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hi, newbie here!
I recently took my son to watch the scorpions vs tassie at bellerive oval here in hobart.... my son who is a passionate fan of gehrig and riewoldt asked gehrig timidly for an autograph after the game. He didnt demand his attention by screaming at him or getting in his face, he actually said excuse me mr. gehrig, can i please get my top signed? I counted 6 kids who were lining up to get an autograph from him, he signed 2 ( he didnt look, smile, speak to the young fans) and then shook his head and ran off. the kids were devastated. It wasnt just that he didnt have time for them, it was the attitude and gruffness of him. There was an article in the Hobart Mercury with a photo of a young boy with his hand out hoping for a high five from him, and as the old saying says, a picture tells a thousand words. The article basically crucified gehrig for his attitude. In hobart or tassie in general, we dont see many games or 'stars' of the game very often. Raph Clarke was only too happy to sign autographs and have a quick chat and joke with the kids, its just a shame that the more high-profile players cant have that same attitude to a few young footy starved fans! sorry for the long winded rant!! I haven't been to watch an AFL match in victoria yet and just wondering if that is the norm for him? GO SAINTS!
Sorry to hear that. It may have been due to him having a quiet day & being in the 2nds but it no excuse.
I met G-Train a couple of years ago after a game down here & he was great to talk to.
St Kilda's 2 premiership captains are Tassie born. The Doc & Roo.
yea i see your point!
he was getting heckled a fair bit by the (tassie supporters) kids in the crowd, most tassie crowds have a soft spot for the saints whether they support them or not, but they dont seem too fond of the big fella!!
im now a big fan of raph now tho, never really noticed him before! but hes got heart.... cant wait to fly over and watch the saints in action at the TD!!! madly saving the coin to do so
Launcestonsaint wrote:Sorry to hear that. It may have been due to him having a quiet day & being in the 2nds but it no excuse.
I met G-Train a couple of years ago after a game down here & he was great to talk to.
yea thats what i'd heard about him...and i tell you what - the atmosphere at bellerive vs aurora oval couldnt be more different!! i couldnt get over the heckling at bellerive oval, was getting a bit nasty and the kids were only about 10! lol
thanks guys, was only asking to see if it was worth trying next time if im lucky enough to see him play again!
Launcestonsaint wrote:Sorry to hear that. It may have been due to him having a quiet day & being in the 2nds but it no excuse.
I met G-Train a couple of years ago after a game down here & he was great to talk to.
yea thats what i'd heard about him...and i tell you what - the atmosphere at bellerive vs aurora oval couldnt be more different!! i couldnt get over the heckling at bellerive oval, was getting a bit nasty and the kids were only about 10! lol
thanks guys, was only asking to see if it was worth trying next time if im lucky enough to see him play again!
At the Aurora games a large percentage were supporting us. At Bellerive last weekend, most would've been supporting Tassie.
They should play all major footy games at Aurora. That way I could go & watch them.
A belated welcome to posting on the site.
St Kilda's 2 premiership captains are Tassie born. The Doc & Roo.
i watched him sign stuff over here with plenty of kids one year after we played the crows.....very polite, very friendly.
did photos, the kids loved him.
id be saying that the reasons people have already mentioned would be accurate.
doesnt sound like the big Fraise at all.
You have a good point. It's good PR for them to put the effort into signing autographs for young fans etc...
At least he did sign a couple. I remember when I was about 8 years old running on to the ground (when fans were allowed to) after the game and approaching Plugger to autograph my footy and I got a grunt in response. Needless to say it was the last time I tried to approach him. Too big and scary
Blokes like Barks were always happy to oblige. I guess some players are more extraverted with fans than others.
such a shame... i took a high school bus full of 85,000 bratty, snotty kids to the football and i was f**kin' pissed with the bastard for not signing the autographs the kids asked for - he should have been flattered we asked him at all given he was just dropped to the 2's, career on the line, and had an ordinary game. The last time my career was on the line, I'd had a bad day at work, and just been demoted I was delighted to come home to a pack of screaming kids asking for autographs.
these footballers owe us a performance on the field and nothing else, mate. you may be surprised to know but I guarantee you were only one in thousands looking for autographs.
When I was a kid tony Lockett signed his autograph for me and Paul Temay didn't - obviously the latter was a bit busier at the time or had had enough for the day - I was 11 years old and understood that.
Last year - and probably later this year - Big Fraze opened his resaurant on a Wednesday night to Saints supporters and brought down quite a few ther player to have dinner there. He was there for 2 hours every first Wednesday of the month and would spend 1 hour 55 mins signing stuff. We got to meet the players and the rookies - it was fantastic
Before anyone jumps and says it was just to promote his restaurant - well it does not hurt and it is the only place I know you have to book for a Wednesday night - but even just his presence would do that - he wouldn't need to bring the others in.
Some of the guests in the past have been Milney, Kosi, Banger, Goose, Fish and Chips, Raph and X.
After the practice match in the leadup to the NAB cup this year, the players were there to sign... and the most enduring image I have of that evening is Big Frase standing in the middle of a throng of eager supporters. He looked almost hunted, but stood and signed patiently.
While Roo, Dal etc. made sure they were near the race so they could escape as the time came (understandably, as anyone whose ever seen throngs of autograph seekers will agree), I thought it was a touch of clase for Frase, who was in hot demand after deciding on one more year, to be in a position to be swamped, which of course he was.
Gehrig has a great reputation for looking after his fans. If the OP were to email the club, if there's one veteran player I wouldn't be surprised to hear wnet out of his way to make amends, it's the G-Train.
"Everything comes to he who hustles while he waits"
- Henry Ford
Launcestonsaint wrote:Sorry to hear that. It may have been due to him having a quiet day & being in the 2nds but it no excuse.
I met G-Train a couple of years ago after a game down here & he was great to talk to.
yea thats what i'd heard about him...and i tell you what - the atmosphere at bellerive vs aurora oval couldnt be more different!! i couldnt get over the heckling at bellerive oval, was getting a bit nasty and the kids were only about 10! lol
thanks guys, was only asking to see if it was worth trying next time if im lucky enough to see him play again!
I have to agree about the crowds treatment of the big G....dont think it was his most enjoyable day at the footy....It was a bit embarrasing actually....was a good day overall though
i heard a different story.
i was told that he had to leave all the kids because the medal was about to be announced and he had to be there as apart of the team to congratulate the winner (probably a tazzie player). if that is true im sure there is no problem with that! was also told that a dad of one of the sons trying to get a photo gave him a bit of a spray for leaving the kids!
"Another storied win in Robert Harvey's career. They say he is the embodiment of their motto of strength through loyalty, and on the day he became just the tenth man to play 350 league games the saints reward him with a seemingly impossible victory."
saintdooley wrote:i heard a different story.
i was told that he had to leave all the kids because the medal was about to be announced and he had to be there as apart of the team to congratulate the winner (probably a tazzie player). if that is true im sure there is no problem with that! was also told that a dad of one of the sons trying to get a photo gave him a bit of a spray for leaving the kids!
apparently the players were instructed to get off the gorund as quick as possible as they had little turn around before the flight home. SO i wouldn't take much out of it. Usually Fraser has plenty of time to give.
iceman wrote:apparently the players were instructed to get off the gorund as quick as possible as they had little turn around before the flight home. SO i wouldn't take much out of it. Usually Fraser has plenty of time to give.
ive always seen big Frase as being really good with the kids always has time for them ... i remember one day at Perth Airport after another Subi Flogging the team were all a bit grumpy and i think keen to get home with the exception of big Frase and Milney who happily sat at the cafe tables eating sausage rolls (big frase destroyed 3 of them in about 4 bites !!) happily signing autographs and getting photos taken .... to the point where GT sent Daniher to collect them as they were all boarding the plane
"The team that wins in the most positions and makes the least amount of mistakes, usually wins the game." -- Allan Jeans
I remember a time at training a few years ago when Fraser stopped to sign autographs while about 5 journo's were trying to find out whether he would be coming back that week from a hand injury & he was yelled at by the then coach for not getting inside quick enough. Still signed a few more autographs before he went. Think he has more time for the kids than a lot of them do.
