{xtypo_dropcap}A{/xtypo_dropcap}ny West Perth supporter who was around in the seventies and doesn’t get a goosebump at the mention of Stephen Smeath should be tested for signs of life.

Smeath was a half forward flanker with pace and skills to burn for the Cardinals between 1967 and 78, his electrifying runs along the wing bringing the Len Roper Stand fans to their feet. 

Running was the young Smeath’s forte, and as a competitive athlete he ran third in the State Junior Long Distance Championships. After winning the Fairest and Best in the Thirds competition, Steven Smeath graduated to the league side, where his pace and stamina stamped him as a wingman of promise. 

After making that spot his own, he was tried one day on a half forward flank, swapping with John Vukman, and quickly became one of the League’s most brilliant and explosive specialist half forwards.  Smeath won an Independent Newspaper WAFL Footballer Of The Year , was runner up to Mel Whinnen for his club’s Fairest and Best Award in 1971, and was a State representative on three occasions. A reliable snapshot at goal, he topped the club’s goalkicking twice.  

 He went on to play 185 games with West Perth, in a sparkling career that was almost finished in 1974, when he left West Perth to play with Narrogin.

The advent of Graeme Campbell lured the speedster back to the Cardinals fold, and a fruitful return it proved to be.  West Perth went on to win a last to first flag, which Smeath added to his 1969 and 71 premiership successes.      

After retiring from WAFL football in 1978, he played with Wanneroo and later Nollamara, where he
was also involved in coaching, and spent a further nine years as a state selector with the Amateurs.

His talents weren’t limited to football.

Smeath is a life member of Leederville Cricket Club, where he took “between 850 and 900” wickets and scored over three thousand runs. He was also a trainer-reinsman with some success, among the most notable being with Swanky Yank, a horse destined for the knackers when he took it over, mentoring it to fast class company.

We spoke with Stephen Smeath recently and  asked him to name the best players he’d played with. “Polly Farmer, Bill Dempsey, and Mel Whinnen” was the prompt answer, while he named Ken McAullay, Stan Nowotny,  Colin Lofts, and Barry Paterson from Subiaco as his hardest opponents. He said”Today’s footballers are quicker and run in packs more than the seventies. It’s all play on now, where a lot of players those days would go back and take the kick.”

These days Stephen Smeath is a Forklift Driver/ Storeman , the pace of his fork lift far removed from the runs along the wing at Leederville.