Team mates rally around Cowboy

[saynta]

https://www.saints.com.au/news/547844/b ... for-cowboy

[Joffa Burns]

https://www.saints.com.au/news/547844/b ... for-cowboy

Awesome, one of my favorites growing up was the big Cowboy, sad to hear he has dementia.

Barry Breen was a great fella, I met him in the early 2000's through business, he saw I had saints memorabillia throughout my offices and started chatting about the saints each time we met as I wouldn't have brought up the topic.

Told some ripping yarns about big Carl and Cowboy, was a also a player in his day was Barry.

Met him for a drink at a couple of saints games in Sydney when he was living there, very popular man and this generosity doesn't surprise at all.

Interestingly at one point he worked with Mark Maclure while Maclure was on the match committee at the saints.

[saynta]

Went to school with Breen and shared a couple of meals and conversations with Cowboy. At that time he was very bitter about the saints management. Think he mellowed in later years.

I remember Cowboy upsetting an ex of mine with some of his Tasmanian jokes.

That is some roll call that Barry organised.

Sad to hear he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, which is a terrible terrible disease.

I watched it kill my father in law.

[Enrico_Misso]

The Cowboy is a favourite of every Saints supporter who was around in the 60's and 70's.

A very sad story but a heartwarming one as well.

[CQ SAINT]

I only have vague memories of Cowboy but as the youngest son of a father that was heavily involved with the club in those days, I remember him being a larger than life character both off and on the field.
When you are a kid, some people just stick out. Neale and Jim O'Dea are 2 that came to mind who were fearsome figures on the field but very approachable afterwards.
I was privileged to spend a bit of time around the club in those days. Watching it all unravel the late 70's and 80's was hard.

[Trev from the Bush]

Very sad, but a wonderful example of how old team mates rally when one of them is going through a tough time.

I was luck enough to watch Cowboy play his first game for the Saints (also Barry Breen's debut, v North at Coburg City Oval), boot 5 of our 10 goals in our only premiership and and bow out still near his best in 1977. I watched him lead Ainslie in the ACT when i was up there in 1978. He became a legend of ACT football. If you get the chance, pay a visit to the Ainslie Social Club and you will greeted by a huge display of Cowboy memorabilia. It just demonstrates how great he was and how seemingly undervalued he has been treated by the VFL / AFL.

My favourite Cowboy story was delivered at a sportsmen's night many, many years ago by Kelvin Templeton.

He related how, in his first season with Footscray, he was given advice before his first visit to Moorabbin. He was playing at full-forward, his opponent was Cowboy. "You'll beat him for seed when you lead but, whatever you do, don't just prop in front of him when you take a mark"

First time he led, he took the mark then propped. Oh dear.

Templeton added "the second time I led, I marked but didn't prop. I had learnt a hard lesson. When I did stop I turned around and lined up for goal. From the wing!"

All the best Cowboy, you are a bloody legend!

[ace]

https://www.saints.com.au/news/547844/b ... for-cowboy

Damn, we had a host of good footballers back in those days.

[oldie60]

Took my now 21 year old to a family day back in 2003 and got him to get Cowboys signature and he was absolutely wrapped to have my young bloke call him out. Absolute great bloke and footballer back when football was football.

[longtimesaint]

I remember back in the first season at Moorabbin (1965) that we used to yell “Up there Cowboy” as he flew for marks in the goal square - a great player and a fantastic clubman!

[HardSaint]

The bloke is an absolute legend - kicked 5 goals in the 66 GF
No one rocked an Adidas tracksuit with sideburns as good as this as Cowboy