Legs Of Legend Rose Still Impress

The Age

Saturday August 12, 2006

By RENEE SWITZER

"I ALWAYS said he had the best legs in the league," said an emotional Elsie Rose yesterday as the cloth fell from the bronze statue of her late husband, Collingwood legend Bob Rose.

"I told the sculptor he captured his wonderful strong legs," she laughed. "It's just a marvellous tribute by the club to him and we're deeply grateful. It's quite overwhelming really."

Rose's son, Peter, said his father would have been humbled by the statue that stands at the entrance to the home of the Collingwood Football Club.

"And he'd be absolutely tickled pink to be just a torpedo punt away from the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the statues of so many of his own sporting idols, such as Sir Donald Bradman and Keith Miller," Peter Rose said.

Magpie great Lou Richards said of Rose: "He was a great mate of mine, I was his captain for five years and he never played any bad games, he used to try all the time - tough, too, and fair."

Bob Rose played 152 games for Collingwood, was a member of its 1953 premiership side, coached the club and was also named in the Magpies team of the century.

He played in three grand finals, retired in 1955 and was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in 1996.

Rose died in 2003 after a short struggle with cancer. He was 74.

© 2006 The Age

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