Steve Marsh launched my book Gravel Rash: 100 Years of Goldfields Football at the Orient Hotel in Fremantle in 1996.
Marsh grew up in Kalgoorlie. His father Tommy was a premiership player for Railways in 1920 so young Steve barracked for the Red Legs.
Steve and I sat down a couple of times to talk about his footy on the Goldfields and later as a star of the South Fremantle team that won six premierships between 1947 and 1954. He was the best player in arguably the best ever WAFL team.
In an interview on ABC Radio in 1996 I was asked to name the best player to come out of the Goldfields in a hundred years of footy. I prevaricated: “So many great players, hard to say, blah, blah, blah – but I think Steve Marsh is the best.” Later that day the quote was used on an ABC News bulletin. So it’s official, Steve Marsh is the greatest.
Steve Marsh was also the obvious person to launch the book. Would a shy, retiring 72-year-old want to be up on stage, in the limelight? Maybe not, but Steve Marsh former TV star and raconteur had no hesitation.
The launch was so successful that we took the show on the road. I was the straight man in a comedy duo as we presented Gravel Rash at the East and South Fremantle Football Clubs. Steve got lots of laughs but his favourite bit was a short reading from the book. It came from a tribunal hearing in 1974 and concerned a player named Rothnie who was reported for “…striking Railways players numbers 3,4,7, 10, 13, 14, 18, 20 and the Railways club secretary during the half time break.” Presented in Steve’s own special style it always brought the house down.
I considered taking our “act” to each of the WAFL clubs but thought I might be exploiting Steve’s talent and goodwill. I should have asked. He would have said yes.
One of the great stories of Steve’s career at South Fremantle is right at the start. Steve hadn’t given much thought to playing footy in the city but with the war over he agreed to a suggestion from an old mate Teddy Smythe who played in the Goldfields for Boulder City. The pair arranged to meet outside Fremantle Town Hall and wander down to Fremantle Oval where Teddy would introduce his little mate to people he knew at East Fremantle Football Club. In those days the two Fremantle teams shared Fremantle Oval.
Teddy didn’t show up.
Steve once told me the way the story is told in Gravel Rash is the most accurate version of a much told and and altered tale. It should be, it’s in his own words.
I waited for 40 minutes and then I went down to Fremantle Oval. In those days if you walked into the main entrance of Fremantle Oval, the first clubrooms you walked past was South Fremantle’s. A fellow named Andrews was standing there. He was apparently tied to Swan Districts. We had a bit of a chat and two or three other players came along and he said: “What are you going to do? Are you going to train or what?”
I said: “No I’ve got to wait for me mate and then I’m going down to East Fremantle.”
George Chadwick, the curator, opened up the South Fremantle rooms and said: “Come on you might as well get changed down here.”
And that’s what happened, I went down and the other players came in and made me welcome. The president, Jack Polinelli, and secretary, Mr Frank Harrison, asked me where I was from and everything. Looking at me at that stage I was about 10-stone wringing wet. I don’t know if they were impressed or not. Anyway they made me welcome.
After that I just went out there. In the course of the training an East Fremantle official or trainer wanted to know if they could pick up my gear and take it down to their room and I said: “No leave it like it is.”
Luckily East Fremantle has a reign of rovers and wingers and I wouldn’t have got a game anyway. South Fremantle had very little. I didn’t know that at the time, but it’s lucky that it happened that way.
I really do think that if I’d gone down to East Fremantle I would have been floundering. Not that I expected any more because I didn’t class myself as even an average footballer.
After that I made my career in football.
In 1999 Steve and his greatest rival Jack Sheedy were made joint number one ticket holders of the Fremantle Dockers. It’s worth recalling that in 1957 Steve made the huge move to East Fremantle as captain-coach. Old East beat East Perth coached by Jack Sheedy in the grand final. In 1958 the Royals beat East Fremantle by two points in the grand final. One-all. Fortunately.
Bringing Jack and Steve together was a masterstroke even though they did give the marketing people some palpitations at match-day corporate events by voicing their displeasure at poor performances by the team. The pair showed a real affection for one another and their status as footballers and connection to the past provided the AFL club with something it had lacked.
Jack Sheedy died aged 96 on 23 February 2023.
Steve Marsh died aged 99 on 5 March 2024.
In one of our interviews Steve said: “I’ve been accused of being an ignorant, bandy legged, impetuous little bastard all my life.” It was a life to be celebrated.
• WA Football Hall of Fame. All colour photos by Les Everett. Player photo (1952) from the WA Football Budget.
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