It would be hard to find rovers from any club to better those produced by Perth Football Club in the fifties, sixties, and seventies.  Frank “Dickie” Walker and Harry “Doc” Meredith were outstanding in the fifties, Barry Cable, Greg Bennett, and Graham Jenzen were unstoppable in the sixties premiership hat trick, and Rob Wiley, Chris Mitsopolous and John Doyle starred in the seventies. Greg Bennett made his league debut at the age of eighteen  in 1967, after playing the first seven games of the season in the reserves. “I was a reserve the week before the State game, and came on in the last quarter against Swan Districts at Lathlain,” he said. “The following game I took Barry Cable's place, and stayed in the side after his return.”.  Graham Jenzen was to prove a handful for the opposition as a lightning forward and third rover and the trio were a big factor in the Demon's second flag in succession, followed by a third in 1968. In both grand finals, Bennett was among Perth's best.  “I thought, this caper is easy, two premierships in two years and still only nineteen,” Greg quipped. Perth came back to the field after that, and, after losing to South Fremantle two years later, were not to see grand final action again until 1974.     Bennett was a product of the Manning junior football production line, which spat out stars like Peter Spencer, Brian Peake, Rob Wiley, and Graham Ramshaw, and was an outstanding centreman as a junior. He pays tribute to the coaching and support of the junior club, particularly Jack Ivankovich. A quick and elusive reader of the play, Bennett played the roving role to perfection, and was the ideal foil for Cable. It was an injustice that he wasn't selected in a West Australian side, but it's hard to blame the selectors, with the roving riches this State enjoyed at the time. Bill Walker, Keith Doncon, John Parkinson, Chris Mitchell, Bruce Duperouzel, Graham Melrose, Keith Watt, Brian Ciccotosto, and Bob Greenwood, along with Cable, all wore the black and gold guernsey in that period.  Bennett received several approaches from Eastern State clubs in the early seventies, and it was South Australian club, Glenelg, who were successful in 1973. “I was interested in having a shot elsewhere, and was impressed with the Glenelg club and it's coach, Neil Kerley, when I went over and had a look around.” he said. It proved a good decision for Greg, both on field and off. He took the SANFL by storm, playing for South Australia twice,  kicking five goals for the State, while being a strong contributor in the Bays first premiership flag in forty seven years.  The association he formed with Ford Motor Company while in Adelaide was to become a life long one, and he is still heavily involved with the company today.  After four years at Glenelg, Greg decided to return home. It was 1977, and Perth were back on top, with a fresh set of rovers, Wiley, Mitsopoulos, and Doyle,dominating. Claremont were trying to build a side, and coach Mal Brown wasted no time in convincing Bennett to join him. Greg's thirty two games with the Tigers, added to his 110 with Perth and 63 at Glenelg had taken his total of league appearances to 205, when he announced his retirement at the end of the 1978 season.   Greg regarded Claremont back pocket specialist Darryl Kilburn as his toughest opponent. “Darryl played it physical, and I always had a tussle with him.” No surprise to hear him nominate Cable as best he'd played with. “By far.” These days Greg Bennett weaves his magic with Titan Ford in Melville, where he is sales manager. “Always ready to do a deal for a WAFL supporter,” he told us, pointing to an impressive array of splendid vehicles that seemed to stretch for miles.  He loves travelling with his family whenever they can get away. His boat, Alegria, takes up much of his leisure time, but a round of golf is always a welcome diversion. Greg Bennett was one of Perth's best in arguably their greatest era, a player who proved himself in two States. After playing second fiddle to a champion in Cable in the little master's heyday, he was able to emerge from the shadow and receive recognition as a great player in his own right.