Born circa 1855 - died December 8, 1933
At Carlton
matches (unknown), goals (unknown) 1872-1881
Captain: 1880-’81
Vice-Captain: 1878-’79
Premiership player 1871 (South Yarra Presentation Challenge Cup), 1873, ’74 & ’75, and 1877 (VFA)
Vice-President 1885-’95
A brother of Colonel Robert Robertson and Val Robertson who also played for Carlton, George Robertson was considered as one of the pillars of football, cricket, and baseball in Victoria. At Carlton, he was a revered figure in the days of Coulthard and Donovan.
Considered a “follower par excellence”, Robertson, affectionately nicknamed “The Steamroller”, represented Carlton in a period which took in the days of the Challenge Cup and VFA competitions and netted the old dark Navy Blues four Premierships. A vice-captain of the club in 1878 and ’79, he captained Carlton for two seasons from 1880, the year Ned Kelly was hanged, and he was also a member of the Carlton team which took the game to Sydney in exhibition matches involving the Waratahs.
The Argus correspondent, in reporting the 50-year history of the game in August 1908, described Robertson as “a player blessed with all the magnificent physical development, remarkable activity for a burly man, and limitless staying power".
By all accounts, Robertson was also blessed with a glorious sense of humour. It was once reported that during the course of a hotly-contested game, when two or three men were spreadeagled on the ground, he exclaimed in tragic tones, “Remove the dead and let the play proceed” – which prompted players and spectators alike to convulse with laughter.
Regarded as “one of the pillars of football, cricket and baseball in Victoria”, Robertson maintained an active interest in Carlton beyond his playing days.
Tragically, less than three weeks before Christmas, on December 8, 1933, Robertson was severely burnt in a fire which broke out at his Parkville boarding house. He subsequently lost his fight for life after a brave battle at Epworth Hospital.
On Robertson’s sad passing, the great Jack Worrall spoke glowingly of the old Carlton stalwart of 50 years before.
Said Worrall: “If ever there was an iron man it was the old Carlton athlete, and one often wondered whether he would meet his end by natural means. Never in my time has there been such a character, and among the older generation of players his like will never be seen again”.
