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SIXTIES FOOTBALL LEGENDS

ROGER STEELE

The champion tag is bandied about loosely these days but Sandy Bay's Roger Steele fits the bill. He was a football rarity, with an ideal mix of skill, courage & loyalty.

During the 50's 60's and 70's there was hardly a Sandy Bay side that did not include a member of the Steele family from Margate. The Steele brothers - seven in all - provided the Sandy Bay football club with a steady stream of star recruits for almost 3 decades. And Roger Steele was no exception. He was an instant success. Fresh from a premiership in the Channel, he was a member of the Bay's 1964 premiership team in his first season with the club. While Sandy Bay would have to wait another seven years before they repeated the effort, Steele made a name for himself as a centreman. He was no stranger to success and his individual efforts are nothing short of remarkable.

Steele was a complete player. His ability to control the centre and win the hard ball made him a match winner. Add to this his skilful disposal on both sides of his body and long kicking, it is little wonder he is recognised as one of Sandy Bay's and the TFL's greatest players.

In a career spanning just over ten years he won Sandy Bays best and fairest award a record 5 times. After the '64 premiership he added the 1968 Weller Arnold medal to his trophy list before winning the coveted William Leitch medal in 1969. If that wasn't enough he repeated the dose in 1970, to make it back to back William Leitch's; He then played in Sandy Bay's 1971 and 1972 premiership sides under Coach Rod Olssen; and as he explained this week: " These highlights are what dreams are made of, but one game really sticks in my mind."

It occurred during the June long weekend in 1970. Steele lined up for Tasmania. In doing so he played an instrumental part in defeating Western Australia at North Hobart. Few victories have given Tasmania such satisfaction as this "eleventh" hour win over the star studded West Australian side, that included the great Graeme "Polly" Farmer.

None, of the twenty thousand strong parochial crowd, will ever forget John Bingley's goal in the dying minutes of the game, to give Tassy a two point victory. As Steele reflected this week all that ran through my mind was "ring that bloody siren." "Looking back it was a damn good side, we had Baldock, Bonney, Urquhart, Devine, Vinar, Jillard the list goes on! Mind you they weren't short of talent either with Farmer, Ian Cooper, Mal Brown and Co.

Steele retired after the 1974 season before becoming a selector at Clarence during their 1979 premiership season under former Sandy Bay team mate, Noel Leary. He returned to Sandy Bay as assistant coach for just one season in 1986, when the side were runners-up, before dropping out of football once and for all.

Great players of his day include team mates Rod Olssen, Graeme Mackey, full back Dale Flint, Peter Fromberg and sharp shooter Micky Elliott. The opposition were all tough but Northerners Bobby Withers, Kevin MacLean and Mannie Goninon were hard to match in representative games. TFL players hard to combat included Bobby Lynch and Ricky Graham from New Norfolk while Clarence's Rod Stirling and Glenorchy's Ron Marney were very talented.

These days Steeley works for the police department and as he quipped this week "you don't want to see me mate - I'm down near the cells. I would like to settle a few old scores but not many seem to make it down here these days."

He still follows the TFL football, is a great believer in the Statewide competition, but would love to see a Tassy side in the AFL. Steele maintains "The State is producing great footballers and despite all the knockers the standard of the local league is as good as ever."

Roger Steele a star footballer from a star family.

One of Sandy Bay's greatest, and looking at his record, it is easy to see why, Roger Steele is regarded as one of the TFL's true champions.

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Roger Steele - A Tasmanian Football Legend

 

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