Lions.com.au’s Carl Nimb caught up with former Fitzroy big man Russell Crow, who played 158 games in two separate stints with the Club – from 1960-64 and 1968-73.

Hailing from the busy country Victorian town of Warracknabeal, what events led to you joining Fitzroy in 1960?

The coach of Warracknabeal at the time was a ‘Titch’ Edwards, who was an ex-player at Fitzroy. I must have showed him I had some potential and he was keen for me to go down and try out, but I wasn’t keen at all. I was more than happy in Warracknabeal playing in the local League.

I was out fencing one day on the farm when this car pulled up in front of my house. I wondered who it was and what they wanted. Turns out it was the President of Fitzroy and he wanted me to come down for a few games, so it sort of kicked off from there.

I ended up playing a couple of practice games and then got a bit more interested from that.

During your time at Fitzroy there was a break in your career from 1965-1967. Was that so that you could return to the family farm?

Yeah, that’s correct. My brother got hurt in a car accident, so I headed back to the farm to help out and I took over the shearing at that time.

I actually coached Warracknabeal during that time. I was the playing Captain-Coach for them at that time. We were Runners-Up in 1965, Premiers in 1966 and then made the finals again in 1967.

Fitzroy were going through a lean spell while I was away and they hardly won a game at that time. They made me an offer to go back and play for them and as there was a drought on at home, I decided to head back to Fitzroy.

In your time playing you were mainly used as a ruckman and were listed as being 191cm tall. Do you find it interesting that current day coaches want midfielders that are around your same height?

Yeah, I realise that. In my day I had a good leap and took off a bit early and managed to get my knees into the opposition ruckman and got away with it.

There were big guys like Graeme Fellowes (Collingwood) and Geoff Leek (Essendon) playing who were almost seven foot tall, and that was my way of beating them. But I also liked playing centre half-forward and centre half-back.

Would you have preferred to play either centre half-forward or centre half-back as opposed to the ruck? Or was it a case that you were the best option for Fitzroy in the ruck at that time?

I didn’t mind playing in the ruck, but if the club need some strength in those other spots I found myself there. I even played full forward at times. I didn’t worry me really as long as I got a game every week.

You also played State of Origin for Victoria on multiple occasions. What was that experience like, and do you see it ever returning to modern day football?

I think it probably will, you know. It was an honour for the better players to get picked and something that they looked back on with pride when their careers finished.

I can see it coming back. I don’t think it ever should have gone out of the game myself.

During your time, you had the privilege of playing with some terrific players. Who stands out at the best that you played with?

Kevin Murray was certainly one of the best. Then there were others like Garry Wilson, John Murphy, Alan ‘Butch’ Gale, and Kevin Wright who were all good players.

I saw a lot of players come and go, and even now I think those players would hold their own in the League.

From an opposition point of view who was the toughest opponent that you faced?

To me they all seemed tough every week and you knew that you would be facing someone tough whenever you played.

It was pretty tough to get a game of football in Victoria at that time so I wouldn’t put one above the rest, they were all much of a muchness and you knew it was going to be a tough afternoon.

The suburban grounds provided a real home ground advantage back in the day. Were there any grounds that you particularly didn’t like playing at?

Collingwood (Victoria Park). You used to cop a bit from the boundary line.

Richmond (Punt Road) were always hard, but I loved playing against them because I liked the game tough.

Geelong (Kardinia Park) because of the travelling involved, and North Melbourne (Arden Street) because sometimes you got a shower and most other times you didn’t!

I don’t think the home ground advantage is as big as they make it out to be these days, although anyone who travels might have some small disadvantage.

But when you get out on the ground, you know what you need to do and what is going to happen.

It has been noted that you had a terse relationship with the umpires and you have previously been quoted as saying that they never paid you a free kick. How did reputation come about?

It was probably when I was at the pub one night and I mentioned to someone that I might have gotten a rough deal. After that, they were against me.

I don’t think that they paid me another free kick, but I seemed to give a heap away all the time! I thought after that it was probably best not to speak about the umpires because they are the boss. I still think it is probably best not to say anything at all.

Do you think that with all the rule changes, the game is becoming harder to officiate for the umpires?

With more changes, it is going to take longer for the umpires to adapt. So we need to get the best umpires we have because goals kicked from free kicks can win or lose you games these days, and the AFL needs to realise that.

This year it seems that there is a lot that they are paying and there are plenty of obvious ones that they are not paying. There are a lot of rubbish free kicks in my opinion.

There is too much inconsistency between umpires. You see some boundary umpires get a really good throw and others don’t even make it halfway. And in the centre square, the height the ball is balled up is completely different. They need to get it right with the money in the game today.

When you wrapped up your time at Fitzroy in 1973 did you head straight back home or did you go elsewhere and continue to play footy?

I went to Millicent in South Australia in the Western Border League, where I spent three years as a playing-coach.

After that, I headed to a little place call Kalangadoo, and after there I bought a hotel in a town called Watchem and I coached Birchip/Watchem for a year in the North Central League in Victoria.

I also coached the Over 35’s Super Rules for a period of time. When we played South Australia, we had Ron Barrassi and Brian Dixon amongst other elite players. We went up to Darwin one year and played against the League teams from up there – Ian Mitchell coached them.

After that, I sold the hotel in Watchem and then went shearing up near Broken Hill, and that was when I finished my footy.

Even with all the moving around and playing for smaller towns, were you always keeping an eye on Fitzroy and how they were doing?

Yes, all the time when I could. When I was shearing in the Northern Territory, if we had a radio available and the game was being called we would put it on.

Even now when they are on the TV, I watch the Brisbane Lions whenever I can, so I still follow them pretty closely. I am a Life Member of the Club. so I keep a close eye on them.

Obviously Fitzroy’s legacy has lived on with the merged Brisbane Lions since 1997. What were your initial thoughts of the merger between Fitzroy and the Bears?

I think it was the best thing they ever did.

I think that Fitzroy was short of money and the League didn’t seem to want to sponsor them or help them out in any way. I think it was the only way they could have gone, otherwise we wouldn’t even hear about Fitzroy now.

And the Brisbane Lions look after (Fitzroy’s history), don’t you worry about that. They do a good job on that.

One final one – if you were the CEO of the AFL for one day, which rule would you change immediately?

You know, at the end of the game when a team is 10 points or so up I would prevent people from kicking backwards by not paying a mark and just making it play on at that stage.

The umpire should just call play on every time a kick goes backwards to prevent teams from milking time off the clock. It doesn’t make for a good spectacle and people turn off the TV when it happens. I think it would be a good rule change.