Robert Pyman
{{Short description|Australian rules footballer and coach}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox AFL biography
| name = Robert Pyman
| image =
| fullname = Robert Pyman
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|10|6|df=yes}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| originalteam = Woodville-West Torrens (SANFL)
| height = 180 cm
| weight = 79 kg
| position = Utility
| statsend = 1997
| years1 = 1993–95
| club1 = North Melbourne
| games_goals1 = 16 {{0}}(8)
| years2 = 1996
| club2 = Collingwood
| games_goals2 = {{0}}5 {{0}}(1)
| years3 = 1997
| club3 = Melbourne
| games_goals3 = 19 {{0}}(8)
| games_goalstotal = 40 (17)
| careerhighlights = * Joseph Wren Memorial Trophy 1996
}}
Robert Pyman (born 6 October 1971) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne, Collingwood and Melbourne in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the 1990s.
Career
=AFL=
A Woodville-West Torrens 'best and fairest' winner in 1992, Pyman was secured by North Melbourne with the sixth pick of that year's draft, which they received after trading Paul Spargo to Brisbane – although Pyman was later personally fined $10,000 when it emerged that he had contacted some of the league's struggling clubs and warned them that he would stay in South Australia if one of those clubs drafted him, which contravened the AFL's draft tampering rules.{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|publication-place=Melbourne, VIC|author=Stephen Linnell|page=42|date=11 May 1993|title=$10,000 fines for draft pair}} He nevertheless remained eligible to play for North Melbourne, and took part in the 1993 AFL finals series. However, he managed only five senior appearances over the following two seasons and instead spent the majority of his time in the reserves.
In 1996 he crossed to Collingwood but again struggled to play senior football, despite winning the Joseph Wren Memorial Trophy as the best and fairest of the reserves. Pyman's final port of call was Melbourne and for the first time in his career he was a regular in the AFL, playing 19 of a possible 22 games. He received the only Brownlow votes of his career in the same season when he was adjudged 'best on ground' in a loss to Sydney at the SCG, for getting 18 kicks and eight handballs.
=SANFL=
Pyman resumed at Woodville-West Torrens in 1998 and topped their goal-kicking with 33 goals. He then turned to coaching and was an assistant to Dean Laidley at North Melbourne before becoming South Adelaide's coach in 2004. Pyman steered the SANFL club to fourth position in his third year but after a string of poor performances was sacked and replaced by former Geelong player Gary Cameron late in the 2007 season. He has since lodged a civil claim against South Adelaide for unfair dismissal.
References
{{Reflist}}
- {{AFL Tables | R/Robert_Pyman }}
- Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
{{1992 AFL national draft}}
{{1997 AFL pre-season draft}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pyman, Robert}}
Category:North Melbourne Football Club players
Category:Collingwood Football Club players
Category:Melbourne Football Club players
Category:Woodville-West Torrens Football Club players