Australian Football

Recruited by Melbourne from University Blacks, Brian Roet carved out a noteworthy, if somewhat fleeting, VFL career for himself. For the first two seasons of that career he played as an amateur to comply with the wishes of his parents. Mostly used at centre half back, that was the position he occupied in the 1964 grand final defeat of Collingwood. His main strengths were his relentlessness and his stamina, with Demons coach Norm Smith once stating that he could not remember ever having to shift him because his opponent was outplaying him.

Roet played 88 VFL games and scored one goal for Melbourne from 1961 to 1965 and in 1968. In 1966-7 he was travelling abroad continuing the medical studies which earned him the predictable nickname of ‘Doc’.

Author - John Devaney