When Ross Gibbs made his debut for West Perth in 1979 at the age of nineteen, he wouldn’t have contemplated that it would be the first of almost five hundred senior appearances in the game. A player of great skill, Gibbs made his mark with the Cardinals as a back pocket player, before blossoming into a highly efficient midfielder, in which capacity he was chosen to play for Western Australia on two occasions. Gibbs had all the qualities of a class onballer. Exciting to watch, his ball handling and reliable disposal made him a leading player in his 97 games with West Perth.To the chagrin of the West Perth Football Club, South Australian club Glenelg swooped on Gibbs in 1984. Success was almost immediate at his new surroundings, with a premiership the following season, followed by a repeat flag in 1986. Gibbs was now back in his original back pocket position, and became a dominant player in the SANFL, plus a favourite at Glenelg. In eleven seasons with the Tigers, Gibbs chalked up 253 games, before retiring from league football in 1994.  The third phase, and possibly the most exciting, of the football career of Ross Gibbs was about to unfold. Signing with  South Australian Great Southern League club, Victor Harbor, he embarked on a new path, as a full forward. Gibbs had always had a good pair of hands and was a great kick, but he wasn’t your archetypal key forward, because of his height.But his football nounce, class, and sure marking well and truly came to the fore in the country competition and he was nothing short of sensational at an age when most players would be looking for the slippers instead of the boots. He kicked three figure tallies of goals four seasons in a row and in the fifth managed a mere ninety nine. The Port Elliot club in particular must have had nightmares when Gibbs came to town, because he had  bags of 32 and 20 in 1995, followed by a swag of 24 in 1996 against them.    When the boy from Mirrabooka finally called it a day, another long football involvement was about to begin.In November, 2006, Ross’s son, Bryce, was selected as number one draft pick by Carlton.  Although preferring his boy to be picked up by a South Australian club, Ross was later to express his satisfaction at how well the Blues were looking after Bryce, and is now following a new Gibbs career.It’s doubtful if the younger Gibbs will have the longevity of his old man, though.