Lions.com.au catches up with former utility Anthony McGregor who played 41 games and kicked 11 goals for Fitzroy between 1993-96.

What are you up to these days?

With regards to footy, I just started coaching the Reserves at the Bundoora Footy Club who play in the Northern Football League.

It’s my first year as a coach and I hadn’t previously been involved in that side of footy.

When the position came up, I just applied for it in the hope of getting back into footy.

Otherwise, I’m still butchering at a little shop in Broadway, Reservoir.

What are your fondest memories from your playing days?

I started with Fitzroy in 1993 and had the opportunity to play alongside superstars like Roosy and Lynchy which is probably still my greatest memory.

We struggled a bit on the field, as you probably know, but the playing group was always very tight. Even though we didn’t get a whole lot of success, the group was still tight.

Who were the biggest characters at the Club when you were there?

Probably Jason Baldwin and Martin Pike.

They were always entertaining and good to be around.

Do you still catch up with any of your former team-mates?

Not a great deal these days.

I went along to the Kings of the Pride reunion a couple of years back which was good. It’s always great to catch up with some of the old team-mates.

Do you have any kids currently involved in football?

I have a son who’s 12, but he doesn’t play football.

http://www.lions.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/5085/newsid/115314/default.aspx

 

[OldLion]

Ozzie's quote ....

What are your most treasured memories from your playing days with Fitzroy?

I still can’t get it out of my head when Micky Conlan kicked that goal in the 1986 Elimination Final against the Bombers out at Waverley.

.... who can ? As a great man once said " 'scuse me while I kiss the sky ". Not easily forgotten.

 

[royboy2]

Lions.com.au catches up with former Fitzroy Best & Fairest winner Darren Kappler who played 87 games and kicked 51 goals for the Club between 1987-91.

What are you up to these days?

I work for Musashi - we’re a health supplement company and actually sponsor a lot of the AFL teams with their supplement requirements.

I’m a sales rep so spend a fair bit of my time out on the road.

Fans got a chance to see you back in Lions colours in February as part of the NAB Cup Legends Game. How long had it been since you’d run out onto a footy field?

I kept on playing footy right up until I was 42, so it had only been around three years since I’d played a game. I’m 46 now.

Also I’ve been coaching along the way and doing a bit of training with the team’s I’ve coached which has kept me reasonably fit. So it was good fun to get back out there.

You spent five seasons at Fitzroy. What are your fondest memories of your time at the Club?

I really enjoyed my time at Fitzroy. We had a great bunch of young blokes who enjoyed some good times on and off the field.

On a personal note, I’ll always remember winning the 1988 Club Best & Fairest. I was only 21 years old at the time and had not long come over from Adelaide. It was definitely a highlight for me and still stands out to this day.

Do you still catch up with any of your former team-mates?

No, I don’t really see anyone.

I go to the footy occasionally when time permits. But I don’t really get time to catch up with anyone from any of my three clubs (Kappler also played for Sydney and Hawthorn).

You kind of get caught up in your own world with kids and their sporting commitments.

Footy was something that was a part of my life, but has finished now so you move on.

What have been the biggest changes you’ve noticed in the game since you played?

The game’s definitely changed.

It was more of a man-on-man style of footy back in the late 80s and early 90s when I was playing. It was definitely a lot harder to get a kick back then than it is now. But I sense that the wheel is starting to turn a little bit.

You can see that teams are starting to kick the ball longer a bit more often and they don’t seem to go backwards as much as they used to.

Do you have any kids hoping to follow their father’s footsteps?

I have a son, Sam, who’s currently playing footy for the Cheltenham Panthers. This weekend he’s representing the MSJFL in the U13s squad.

He’s not a bad little footballer, but he’s not a left-footer which annoys the hell out of me.

Hopefully he can go on to play one day, but he’s only 13 so there’s still a long way to go

http://www.lions.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/5085/newsid/115859/default.aspx

 

[Mobbs]

Cheltenham Panthers? Maybe that's cause its the junior club. The seniors were the Rosellas.

I saw Kappler repping bottled water sales at Pinewood (Mt Waverley) sometime approx the late 90s.