Australian Football

Stints in state league competitions book-ended Ben Robbins’ highly meritorious AFL career. Originally from Victoria he was drafted by West Coast and travelled west to join the club in 1995. However, he proved unable to break into the strong Eagles line-up, and spent the entire season playing 16 WAFL games and kicking half a dozen goals for Perth.

Robbins had to traverse the whole country in 1996 after being traded to Brisbane. He made his long-awaited AFL debut that year, en route to 52 games and 14 goals with the club over six seasons. An on-baller, he always did what was asked of him when selected, but the presence at Brisbane of some of the best midfielders in the game such as Michael Voss and Nigel Lappin inevitably limited his chances.

After being de-listed in 2001 Robbins nominated for that year’s National Draft and was taken at pick 54 by the Kangaroos, where he rounded off his AFL career with 40 games and seven goals in 2002-3. He remained on the Kangaroos’ list in 2004 but did not play in their senior team, instead spending the whole season with their then affiliate, Port Melbourne.

Author - John Devaney