By James Bresneham, Mercury
RAY Groom first laid eyes on Max Walker when the gangly Hobart schoolboy strode into the MCG for Melbourne’s preseason training in the summer of 1966.
They were instant mates.
A 17-year-old Walker had joined the club as a ruckman and Groom was about to begin the penultimate season of his six-year stint at Melbourne.
They played together for the next two seasons.
“Being Tasmanians we were mates – Tasmanians stick together, of course,” Groom said.
“Maxy was a bit awkward as a player but very determined.”
Often known as “Tangles” for his awkward bowling action, Walker’s passing yesterday after a two-year battle with cancer took the sporting world by surprise, especially his former teammate.
“I’m really shocked — so deeply saddened by it,” Groom said.
The last time Ray and Max caught up was two years ago when Walker came home for a charity event at a retirement village in his old stomping ground.
“He generously came down to help out because he’s from West Hobart,” Groom said.
“He was a very generous spirit, a community minded person.”
Walker grew up in Hobart and his father Big Max owned the Empire Hotel. Anyone who read his first book How to Hypnotise Chooks: And Other Great Yarns got a rib-tickling insight into Little Max’s early years in Hobart.
Lyn Cox, 68, was schoolmates with Max Walker, having played footy, cricket and athletics together at The Friends’ School.
“Maxy was big at school, tall and gangly, but an excellent sportsman,” Cox said.
“He dominated inter-school sport. I was rover to him in the first football team where he was the ruckman.
“He gave me pretty much a free ride before he went and rucked for the Dees.”
Walker will be remembered by the members of the Launceston Grammar cricket team from the state school final in Launceston in ’65.
“We made a modest score and Maxy made 50,” Cox said.
“In the Grammar innings, we never had a problem really because Max went and took eight-for, took a catch at slip and ran out the other bloke.”
Cox says Walker honed his craft at the Empire.
“There was a car park out the back and we used to play cricket there,” Cox said.
“On a good length there was a crack in the concrete and he would hit the bloody thing most times, which ended up with the ball hitting me somewhere on the body.”
Walker would challenge anyone game enough to cricket in the pub’s backyard.
Richard Hensens, manager of the Republic, formerly The Empire, said Walker’s connection to the hotel was well-known.
“Max would stop in every now and again and have a beer and a chat,” he said.
Bob Annells, 68, also played alongside — and sometimes against — “Tangles”.
“He was the most amazing natural talent in both cricket and football as any schoolboy has ever been,” Annells said.
“I played in both the First XI and the First XVIII with Max.
“He was an amazing person to play with because he was so damn good.”
Sometimes Bob was on the receiving end.
“I always remember they brought in a film crew to do a film on the activities of the school,” he said.
“So for the first time ever I found myself rucking against Max.
“I don’t think I got my hands on the ball in 10 throw-ins.
“I remember facing Max in the nets at New Town. It was in the fading light with Maxy dropping them slightly short on to a little ridge he had found. He was unplayable.
“He was just an enormous talent so it was no surprise he went on and did as well as he did.”
It didn’t take long for Walker to make his mark when he moved to Melbourne.
“Someone brought a carpet snake into the change rooms and put it in someone’s locker,” Groom said.
“When they opened it the snake slithered out. There were all these footballers jumping on top of lockers to get away from it.
“Nobody knows who did it. Nobody owned up. But I think Max was the number-one suspect.”
Walker was vice-captain of Friends’ 1965 cricket team and vice-captain of his school house, Unwin.
He played club cricket for North Hobart before heading to Melbourne to play cricket for Victoria and then Australia.
Not everyone was a fan of Walker’s cricket career, especially Melbourne coach Norm Smith.
“I remember in those days the club, coach and officials weren’t too keen on footballers playing cricket in the summer,” Groom said.
“They reckoned you should devote yourself to football and not share it with cricket, but of course Max went on to be a brilliant cricketer.
“He was already a cricket all-rounder and I know Norm Smith [Melbourne coach 1967] and Johnny Beckwith [Melbourne coach 1968] were always against footballers playing cricket.
“He just didn’t like the idea of players playing cricket in the summer because he wasn’t a believer in players having a different training regime for cricket and footy.”
Despite opposition from his football coaches, Walker made the right decision, Groom says, to follow a cricketing career — 34 Tests, 586 runs (19.53), 138 wickets (27.47), a best haul of 8-143, as well as 17 one-dayers.
“He was a bit of a ‘Tangles’ playing footy and he would play a full game as ruckman which means he would run a long way,” Groom said.
“He could have gone on with his football and become a very good ruckman over time but he had the clash with cricket and he chose cricket above footy in the end.
“He made a bigger name for himself as a cricket player — it’s our No. 1 national sport.
“I reckon deep down he really loved Australian rules football and he would have loved to have kept playing, but he couldn’t because he was such a fine cricketer.”
Click here :GALLERY: MAX WALKER’S LIFE IN PICTURES