SATURDAY night’s Hall of Fame festivities could only finish in one possible way.
Inductee Robert Harvey and newly crowned legend Ross Smith are known as much for their modest nature as they were for their work in the St Kilda midfield.
Colin Carter delivered on everyone’s expectations as a heart-warming tribute to his good friend Trevor Barker.
But the night ended with one of the most charismatic public speakers ever to be associated with the Saints – former captain Neil Roberts.
The popular clubman known affectionately as “Coconut” wowed the crowd with his jokes and anecdotes but when it came to expressing his true feelings for the Saints, the jovial Roberts simply said the club “feels like home”.
“It’s a real wind-up. It’s something to really tie your career up with. I never thought I’d be part of something like this,” Roberts told saints.com.au.
“Really I’m flattered, I’m humbled. I’m very very pleased.”
While he is hardly known to be a shy and retiring type when telling stories of St Kilda players, officials and fans, Roberts takes a humble turn when asked about himself and his own contribution to the club.
“I don’t make a big song and dance about it. I think I owe it to the club because they gave me the opportunity. They opened the door for me and it is life changing,” he said.
“It’s like my trip to Antarctica – it was life changing. I just can’t imagine not having played footy now. It’s been absolutely superb, I’ve met some wonderful people and it has opened many doors for me.”
With St Kilda’s entire playing list in attendance, Roberts took the time to offer general advice to any young player fortunate to be starting out in their AFL career.
He said it was vital that young men walking through the door at St Kilda had some appreciation of the opportunities they had at their disposal.
“Have confidence in yourself. Get a rapport with everyone you play with, get to know their habits. Get them to love you and you love them back in the purest sense. Also, work on the basics of your game and don’t forget the basics. One thing some players don’t concentrate enough on is the amount of concentration you need to mark a ball coming towards you. Too many people watch the man and not the ball,” he said.
“The other thing is, treat the game and your opponents with huge respect and look after yourself. Herb Elliott had the idea that we need pure minds in pure bodies, pitted against pure minds in pure bodies. We’ll never get there but we have to aspire to it because what we do means so much to the young.”
