In a lifetime in football, Bobby Davis says his days as a recruiter were truly his favorite.
I spent a golden morning with he and wife Margaret in Geelong just before Christmas, Bob at his rollicking best, holding court as he always did.
‘Ken,’ he said, ‘For me the recruiting part of football was truly fantastic. Finding a good kid and bringing him into Geelong was as big as thrill for me as winning a game. There wasn’t the mad push for recruits quite as much. There wasn’t the same competition for them then as there is now.
‘Geelong didn’t have the most purposeful committee. They wanted the club to do well, but didn’t really appreciate how hard it was to get a team to successfully compete against the big boys from Melbourne. We won only one flag in my time, but it could easily have been two or even three. We played off virtually every year (in the ‘60s).’
Davis, who died yesterday, aged 82, only had to field a phone call about a country kid who could play and into the latest Galaxy he’d hop, flanked by club secretary Leo O’Brien or his mate from Ford, Frank Hore and away they’d go.
One of Davis’ prized signings was 18-year-old John Sharrock, a big-kicking left-footer from Tooleybuc.
‘It was a tip-off,’ Davis said. ‘We still weren’t travelling too well and this fella reckoned young John was a player so up I went to see him on his farm and there was John with his Mum and Dad practising seven and eight irons, hitting in a triangle formation over this orange grove.
‘I introduced myself and John’s Dad, Wally, said: “Do you want to see my boy play?”
‘Yes, I do.’
Down to the local park they went and Sharrock roosted three of the most perfect soaring torpedo punts you could ever see.
‘Mr. Sharrock,’ Davis said to Mr. Wally Sharrock, ‘John can play centre-half forward for Geelong at the Cricket Ground on Saturday.’
Sharrock came at the start of the following year, 1963, and played every game including the Grand Final. ‘He was a star allright,’ said Davis.
A few years earlier Davis had been way out west and was kicking with a local Horsham prospect. He looked okay. On the sidelines there was a lefty young man casually roosting his torps 60 and 70 metres and off just one and two paces.
‘Who’s the big fat kid over there?’ Bob asked the local spotter.
‘Oh him… he doesn’t try too much. He won’t train.’
Bob asked his name. ‘Wade… Doug Wade.’
By the time Wade walked home, there was Davis sitting in the lounge-room with his Mum and Dad, eating fresh pasties Doug’s Mum had just baked. ‘Mrs Wade,’ he said. ‘I can tell you… these pasties … they are the absolute BEST I’ve ever tasted.’
‘Would you like another Mr Davis.’
‘Please call me Bob and yes I will.’
Wade had also attracted the attention of Melbourne, but Davis was convinced he’d be more suited to sleepy hollow. ‘There’s no hussle and bustle in Geelong,’ he said to Wade’s Mum and Dad. ‘It’s just a big country town, just like Horsham… your boy will love it.’
Within days Doug, flanked by his father Athol were sitting in the Geelong FC office in Moorobool Street. They’d come to Geelong on the way through to Melbourne where they’d also scheduled a meeting with the Dees long-time secretary Jim Cardwell. Only then did they intend to make a choice.
Davis was at his loquacious best, saying how Doug would walk into Geelong’s side, ‘today, tomorrow and for the next 10 years’ but he’d be lucky to get a game in the reserves at Melbourne ‘because they’re so damn strong’. The Demons hadn’t missed a Grand Final in seven years. Davis reminded the Wade’s that Geelong was on the rise and Doug would be part of a brand new era, ‘… maybe even better than 1951-52 when we went back-to-back.’
Athol Wade paused. Everything Davis was saying added up. ‘Well Doug, it’s time to make up your mind,’ he said.
Young Wade stared blankly at the table.
‘What are you going to do?’
When there was again no response from his young son, Mr Wade said: ‘ Well you like Bob don’t ya?’
‘Yeah… of course I do.’
‘Well sign then!’
So he did.
After shaking hands and congratulating the Wade’s on a wise choice, Davis stopped and said: ‘I haven’t given you anything for signing… I have to give you something… whadda ya need?’
Mr. Wade said he had to go Adelaide for a convention and was about to buy a new reefer jacket. ‘Consider it done,’ said Davis, ‘I’ll get you one… wait here’.
And off he bustled around the corner straight to his mate at Myer’s, told him he had a worldbeater ready and willing to sign and how he needed a new jacket to clinch the deal. He was so convincing that the attendant gave the jacket to Bob and with a ‘happy to have helped’ ringing in his ears, out Bob rushed and within five minutes was presenting it to Mr Wade!
Wade jnr. was to amass 834 goals in 208 games over 12 seasons. ‘The Fat Boy’, as Bob still calls Wade, could play allright and the reefer jacket didn’t cost a zac!
Wade and a host of other country boys were all part of that ’63 premiership. The Lord twins were from Cobden via Port Campbell, John Brown and Roy West from Stawell, Ken Goodland from Swan Hill and captain Fred Wooller from Bacchus Marsh. Another of those most pivotal in the win was a tough kid from Colac, John Devine.
‘Johnny was tough allright,’ said Davis. ‘Someone said he was mad and had deliberately kicked a bloke and broken his leg. But he could play. That was all I wanted to hear. HE CAN PLAY… so off we went to Swan Marsh, just out of Colac. His family had a dairy farm there.
‘Their house was half a mile from the road. There was a big run in. I’m driving up there and this fella came along and said: “Who are you?”
‘I’m Bob Davis.’
‘Yeah… whadda ya do?’
‘I coach the Geelong Football Club.’
‘Yeah… whadda ya doin’ here?’
‘I’m looking for a boy called John Devine. I’m told he can play.’
‘He’s down there… milkin’ the cows … see, in the shed at the back… you can go down and see ‘im. He’ll be finished soon.’
Davis didn’t know it at the time, but it was John’s Dad, a real cocky. ‘We were to become good friends and I had more meals there than anywhere else!’ said Davis. ‘Just last Christmas I got a beautiful letter from John. I always tell him if I hadn’t discovered him this particular day, he’d still be milking the cows instead of counting his millions!’
Even covered in milk, young Devine had the look of a footballer. Up to the house they went for a cuppa and a piece of Mrs Devine’s best home-made cake.
‘His Mum and his sister were there. Both beautiful people. John told me how he didn’t think he’d be good enough. His sister immediately butted in. “If Bob says you’re good enough, you are John. Go.” They were the ones who pushed him into it!
‘He played a trial game with us a few weeks later and to be honest, he looked a tad slow. There was a pack of six or eight all huddled around the ball when swoosh, this bloke spread-eagled all of them and ran off with the ball under his arm. It was John. “I’ve found one here,” I said to myself.’
Davis said ‘coaching and recruiting was an even bigger delight than playing’ and he was one of the champions of the ‘50s, becoming known as ‘The Geelong Flyer’ after the express train from Geelong to Melbourne.
As a recruiter, only occasionally did he fail to get his man. One he missed was Barry Robran the legend from Whyalla West. Another was Ian Morgan, the goalkicking genius who went on to play 200 games with Rupanyup and a third Denis ‘Sam’ Donovan, a gun ruck-rover from the SANFL who dominated in the Ovens and Murray League at North Albury. He finished runner-up in consecutive Morris Medals and was best afield in the country championship final of 1966 against the Hampden League.
‘Robran was the big fish I really wanted,’ Davis said. ‘They called him “The Master”. I don’t think there was anyone better than Robran. He could do anything. I must have driven them mad I was at their place so often. Morgan was a beautiful player, too, but only lasted a week or so with us. “The Swede” (Paul Vinar) knocked him out at training. Don’t think his Dad was too impressed. He was the only boy and he needed him to work the property. And it was a magnificent property.’
Davis said getting the signatures he wanted became an obsession. ‘I’d only have to hear a name and that he could play and we’d be there. A young Johnny O’Neill (from Warrnambool) was fair dinkum unbelievable. He’d debuted for Warrnambool at 15 and first played at Geelong at 18. He was a real boy champion.’
* KEN PIESSE’s forthcoming new book Football Legends of the Bush (out in August) has more Bob Davis memories. Australian sports master story teller, a noted after-dinner speaker and good friend of the VCFL, Ken can be contacted at www.cricketbooks.com.au or at kenpiesse@ozemail.com.au
Last Modified on 17/05/2011 17:29