The Western Australian State football team that beat Victoria in the Brisbane carnival of 1961 is still remembered as a great combination, with every member of the side part of folklore. Unlucky not to be included among them was John Dethridge. Dethridge was a solid performer  in the two lead up games, but an injury received  against South Australia  cost him a place in the “final” clash with Victoria. Dethridge, a ruckman, was under specific instructions to block the six foot five and fifteen stone South Australian, Bill Wedding, to provide “Polly” Farmer with a clear run at the ball. The instructions were carried out so well that a frustrated Wedding lashed out and smacked Dethridge in the head, causing him to miss the big one. Dethridge went on to play for WA again in 1963 in a one point loss to Victoria, was among the best in the return game the following Tuesday, and was part of the Western  Australian side that thrashed Tasmania at North Hobart Oval in 1964.  John Dethridge was the sort of player selectors like.  At six foot one and a half, he gave them the luxury of two players in one.  A knock ruckman, he had the mobility of a smaller man, and could play most positions on the ground. He had the knack of reading the play and creating a loose man, with a clean pair of hands providing a marking target.  A product of the Swanbourne juniors, Dethridge came under the eye of some shrewd coaches in his formative years, and attributes much of the progress of his game to them. “Bill Alderman(Terry's Dad), a teacher at Swanbourne Primary, and junior coach, Austin Robertson senior, coach at Scotch College, as well as Bert Thornley senior, were terrific mentors,”he recalled. “Bert was an influential and enthusiastic coach, who gave a lot of future league players great guidance.”      Dethridge came through junior ranks with players like Dennis Marshall, Lorne Cook, Wayne Harvey, and Keren Guard.   In his first year in under seventeens, John was fairest and best, and was playing under eighteens in 1957 when Claremont coach, John Hyde, with Sonny Maffina, paid him a visit. Rushed into the Tigers league side at the age of sixteen, Dethridge played against East Perth in the second last game of the season, and registered a goal with his first kick. Playing again the following week, the youngster's appetite was whetted for the start of the following season.  But the year 1958 was to be a non event for John Dethridge. When the youngster was hurt in a pre season game, a worried father stepped in and forbade him from playing senior football as a seventeen year old, although he did eventually line up in under eighteen games.  In 1959, Dethridge became a regular for Claremont, as a half back or half forward. His ability to fill a variety of roles made finding the right one a challenge for the coaching staff and selectors. Given a protracted run at full forward, during which time he impressed with bags of five opposed to good fullbacks in Joe Lawson(Swan Districts) and Brian Ashbolt(Perth), it was eventually decided to play him in the ruck. In 1961, Geelong rover, Peter Pianto took over the reigns at Claremont.  “Peter was a novice coach when he arrived,” John recalled. “We had a nucleus of some good young players, but he didn't have the development skills, although he worked his guts out. A disagreement that led to Kevin Clune leaving the club didn't help.” “After Peter left at the end of 1963 I wrote him a letter thanking him for his efforts, and offering some advice. He wrote back and said he learnt more in his three years at Claremont than he did in the rest of his career. He later got the Geelong coaching job.” 1964 was an amazing year for Dethridge and the Tigers. “Conway was a good coach, but Maffina did a lot of unheralded work,” said John. Claremont came from last to scrape into the finals and win a fairytale flag. But the story of the premiership began to unfold during  grand final week. “After training on the Thursday I had a groin problem, Clune(who had returned after Pianto left) had a crook knee, Wayne Harvey's thumb was broken, and Ian Brewer had something wrong with him,” he went on. Alan Dixon, who had a reputation as a chiropractor, used all his knowledge and potions to get them up for Saturday, while Clune had been sent to bed on the Monday with a poultice on his knee, where he was to stay until Thursday.” “When it came to the crunch, Conway said: “You guys got us here, I don't want to break the impetus, I'll leave it up to you. If you say you're fit, you're in.”  It's history now that Claremont came from behind to grab a sensational win over East Fremantle.  A cruciate ligament injury in the last game of 1965 was the catalyst for the premature end of the career of John Dethridge. Attempting to play in the opening game of the following season, he missed ten more games,  before breaking down again in the pre season of 1967.  At twenty six, the hundred and fifty seven game career of John Dethridge was over. Later that year he had a training run with the Les Mumme-coached Gosnells, in the South Suburban League, but his knee didn't stand up to it.  After coaching Claremont Colts in 1972, he spent some time as selector for the league side in 1976.  The end of Dethridge's playing career opened up a new one in the media, calling league games on the ABC and commercial stations, as well as appearing on a radio show called “Behind The News,” featuring George Grljusich, Eric Sarich, Dennis Commetti, and Peter Burton.    John was always a Claremont supporter but growing up the two players he admired most were East Fremantle and East Perth captain coach Jack Sheedy and South Fremantle high flier John Gerovich. “Jack Sheedy was a small man, but he was larger than life,” he said. “His deft handball was revolutionary, and set the  scene for Farmer to enlarge upon. His coaching of “Polly” was something to see. With the ruckman jumping early, he would grab the ball in two hands on landing, handball to “Square” Kilmurray, who would flick pass backwards to Brian Ray or Paul Seal, and before anyone knew what was happening it would be in the waiting arms of Billy Mose, Neil Hawke, or Don Langdon.” “I was playing in a game at Claremont against South when the ball was  kicked high to the half forward line, and Gerovich had the sit on the pack. I thought “well he's gonna mark it anyway so I'll risk a free,” and grabbed an arm. He hooked the ball into the other arm, went back, and kicked a long torpedo through the centre as the siren sounded.” Asked about his hardest opponents, Dethridge said: “You couldn't underate any you played on, but two East Fremantle players stand out. Ray Sorrell and Bert Thornley. Both were tough and hard to beat.” As for his best teammate: “I can't go past Kevin Clune, not just for his ability, but his never say die attitude. I was always of the opinion that Cluney was driven by the fear of being seen as not performing to his best or giving the most he had. He was an inspirational player, who would run all day.” John Dethridge loves talking football, and he had a couple of anecdotes to share with us. “Claremont and State player, Barry Metcalfe, went down with cramp on the wing one day, and was screaming for help. Out came a trainer, who only made it onto the ground before he, too, collapsed with cramp. Trainer number two immediately raced to trainer number one's assistance, leaving poor old Barry out there to fend for himself.” “We took a Claremont side, consisting mainly of reserve players, to a country town for a game. Half back Cyril Casellas wasn't in the side that took the field, so was nominated as goal umpire. Towards the end of the game the boredom of waving the flags must have got to the rookie goal ump, because when one of the country team's players booted the ball  to an unattended forward, who was camped under it, Cyril made a charge, punched it out of the puzzled forward's hands, gathered it, and made a scintillating run down the wing, before completing the cameo performance with a sixty metre kick.”     “Casellas was of greek descent, and always found it funny when opposition supporters would scream at him: “go back to Italy.” A real estate agent, John Dethridge has sold his former business, and is semi retired these days. He and wife Julie have three boys and two girls, and he is involved in a small business with his family. His grandchildren are keen sailors, so he has been converted, he enjoys fishing, and keeps himself fit with walking and exercises.  Forty three years after he last graced Claremont Oval, John Dethridge has lost none of his love for the game,  and enjoys discussing those he played with and against in the halcyon days of football, rather than talk about himself. In a career that was cruelly ended at twenty six, he was a consistent performer for the Tigers and Western Australia in a variety of positions, part of one of the most memorable of premierships and a legendary interstate carnival win.