| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth | 25 September 1947 , Whyalla, South Australia |
| Recruited from | North Whyalla, Spencer Gulf Football League |
| Playing career¹ | |
| Debut | 15 April 1967, North Adelaide (SANFL) v. Sturt, at Unley |
| Team(s) |
North Adelaide (1967–1976; 1978–1980) 201 games, 196 goals |
| Coaching career¹ | |
| Team(s) |
North Adelaide (1978–1980) |
| ¹ Statistics to end of 2005 season | |
| Career highlights | |
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Barrie Charles Robran MBE is a former Australian rules footballer in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), widely acknowledged as a champion in his sport.
Barrie Robran is generally considered to be the greatest player ever to be produced by the North Adelaide Football Club.[1] His career spanned 14 seasons and he won South Australian football's highest individual honour, the Magarey Medal, on three occasions – 1968, 1970 and 1973.
Coming down from Whyalla in 1966 to play juniors, he began his League career in 1967 and was runner-up in both the Magarey Medal and North's best and fairest, as well as representing the State. Robran was instrumental in North Adelaide's premiership sides in 1971 and 1972, as well as their Australian Championship win over VFL premier, Carlton in 1972. From 1968 to 1973, he was best and fairest at North, but making the move to the VFL never interested him; a quiet country boy, he never aspired to a life in Melbourne.
A serious knee injury sustained in an incident with Leigh Matthews in an interstate match in 1974 severely curtailed his career, although he struggled on through injury until retiring in 1980. It is a measure of his innate skill that even in his final season, playing with restriction, he polled four Magarey Medal votes in the three games he played. He played 201 games for the Roosters and made 17 State appearances. Robran was coach of North Adelaide for three years, but enjoyed little success.
Robran was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996, and upgraded to Legend status in 2001. He was the first South Australian to be granted Legend status, and his citation noted he was "Regarded as the best player never to play AFL."[1]
In 1981 he received the honour of Member of the Order of the British Empire for his services to football.
Robran is depicted taking a high mark in Jamie Cooper's painting the Game That Made Australia, commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport[2]
He is the father of former AFL footballer Matthew and former Adelaide Crows squad member Jonathon Robran.
Robran also had a very brief cricket career, in the 1971/72 season playing one List A and two first-class games for South Australia.
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