{xtypo_dropcap}I{/xtypo_dropcap}t was the Foundation Day Derby of 1992 that made Stephen Bilcich realise that he was in the big league.

“We got off the team bus at Fremantle Oval and there were people everywhere,” he recalls. “We had to force a passage through the crowd to get into the change rooms.”

The attendance of over eighteen thousand that day in June was certainly more than a boy from Carnarvon would have experienced. “There aren’t that many people in the whole of Carnarvon,” Bilcich said. Considering the 2006 census put the population of the north western town at 5283, it was a fair observation.

South Fremantle emerged victors, as they did on three other occasions that season.

But it was a crowd of thirty thousand that turned out to see East Fremantle turn the tables three months later in the grand final at Subiaco.  The country boy wasn’t fazed by the surroundings, and put in a performance on South’s Wally Matera that was one of the winning factors of the game.

It was the 1992 season that proved to be the turning point for Steven Bilcich. The tough midfielder went on to play two hundred and fifteen games for the blue and whites, and was one of their leading players in an era that brought the club three premiership flags in seven years.

Recruited from St Pats in Geraldton, Bilcich’s first three seasons at East Fremantle were frustrating, and it wasn’t until coach Ken Judge showed faith in him in 1991 that he fulfilled the promise he had exhibited as a teenager. A member of the 1989 reserves premiership side, he debuted with the league side that year as a replacement for Brad Rowe, looked set to make his mark the following season with several appearances at senior level, but a dislocated shoulder sidelined him for most of the season.

After an operation on the shoulder in 1991, coach Ken Judge elevated him to league ranks once again midway through the year, and gave him a tagging role.

The 1992 premiership win was obviously one of Bilcich’s greatest experiences, but he regards the four point win over East Perth in that year’s preliminary final as no less memorable. “It was one of the most exciting games of footy I ever played in,” he said. It was the second nailbiter of that season in which East Fremantle had grabbed the Royals on the post, coming from forty three points behind in an earlier encounter. 

The best of Steven Bilcich was seen when he was changed from tagger to playmaker. Hard at it around and under the packs, he was a tough customer who gave no quarter, and was one of the Sharks most dangerous midfielders in the mid nineties. He made his State debut against South Australia in 1993, starting on a half back flank and contributing a goal in a twenty four point win at the WACA ground, was on a half forward flank against Queensland at the Gabba two years later, and made two more interstate appearances in 1996 and 97.

Winner of the Lynn Medal as fairest and best in 1993, Stephen went on to share in a second premiership the following season, and made it three in 1998. He called it quits as a thirty year old at the end of the 2000 season.

Bilcich pulled on the boots again in 2001 to join a mate, Fabian Dawson, at York, before moving to the South West and coaching South Bunbury, where he was talked into playing. A broken leg soon after spelt the end of his playing career.

Steven joined fitness coach John Strano in a business venture at Brunswick, and together they established what is now a thriving attraction that is gaining many fans throughout the South West. Brunswick Traditional Bakery has pies to dream of, you can buy a beer to wash it down, and whatever grocery supplies you may also require for wherever you may be travelling to will no doubt also be on the shelf at a reasonable price. They are open seven days a week, so you won’t be disappointed.

Steven would love to share a coffee and a yarn with footy fans of any description, so next time you take a trip South, take the scenic South West Highway and try the famous Brunswick pies.  

A South Fremantle supporter as a lad, he and wife Samantha, a West Perth fan, have a son(Max), and three daughters( Ebony, Madison, and Holly).

Troy Ugle(Swan Districts), “quick, smart, and strong,” Brendan Retzlaff(Swan Districts), “could run all day,” and South’s Wally Matera, “quick,” were tough opponents, and he also paid tribute to the determination of teammate Justin Sanders.   

Steven Bilcich was a driving force behind the East Fremantle premierships of the Nineties, loved by East Fremantle supporters, dreaded but respected by opposition fans, and was a great player for the Sharks.