Where are they now - Robbie West

[Hondo]

The thread about interstate players coming to your club reminded me about Robbie West who came from WA and played for the Magpies. Does anyone know his health status or how he is doing now after that terrible bashing incident at Victor Harbor in the early 90s?

[Magpiespower]

ROBBIE WEST

Career: 1995-1997.
Games: 32.
Goals: 38.

Premiership player 1995, Advertiser team of the year 1995, PAFC Best and Fairest 1995, Magarey Medal Runner-Up 1995 (by one vote!)

His one real SANFL season (1995) was dynamite.

He went back home to WA with his wife at the end of '97.

IIRC, the injuries he sustained in the bashing will impair him for the rest of his life.

Somehow, he made it back on the ground - played another seven games in 1997. Of course, he wasn't the same player.

Unfortunate, because he was a shoe-in for the Power's inaugural squad...

[Pseudo]

... Does anyone know his health status or how he is doing now after that terrible bashing incident at Victor Harbor in the early 90s?

IIRC, the injuries he sustained in the bashing will impair him for the rest of his life.

Bashing? IIRC the twit had one too many at the Crown and thought he could go toe-to-toe with a local. Followed the bloke out of the pub and tried it on. Got felled with one punch and hit his head on the kerb.

Remember him not as a victim of a bashing, but rather as a victim of his own booze-enhanced bravado.

[am Bays]

Hence why no charges were laid.....

[Adelaide Hawk]

Bashing? IIRC the twit had one too many at the Crown and thought he could go toe-to-toe with a local. Followed the bloke out of the pub and tried it on. Got felled with one punch and hit his head on the kerb.

Remember him not as a victim of a bashing, but rather as a victim of his own booze-enhanced bravado.

Sounds like he would have fitted into AFL very smoothly .. especially with the West Coast Eagles.

[XXXXRooster]

He did play for the WC Eagles briefly

[Adelaide Hawk]

He did play for the WC Eagles briefly

Ahhh!! That would explain it

[Magpiespower]

Never knew Glenelg supporters were revisionist historians as well.

FWIW, the fellow who touched up West, Darren Ellis, was charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent as well as assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault.

He was acquitted in the District Court after the jury found he acted in self-defence against a drunken and aggressive West, who admittedly threw the first couple of punches.

And copped a few more for his troubles...

[am Bays]

Ahhh, once again I'm proved wrong I think my post should be deleted.

I had honestly forgotten about the charges being laid, I knew they were investigated and referred to the DPP for consideration of laying charges, but they weren't actually laid, on the basis that West was the original aggressor as the court found.

Apologies to all

[Hondo]

Gotta say I didn't expect my enquiry after Robbie West's health to generate such unsympathetic responses! Geez, if every guy would who got in to an alcohol-induced argey-bargey at a pub deserved to have permanent injuries we'd need 1,000 Julia Farr Centres. I almost deleted my account on this site ..... the last 2 posts have restored my faith.
I don't condone drunken, aggressive behaviour mind you ... I just don't think we should let that get in the way of feeling sorry for him and his family 10 years on from that night of stupidity.

[Pseudo]

Never knew Glenelg supporters were revisionist historians as well.

Well I've looked up the news articles regarding the trial and have indeed found that my original post was in error.

West was felled by several punches, not a single punch.

I apologise wholeheartedly for this major oversight.

[Pseudo]

An excerpt from the abovementioned article, just for the record:

Ellis had told the court in his evidence that West, who had been in
Victor Harbor at a Port Adelaide training camp, had been among a bunch
of players who had confronted Ellis and his friends, players with the
Encounter Bay Eagles, in the Crown Hotel on March 3 last year.

The Port players had begun "giving them lip'' about playing country
football and during the conversation, one of the men asked Ellis if he
knew who West was, telling him West had been an AFL player and that
Ellis should show him some respect.

After Ellis and two of his friends had left the hotel, West approached
him and tried to continue the argument, telling Ellis he was
"nothing'' and that he should show West some respect.


Ellis walked away from West, but when he turned back, West was right
behind him and began swinging punches, one of which hit Ellis on the
nose.

Ellis hit back, hitting West four or five times until West fell to the
ground, and then turned and walked away again.

West came at him again, and Ellis hit him again and then once more
after West had hit the ground before leaving the scene.

It was these punches that the jury found to have been in self-defence,
with Ellis having told them he just wanted to stop West from attacking
him again.

Through the acquittal, Ellis was also cleared of allegations he had
smacked West's head into the pavement after West hit the ground for
the final time.

[Macca19]

In 95 he was a wonderful player. Not sure how he would have gone long term in the AFL...maybe a bit short, but he had a fantastic season. One of the better individual seasons ive seen from a Magpies player. Quick, big kick, skillful. A good hard running outside midfielder who could win his own ball as well.

Pity he lost his career because of one night of stupidity.

[Adelaide Hawk]

In 95 he was a wonderful player. Not sure how he would have gone long term in the AFL...maybe a bit short, but he had a fantastic season. One of the better individual seasons ive seen from a Magpies player. Quick, big kick, skillful. A good hard running outside midfielder who could win his own ball as well.

Pity he lost his career because of one night of stupidity.

And here it is, 12 years later, and idiot footballers still haven't learnt anything.

[westozfalcon]

Robbie West came back to West Perth in the WAFL a couple of years after that horrible incident in a hope to rekindle his career. I saw him play a couple of Reserves games but sadly he had to concede that he no longer had the capacity to play footy at the required intensity and chose to retire.

He was drafted by the West Coast Eagles prior to the 1991 season and only played one game with the Eagles in '91 I think. But he made an immediate impact at local league level with West Perth.

He won the Sandover Medal in 1992 and can lay claim to being amongst the elite in WAFL footy!

He is a terrific footballer in my book!

[spell_check]

I was reading an article after the 1997 GF about McIntosh being presented a premiership medal and the article said that he wasn't the first. Apparently West was given a premiership medal in 1996? Is this correct, because I haven't heard about it before?

[Wedgie]

Apparently West was given a premiership medal in 1996?

That's one more than they got in 1991!

[Santos L Helper]

Never knew Glenelg supporters were revisionist historians as well.

Well I've looked up the news articles regarding the trial and have indeed found that my original post was in error.

West was felled by several punches, not a single punch.

I apologise wholeheartedly for this major oversight.

I'm wondering how you feel about Hookesy? I bet you don't think he deserved his fate due to drunken arrogance and stupidity, do you?