Neville Roberts
{{Short description|Australian rules footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox AFL biography
| name = Neville Roberts
| image =
| fullname = Neville P. Roberts
| nickname = Rocky
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|3|6|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height = 180 cm
| weight = 79 kg
| position = Half-forward
| statsend = 1987
| years1 = 1973–74, 1978–81
| club1 = West Torrens
| games_goals1 = {{0}}98 (198)
| years2 = 1975–1977
| club2 = {{AFL Ric}}
| games_goals2 = {{0}}48 {{0}}(81)
| years3 = 1982–1987
| club3 = {{SANFL Nor}}
| games_goals3 = 108 (413)
| games_goalstotal = 254 (692)
| sooyears1 = 1976
| sooteam1 = Victoria
| soogames_goals1 = 1 (6)
| sooyears2 = ????−????
| sooteam2 = South Australia
| soogames_goals2 = 5 (?)
| soogames_goalstotal =
| coachyears1 = 2000–2001
| coachclub1 = {{SANFL Nor}}
| coachgames_wins1 = 43 (22–21–0)
| careerhighlights = * 2× SANFL Premiership player: (1982, 1984)
- West Torrens captain: (1980–1981)
- Norwood captain: (1985–1986)
- 4× Norwood leading goalkicker: (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985)
- Norwood Team of the Century
- Norwood Hall of Fame, inducted 2006
- South Australian Football Hall of Fame, inducted 2006
}}
Neville P. Roberts (born 6 March 1955) is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and Victorian Football League (VFL). He played with West Torrens, Richmond and Norwood. His interstate career consisted of games for both South Australia (five games) and Victoria (one game). He was South Australian state captain in 1984 and 1985.{{cite web|url=http://australianfootball.com/players/player/neville+roberts/10909| title=Neville Roberts| publisher=Australian Football}}
West Torrens (1973–1974)
Roberts, a half-forward, played two seasons in his first stint at West Torrens, in 1973 and 1974.{{cite book|last1=Holmesby|first1=Russell|last2=Main|first2=Jim|title=The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers| publisher=BAS Publishing|year=2007|isbn=9781920910785}}
Richmond (1975–1977)
He was signed by Richmond in March 1975, for a fee of $40,000 and made 17 appearances for the VFL club in his debut season, which included three finals.{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|url=http://www.news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZFoQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OpIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1927,2897202|title=$40,000 Tiger cub|date=13 March 1975|page=16}} He won the season's Murie Cup as the leading combined votegetter in the seniors Brownlow Medal and reserves Gardiner Medal among players who polled in both.{{citation|url=https://viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE8566332&file=FL17717715&mode=browse|page=9|journal=Football Record|volume=64|issue=32|title=Murie Cup to Tiger Neville Roberts}}
In 1976, Roberts only managed 13 games due to injury but still managed to kick 20 goals. He also booted six majors for Victoria against Western Australia at Subiaco Oval.{{cite web|first=Tony|last=Greenberg|title=The skinny on Neville Roberts' Richmond career|url=https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/910660/the-skinny-on-neville-roberts-richmond-career|date=14 April 2021|publisher=Richmond Football Club}} He appeared in a further 18 fixtures in 1977, from which he kicked 31 goals, his highest goal tally at Richmond.
West Torrens (1978–1981)
Norwood (1982–1987)
Roberts made his way to Norwood in 1982, and moving to full forward he would prove to be a prolific goal-kicker. He topped the Redlegs goal-kicking every year from 1982 to 1985. His 111 goals in 1983 was the first time a Norwood player had kicked over 100 goals in a league season and remains a club record, though as Sturt champion Rick Davies kicked a league record 151 goals in the same year Roberts didn't win the Ken Farmer Medal. Roberts was a member of Norwood's 1982 and 1984 premiership teams, contributing six goals in the 1984 Grand Final. He captained Norwood in 1985 and 1986.{{cite web|url=http://www.norwoodfc.com.au/HISTORY/HONOUR_ROLL.aspx| title=History - Honour Roll| publisher=Norwood Football Club}}
Coaching
In 2000, Roberts was appointed senior coach of Norwood, a job he held for two seasons, in which they finished fourth and fifth respectively.
Honours
He is a forward pocket in Norwood's official Team of the Century and in 2006 was inducted into the South Australian Football Hall of Fame.{{cite web|url=http://www.sanfl.com.au/hall_of_fame/neville_roberts/| title=SA Football Hall of Fame - Neville Roberts| publisher=SANFL}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{AFL Tables}}
- {{AustralianFootball}}
{{1982 Norwood premiership players}}
{{1984 Norwood premiership players}}
{{Norwood Team of The Century}}
{{West Torrens Football Club captains}}
{{Norwood Football Club coaches}}
{{1984 South Australia State of Origin players}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Neville}}
Category:Australian rules footballers from South Australia
Category:West Torrens Football Club players
Category:Richmond Football Club players
Category:Norwood Football Club players
Category:Norwood Football Club coaches