Rod Owen Story

[loris]

Just listening to The Couldabeen Champions on the wireless (ABC) and a bloke rings in with a story about Rod Owen.

It seems Rod was sitting in a bar at a Port Melbourne hotel having a few quiet ales. A couple of fellows recognised him and invited him down to play footy with their team.............think it was something like Port Rovers, don't know what level they are.

Rod pulled on the boots and played a game and kicked 5 goals 4 behinds!

So Rod still knows how to slot them through. This fellow said Rod would be aged about 50 now. If so, a sterling effort eh?

[remboy]

He was 16 in 1983, so that would make him about 47 now. I'll never forget him kicking 5 goals in the first quarter against North at Moorabbin. Super talented. Shame injuries couldn't allow him to show his full abilities.

[loris]

He was 16 in 1983, so that would make him about 47 now. I'll never forget him kicking 5 goals in the first quarter against North at Moorabbin. Super talented. Shame injuries couldn't allow him to show his full abilities.

The Coodabeens were saying that Tony Lockett said Rod Owen was the best person kicking for goal he had seen. That high praise coming from Plugger, who had a few skills in that area.

[remboy]

He was 16 in 1983, so that would make him about 47 now. I'll never forget him kicking 5 goals in the first quarter against North at Moorabbin. Super talented. Shame injuries couldn't allow him to show his full abilities.

The Coodabeens were saying that Tony Lockett said Rod Owen was the best person kicking for goal he had seen. That high praise coming from Plugger, who had a few skills in that area.

Plugger is still the best kick for goal I've seen. When he was on he didn't miss. If Owen was better he must have been amazing. Unfortunately didn't get to see as much of him.

[saint6709]

I used to play footy with him as a kid - if not for some poor turns of fate he would've been one the leagues absolute greats

[saintbrat]

just yesterday I watched a game from 1987 and Rob kicked as many as Plugger as we defeated North/

[Wayne42]

I used to play footy with him as a kid - if not for some poor turns of fate he would've been one the leagues absolute greats

Alas, the real story is somewhat different, too bad really.

[saintsRrising]

I used to play footy with him as a kid - if not for some poor turns of fate he would've been one the leagues absolute greats

Alas, the real story is somewhat different, too bad really.

Yes having one's dad die when about to launch a football career would not be a "poor turn of fate" would it?

[PJ]

Rod was a very talented player that struggled with issues. Could have been anything.

[Dave McNamara]

These things are always subjective and of course can now never be proven one way or the other.

Tragically a knee did Rod's career in very prematurely.

So how good would he have been otherwise...? IMHO... Saint's Team of the Century good.


Easily!




( Bill Stephenson, Graham Gellie and John McIntosh are in the same boat... knees curtailed superstars before they really got going. )

[Verdun66]

He was such a good player. Remember him playing a blinder at Moorabbin against the WCE in about their first year. Very wet and muddy, but he ran around beautifully and kicked 4 or 5 if I'm not mistaken. Think I have the tape of that game somewhere.

Don't really know the details of what happened to him later on, but he was certainly an unfulfilled talent.

[Bernard Shakey]

These things are always subjective and of course can now never be proven one way or the other.

Tragically a knee did Rod's career in very prematurely.

So how good would he have been otherwise...? IMHO... Saint's Team of the Century good.


Easily!




( Bill Stephenson, Graham Gellie and John McIntosh are in the same boat... knees curtailed superstars before they really got going. )

Surely you jest, naming Graham Gellie in the same sentence as Bill Stephenson and John McIntosh?

[Wayne42]

I used to play footy with him as a kid - if not for some poor turns of fate he would've been one the leagues absolute greats

Alas, the real story is somewhat different, too bad really.

Yes having one's dad die when about to launch a football career would not be a "poor turn of fate" would it?

Don't blame me for a wasted career, sounds like an excuse...

[Dave McNamara]

Surely you jest, naming Graham Gellie in the same sentence as Bill Stephenson and John McIntosh?

Hi Bernard, no, not jesting at all.

As I've posted several times before, along with George Young, I'd have all three of the above in our Team of the Century.

Before doing his knee Gellie was fantastic. He'd get his 30+ possessions (when possessions actually meant something), but he was way ahead of his time... if he got a possession, you just knew that the next possession would also be to a Saint's player.

[stinger]

These things are always subjective and of course can now never be proven one way or the other.

Tragically a knee did Rod's career in very prematurely.

So how good would he have been otherwise...? IMHO... Saint's Team of the Century good.


Easily!




( Bill Stephenson, Graham Gellie and John McIntosh are in the same boat... knees curtailed superstars before they really got going. )

lot more than that..... barry pascoe, jimmy gyatt and brian gleeson are just three more...

[samuraisaint]

Just listening to The Couldabeen Champions on the wireless (ABC) and a bloke rings in with a story about Rod Owen.

It seems Rod was sitting in a bar at a Port Melbourne hotel having a few quiet ales. A couple of fellows recognised him and invited him down to play footy with their team.............think it was something like Port Rovers, don't know what level they are.

Rod pulled on the boots and played a game and kicked 5 goals 4 behinds!

So Rod still knows how to slot them through. This fellow said Rod would be aged about 50 now. If so, a sterling effort eh?

It was Port Colts.

Had a roller coaster ride has Rocket. His missus won tatts about ten years ago too.
A great guy. Met him one night at the Espy after Trevor Barker died and had a beer with him and he told me that he was back playing for Cheltenham. I checked the results the following Monday in the paper and he'd kicked some enormous bag of goals. My favourite all time St.Kilda player, although I have to admit Lockett is the best player I have ever seen, with Winmar a close second.

[tony74]

He certainly knew how to have one hell of a bender.

[oh when the]

I was in the Sinners Group in the 80's - we sponsored Rod, he always came into our room,freely talked to everyone.

[damienc]

Rocket Rodney Owen. Aaah the memories. Thank you so much for posting. The Rocket was magnificent.

[saint6709]

I used to play footy with him as a kid - if not for some poor turns of fate he would've been one the leagues absolute greats

Alas, the real story is somewhat different, too bad really.

Yes having one's dad die when about to launch a football career would not be a "poor turn of fate" would it?

That was certainly the main problem IMO - most of the other ones could have been avoided had that not happened

[Gurgman]

When did Rod do his knee , Just wondering as I got told be an ex mate that Plugger used to live with that he actually did his knee at Greg Burns place while driving a trotter in one of their crazy weekends ,

[Johnny Favier]

I remember Rod kicking 7 against Carlton at Princes Park back in '87...almost won the game for us off his own boot, except the dodgy timekeeper there seemed to think quarters of footy went for 37+ minutes - blew the siren immediately after Carlton goaled and we lost by a point.

He was unstoppable that day and as tough as nails, and it's a damn shame he didn't reach his full potential.

[Sainternist]

I remember Rod kicking 7 against Carlton at Princes Park back in '87...almost won the game for us off his own boot, except the dodgy timekeeper there seemed to think quarters of footy went for 37+ minutes - blew the siren immediately after Carlton goaled and we lost by a point.

He was unstoppable that day and as tough as nails, and it's a damn shame he didn't reach his full potential.

Yes, that is my favourite Rocket Owen memory. A heartbreaking loss that day. We lost another by only 1 point at The House of Pain in 1989. The time keep once again took his sweet time blowing the siren. It great finally getting some revenge over the Scumbaggers. The last time he played them there we annihilated them by around 100 points.

[eel33]

My memories of Rod go back a little further than most. First came across him playing in an interschool (primary) prelim final - Cheltenham vs Bowie. We (Chelt.) were a couple of goals up for most of the final quarter, and the Bowie coach spent the entire time screaming at his players to "kick it to Rod!" A year or so later he turned up at MGS, and was always a star player throughout high school. Still remember walking past between periods as he was cleaning out his locker because the Saints wanted him to play, but the school were refusing and were going to force him to play for them. He never came back to school. Can't help but think that both parties could have managed things better. In the end, injury cruelled his career, but maybe some things could have been different with some better support and measured guidance. He was extraordinarily talented on the football field.

[perfectionist]

...Surely you jest, naming Graham Gellie in the same sentence as Bill Stephenson and John McIntosh?

John McIntosh was a class of his own, but Graeme Gellie wasn't too far behind. In fact, I would rate him around the level of Joel Selwood. Graeme was the full package - quick, tougher than nails, skilled on both sides, especially with handball and he could take a contested mark with an excellent leap. He won the B&F in his first year in 1978 - his first year! - and there were some good players in that side. Alas, as we all know, he did his knee pre season 1979, and although there were a couple of attempted comebacks, he could no longer run. The last game he played in 1978 was against Carlton in Round 22. They were third and we were 6th (there was a final 5 then). Whilst it was still possible that we could make the finals, we needed Fitzroy to beat Geelong at Cat Park, something they was rare. However, we smashed Carlton, in probably our best win for the year, and Graeme Gellie was BOG. Not only did he have 17 kicks but he had 14 handpasses, just to illustrate the point I made above.