The Graytest: Reflecting on the career of Port Adelaide’s mercurial son

When Robbie Gray announced his retirement just before Showdown 52, Port Adelaide fans, whatever they were doing, stopped for a moment. 

Gray is a player so vital to the culture and joy that Port Adelaide football brings its fans, that it was a shock to imagine the club without Robbie. His 365 goals are second most of any Power player, and his 271 games accredit him as a true club champion. 

When Gray and his great mates Travis Boak and Justin Westhoff were drafted in 2006, a new era of Port Adelaide had dawned, or at least one was about to finish. The 2007 Grand Final that followed, that devastating 119-point loss to Geelong, changed the club for good.

The years that followed were rough for Port Adelaide. Financial trouble, poor on-field performance, low fan numbers  — and those tarps that were thrown over full sections of seating. 

In those years, Gray ran around in long blond hair, all while developing himself into a dangerous small forward. Picked at No.55 in the draft, he wasn't the fastest or strongest, but his football IQ and clean skills began to set him apart. 

Gray led the club's goalkicking tally in 2011, his fifth year at the club. And just when he looked ready to lead Port Adelaide out of its misery, he suffered a horrific knee injury. 

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What could have been a career-ending moment turned out to be something special.

When Gray returned to the side in 2013, he was reborn as a footballer. He had worked tirelessly to get his body healthy. 

According to teammate Kane Cornes, "that knee injury forced his professionalism to go through the roof."

It wasn't until that year that things started to turn around for the club, and Gray was a huge part of Port's comeback. His goal-kicking ability and quick hands made him an impossible matchup anywhere on the ground. 

The golden years of Gray

It was 2014 when Gray showed the AFL world what he was capable of. Playing as a midfield-forward hybrid, his slick disposal and habit of kicking goals earned him the AFLCA Champion Player of The Year Award. 

He was also awarded his first of four All-Australian selections, won the club's best and fairest, and took the Power to a heart-breaking preliminary final averaging 24.8 disposals and 1.68 goals a game that year. 

Gray followed that up with another strong year in 2015, where he once again made the AA team, and won his second of five Showdown Medals. 

From 2014–2016, Robbie won a three-peat of John Cahill Medals. Even if Port Adelaide didn't have the team success, he was putting fans in seats. His exciting, freakish style of play has made him one of the most entertaining players in recent memory. 

Playing primarily as a forward in 2017 and 2018, Gray earned his third and fourth AA selections — tying Warren Tredrea for the most of any Port Adelaide player. Kicking a total of 83 goals across those years, the small forward's 'footy IQ' was a permanent feature of Port Adelaide games. 

Robbie Gray: The definition of clutch

Gray's impact on the football field hasn't always converted to jaw-dropping statistics or Brownlow votes, but most AFL fans have watched his ability to take over games first-hand.

Maybe his most famous moment, or moments, was his five-goal explosion in the third quarter against arch-rival Adelaide in 2018. Drilling set shots, snapping one from the stoppage, and getting behind the backline for his fifth — Adelaide Oval may never have been louder. 

Who could forget Robbie's clutch time goal against St Kilda, where he caught a precision tap from Paddy Ryder to give Port the lead with 10 seconds left in the game? Or his after-the-siren goal from the boundary to win it against Carlton? 

Those aren't his only clutch moments, but they show that Gray loves having the ball in his hands when it matters. 

The greatest Port Adelaide player ever?

In Showdown 52, Robbie Gray played his final AFL game. He managed to kick two goals and set up several others for his teammates on an emotional night. It didn't reach the heights of his previous showdown performances, but it was a great way for Robbie to say goodbye to the fans and club. 

Even Ken Hinkley, Gray's long-time coach, couldn't hold back his emotion at seeing the superstar retire.

"I know goodbye is not forever, but from a footballer's point of view it's really bloody hard," Hinkley said after the game.

"He's just done so much for me for 10 years. He's given me more back than I've given him. 

“I've got his tag in my pocket because I'm not letting it go. He's staying with me; you can't let go of people like Robbie.”

Gray joins Warren Tredrea, Gavin Wanganeen, and close-mate Travis Boak as the greats of Port Adelaide's AFL history. While he never won a premiership with the Power, he is forever a beloved piece of club history and his best AFL moments won't soon be forgotten.