Canterbury Bulldogs legend Geoff Robinson, renowned for his fierce competitiveness and memorable on-field moments, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 66 after a long battle with cancer.
Robinson, a formidable presence in the Bulldogs’ pack during the 1980s, is best remembered for a spectacular ‘moment of madness’ against the team’s arch-enemies, the Parramatta Eels. The Eels employed a renowned move known as ‘The Wall,’ where four players would line up side by side, backs to the defense, to hide the ball and confuse the opposition. Robinson, refusing to be outwitted, charged headlong into the wall at the SCG, sending players sprawling in all directions.
“It’s a move I’d seen many times, but what I did was just a spur-of-the-moment thing,” Robinson recalled in an interview years later. “I thought, ‘I can’t see the ball, so I’ll bowl them all over.'”
Robinson’s tactic, though unorthodox, proved effective. “It was a stupid thing, head down, arse up, but it worked,” he said. “I cleaned up a couple of the forwards and also gave Peter Sterling, who was working the move behind the wall, a shock as I charged through. Most players just stood back, watched the wall, and waited for the ball to become visible. My approach obviously stunned them. But it worked as they dropped the ball. I did it a couple of times, and I don’t think they used the move nearly as much after that.”
Robinson’s aggressive style and ‘bull at a gate’ approach endeared him to fans during his 11 seasons at Belmore. The Canterbury pack was the most feared in the league in the ’80s, and Robinson, with his bearded, tearaway look, was the embodiment of that fearsome reputation.
Despite his long battle with throat cancer, Robinson’s death is believed to have been caused by a heart attack. The Bulldogs community and rugby league fans will remember him not only for his spirited play but also for his larger-than-life presence both on and off the field.
The Bulldogs Community are deeply saddened by the passing of Cult Hero, Geoff Robinson, AKA "The Wild Man" 🙏
Geoff will be sorely missed, but his memory will forever be etched in the History of our club. 💙🤍 pic.twitter.com/dlLV3XkiOh
— Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (@NRL_Bulldogs) July 3, 2024