WESTERN AUSTRALIAN TEAM OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Forward Line

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Right Forward Pocket - Steve Marsh (Kalgoorlie Railways, South Fremantle, East Fremantle)

During the first decade after the 2nd World War South Fremantle boasted many exceptional players, but none better than Railways in Kalgoorlie recruit Steve Marsh, who many reputable judges at the time regarded as the finest rover the game had seen up to that point.  Marsh possessed all of the qualities traditionally associated with good rovers in that he was quick, especially over that vital first 2 or 3 metres, elusive, extremely determined, courageous and highly skilled, with his impeccable drop kicking to position being especially noteworthy.  He was also an excellent motivator, capable of inspiring his team mates to give of their best.

Between 1947 and 1954 South Fremantle won no fewer than 6 grand finals, and Steve Marsh was 1 of only 3 men to play in all of them.  He won the Walker Medal for South Fremantle's best and fairest player a then record 4 times (since equalled by Stephen Michael), was an All Australian in 1953, and won a Sandover Medal in 1952 and a Simpson Medal after the following year's grand final.  

To call Marsh's decision to accept an offer to coach arch rivals East Fremantle in 1957 controversial would represent the grossest of understatements, but from Marsh's point of view it made eminent sense.  He was nearing the end of his playing career, South Fremantle's fortunes were clearly on the wane, and the proffered salary of £300 - triple what was on offer anywhere else in the WANFL - must have seemed more than a tad enticing.

Not surprisingly, Marsh proved to be a successful coach.  In his first season the blue and whites, with Marsh making telling contributions both on and off the field, broke through for their first flag for 11 years.  As far as the East Fremantle committee was concerned, that £300 must have seemed like money well spent.

Steve Marsh's playing career ended in 1960 after a total of 265 games over 16 seasons.

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Full Forward - Austin Robertson Jnr. (Subiaco & South Melbourne)

Son of the former South Melbourne great of the same name, Austin Robertson junior managed the rare feat of actually out-performing his famous father.

Playing almost exclusively as a full forward Robertson's main strengths were his blisteringly fast leads to space, and his meticulously accurate kicking for goal, almost invariably using the drop punt.

To a certain extent, the measure of a full forward's effectiveness can be determined by bald statistics, and in Robertson's case these were inordinately impressive.  Over the course of his entire 269 game League career between 1962 and 1974 he totalled 1,338 goals, 1,278 of which constituted an all time WANFL record.  He topped the WANFL goal kicking list a record 8 times, and 'bagged the ton' on 6 occasions, accomplishments rendered all the more remarkable by the fact that he played almost exclusively in mediocre teams.  Indeed, in 13 seasons of senior football the teams for which he played only contested the finals half a dozen times, with Robertson's only grand final appearance coming in 1973, by which time he was past his best.  Thankfully, however, Subiaco rewarded him with a premiership.

Western Australia has, arguably, produced more genuinely great full forwards than any other state or territory, but Austin Robertson's uncanny ability to carry on kicking goals even when the chips were down makes him the pick of a highly auspicious bunch. 

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Left Forward Pocket - Stephen Michael (South Fremantle & Boulder City)

Stephen Michael had all the attributes of the complete footballer.  His strength and prodigious springing ability meant that he could compete on more than equal terms with opposition ruckman, while his pace, poise and consummate ball skills enabled him to beat virtually any opponent at ground level.  Added to these attributes was an astonishing consistency which saw him rarely fail to perform to standard.

Over 11 seasons with South Fremantle Stephen Michael played 243 games, and achieved virtually everything the game at the time had to offer.  Sandover Medallist in 1980 and 1981 he also won a Tassie Medal and 5 club fairest and best awards.  He was named in the 1983 All Australian team as captain, and was a prominent member of South Fremantle's 1980 premiership team.

Not surprisingly, Michael received a large number of offers to move to other clubs, with Geelong's approaches being especially persistent.  In an era when the concept of loyalty was increasingly being undermined by the influx into the game, for the first time, of appreciable sums of money, Michael stayed faithful to the Bulldogs throughout his career.

An injury sustained in a shooting accident in October 1983 was to impede Michael over the remaining two seasons of his WAFL career, as well as the single season he spent with Boulder City in 1986.  The best was over and, like another football great who resisted the overtures of VFL clubs, Barrie Robran, Michael's football career ended prematurely.  For half a dozen seasons though, there were few who could match him.

[For details of Stephen Michael's 1983 Tassie Medal win, click here.]

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