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Ted Robinson
Goldfields Hall of Fame
Club Cpt /Coach
Goldfields Hall of Fame
BCFC F&B
GFL F&B
Leading Goal Kicker
All Star Team
TED “PUNTER” ROBINSON
A Tiger. A Leader. A Competitor.
From the black and gold of Boulder to the great football rivalries of the Goldfields — the remarkable story of a man who helped define an era. There are footballers who play the game, footballers who achieve greatness, and then there are those whose influence extends far beyond the final siren. Ted “Punter” Robinson belongs firmly in that last category.
A fierce competitor, an outstanding footballer, a premiership captain-coach and a respected leader, Ted built a reputation across Goldfields football that few could match. His achievements were extraordinary. Yet behind the premierships, medals and individual honours was a man remembered just as much for his discipline, loyalty, humility and determination. And like so many great Goldfields football stories, Ted's journey began in Boulder.
The Making of a Footballer
Long before the medals and premiership celebrations, Ted Robinson was developing the skills that would become his football trademarks. Alongside his twin brother Jack, Ted grew up in a household where sporting competition was part of everyday life.
Their father devised a remarkable backyard training device — a football suspended on a spring, designed to bounce and move unpredictably. The boys would run, leap and attempt to control the ball, repeating the exercise until their timing and coordination became second nature.
It was an unconventional training method, but one that helped develop their exceptional overhead marking and ball-handling abilities.
The competitive spirit extended well beyond the backyard. After junior football training, Ted and Jack would ride home through the cold Boulder evenings with the Kelly brothers, frequently turning the journey into another fiercely contested race. Football was never far from their thoughts. During those formative years, one man made a particularly lasting impression — Jack McNally. His encouragement, guidance and belief in the young Robinson brothers helped shape their development and remained an important part of Ted's football memories. These were the foundations of a champion.
A Tiger Makes His Mark
Ted emerged as one of the outstanding footballers of his generation, combining physical strength, natural ability and a fierce determination to succeed. His performances in the black and gold of Boulder City brought him recognition among the finest players in the Goldfields Football League.
In 1961, he was named Footballer of the Year. The following season brought one of the defining achievements of his career. In 1962, Ted Robinson won the Mitchell Medal, recognising him as the Goldfields Football League's Fairest and Best footballer. That same year, he claimed Boulder City's League Fairest & Best award, confirming his standing as one of the competition's premier players.
Two years later, in 1964, he added the Fletcher Medal to his growing collection of honours. Ted was equally capable of influencing a match through his scoring ability, finishing as the Goldfields leading goal kicker in both 1963 and 1969. He was a footballer who could take control of a contest, inspire those around him and produce when his team needed him most.
A Record of Excellence
Ted Robinson's football achievements reflect both individual brilliance and sustained team success.
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1961 — Footballer of the Year
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1962 — Mitchell Medallist, GFL Fairest & Best
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1962 — Boulder City League Fairest & Best
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1963 — Goldfields Leading Goalkicker
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1964 — Fletcher Medallist
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1964 — Boulder City Coach
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1969 — Goldfields Leading Goalkicker
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Six premierships — as captain-coach
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1966–1967 — WAFL football with Claremont
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2026 — Goldfields Sporting Hall of Fame inductee
It is a record that places Ted among the most accomplished football identities associated with the Boulder Tigers.
Beyond Boulder — A Leader Across the Goldfields
Although his football roots were firmly planted at Boulder City, Ted's career would take him across the Goldfields football landscape. His influence extended to Mines Rovers and Railways, where he continued to build an extraordinary reputation as a captain, coach and leader.
Across his coaching career, Ted guided six teams to premiership success — a remarkable achievement in a competition renowned for its fierce rivalries. He demanded commitment, discipline and effort, but those who played under him remembered something equally important. Ted never needed to raise his voice or resort to swearing to inspire his players. His authority came from example.
He understood football, understood people and knew how to bring the best out of those around him. It was leadership built on respect rather than intimidation. That contribution to Goldfields coaching is permanently recognised through the Borchet–Robinson Medal, named in honour of Ted Robinson and Graeme Borchet.
Both men coached six premiership teams, leaving an enduring legacy at Railways and Mines Rovers respectively. Their names remain linked to the Goldfields game's highest coaching recognition.
Taking His Talent to the WAFL
Ted's football journey also took him beyond the Goldfields. In 1966 and 1967, he played with Claremont in the Western Australian Football League, testing his ability against some of the state's finest footballers. His arrival was memorable. In his debut against West Perth, Ted was voted best-on-ground — an immediate demonstration that the football qualities developed on the Goldfields could stand comfortably alongside the best in Western Australia. It was another chapter in a career built on determination, skill and an unwavering competitive spirit.
The Competitor Beyond Football
Football may have been Ted's greatest sporting stage, but it was certainly not his only one. Tennis and horse racing also captured his competitive imagination. Whatever the sport, Ted approached it with the same determination that had characterised his football career. He was never particularly interested in simply making up the numbers. If Ted was competing, he was competing to win. His involvement in horse training produced another notable sporting achievement, with success in the prestigious 1990 Hannans Handicap. From football grounds to tennis courts and the racetrack, that unmistakable Robinson competitive instinct remained constant.
The Man Behind the Medals
For all his sporting achievements, some of the most revealing stories about Ted have little to do with winning.
There was the older brother who took young Percy to the drive-in. The former football opponent whom Ted made a point of visiting in hospital years after their playing battles had ended. And the enduring friendships formed through a lifetime of Goldfields sport.
These moments reveal a side of Ted Robinson that cannot be measured in premierships or medals.
They speak of loyalty, kindness and respect. He could be uncompromising in competition, yet thoughtful and generous away from it. Those qualities earned him something perhaps even more valuable than sporting success — the lasting admiration of the people who knew him.
His Greatest Fight
Throughout his life, Ted had confronted sporting challenges with courage and determination. But nothing could compare with the personal battle that lay ahead when he was diagnosed with leukaemia. It was a contest unlike any he had experienced on a football field. There were no teammates to call upon, no quarter-time instructions and no premiership cup waiting at the finish. Yet the qualities that had defined his sporting life remained. Determination. Courage. Resilience. Ted confronted the illness head-on and emerged victorious.
Preserving 130 years of football, families and the people who shaped our club — 1896–2026.
A Champion Honoured
In 2021, Ted's standing within Goldfields football was recognised when he performed the ceremonial coin toss at the GFL Grand Final. It was a fitting acknowledgement of a man whose contribution had helped shape the competition over many decades. An even greater honour followed in 2026. Ted Robinson was inducted into the Goldfields Sporting Hall of Fame, recognising a lifetime of outstanding sporting achievement and service. The occasion was made particularly special by the presence of his brother Percy. As Ted addressed those gathered, the familiar presence and determination that had characterised his football years were still evident.
The applause was not simply for a champion footballer. It was for a leader, a brother, a teammate, a mentor and a man whose influence had touched so many lives.
Once a Tiger, Always a Tiger
Ted Robinson's football journey carried him through different clubs, competitions and sporting pursuits. He collected medals, coached premierships, represented his abilities at WAFL level and earned recognition among the great sporting figures of the Goldfields. Yet the foundations of that remarkable journey were laid in Boulder. In the backyard with his twin brother Jack. On the cold evening rides home from junior training. Under the guidance of Jack McNally. And in the black and gold jumper of the Boulder City Football Club.
His story reminds us that a football club's history is about much more than premiership flags and honour boards. It is about the people who wore the jumper, the values they carried and the example they left for those who followed. Ted “Punter” Robinson was a champion of his era — and a man whose legacy extends well beyond it.
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A Tiger at heart.
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A leader among men.
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And a name that will forever hold a special place in the history of Goldfields football.
The Robinson Ambush
Past Players
130 Year Book
Digital Museum
Honour Boards
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