“I THINK the biggest difference is the kicking and movement of the ball. The skills of the players are fantastic in that they hit their targets the majority of the time, where we were kicking long bombs and hoping someone would get it,” Robbie Flower says when asked what the biggest difference was now compared to when he played.

Flower, the 272-game player, Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee and Melbourne Team of the Century member, discussed the changes in the game and his memories of playing, as part of this exclusive Dee TV interview series with past and current players. The humble Flower displays a charm that extracts the ‘fan boy’ in everyone who meets him.

Flower recalls his favourite early memory at the club. It’s not a highlight goal or a roar of the crowd that sticks – it’s a simple interaction with a young fan.

“I was on the bench … at Collingwood, and I went out there thinking this is fantastic – it was a reserves game,” he said.

“I did the lap around the oval, went and sat on the bench and I was sitting there in my glasses and a little Collingwood supporter says ‘can we have your autograph’ to the guy next to me.

“He signs the autograph and hands the book to me and as I was about to put pen to paper, the little girl goes ‘piss off four eyes’ and took it out of my hands!”

His favourite memories paint a picture of a man who simply relished his opportunity to pull on a Melbourne jumper. And he gave his all while doing so.

A club legend, Flower is often regarded as the club’s greatest player, who takes a balanced view when discussing his success – or lack of team success during his playing days.

“I was pretty privileged in my career to do something I loved and cherished and desired,” he said.

“I’ve got no regrets that we didn’t make a grand final, although it would have been nice.

“I wasn’t chasing dreams of grand finals – it was about what we were doing together as a group in a place you wanted to be and that was the Melbourne Football Club.”