THE Western Australian football community lost a legend last Friday with the passing of champion player and champion bloke Steve Bazzo.
At just 45, Bazzo passed far too early following a short battle with cancer (melanoma).
“To lose a member as a result of this terrible disease is very hard for all concerned,” Jasmine Cashell, South Mandurah Football Club president, the club Bazzo coached at until the end of 2014, said.
“This was the one game the club did not want to lose.
“He was always available to help anyone and that really struck a chord with the club as a whole.
“At the club, Steve is fondly remembered saying often ‘It is what it is’, which epitomised his gentle loving nature.”
Bazzo will be best remembered for his 232-game Western Australian Football League career spanning three clubs, Swan Districts, West Perth and Peel Thunder, across three decades.
The Carey Park Football Club product started his football career in 1988 at Swan Districts, where he played 158 games.
Andrew Holmes, Bazzo’s former teammate at Swan Districts, said he remembered Bazzo as a natural runner with stamina to run all day.
“He was a country boy who enjoyed the camaraderie of his teammates and contributed greatly to the Swan Districts Football Club both on and off the field,” he said.
“The image that will stick with me the most about Baz was the video of the 1990 Grand Final, where Toddy [John Todd] told him at 1pm while on the rub down table that he was not in the team, due to Brent Hutton being passed fit to play. After the game you can see Baz on video around the celebrations with disappointment and heartbreak about not playing, but eventually Baz put that behind him and continued to play several more years at Swans.”
After leaving the Swans at the end of the 1995 season Bazzo had a short 14-game stint at West Perth before he became an inaugural member of Peel Thunder in 1997 where he went on to play 60 games before retiring from WAFL football in 2000.
However Bazzo’s football career wasn’t over, with the talented utility joining Pinjarra in the Peel Football League.
Bill Cooke, Pinjarra Football Club member and the man responsible for getting Bazzo to the club, said Steve was an awesome person and contributor to the club. “He was a natural leader and had a wealth of experience,” he said.
“I remember him lining up at half forward in a game against South Mandurah, where he kicked 10 goals.
“He was a great person; there was nothing he wouldn’t do for you and he always saw the funny side in things; having a few beers with him was always fun.”
“He’ll be missed,” he said.
At Pinjarra he played in three grand finals from 2001-2003 before hanging up the boots to focus on coaching.
Bazzo was an assistant coach and runner at Peel Thunder from 2001-2008 before landing his first senior coaching role at his former club Pinjarra for the 2009 season.
He coached there for two years, taking Pinjarra into the finals in his last season.
After a short time away from coaching, Bazzo stepped back into a head coaching role at South Mandurah, where he stayed until the end of last year.
In his two-year tenure, South Mandurah narrowly missed out on finals on both occasions, missing the top five in the final game of the season in both years.
Club president Cashell said Bazzo’s had an enormous effect on the club in his two years at the helm from 2013-2014.
Cashell said the “melanoma cause” was close to the heart of the club with the club having held fundraising events for Melanoma Western Australia.
Most recently Bazzo was appointed as an assistant coach with Peel Thunder’s under 16s team, a position he held to the end.
Peel Thunder president John Ditchburn said Bazzo would be deeply missed.
“Steve was an inaugural player with Peel in 1997 and was made a life member in 2007,” Ditchburn said.
“Steve will be sorely missed by all at the club and within the football community.”
Peel Football League general operations manger Geoff Hiller paid tribute to Bazzo, a man he said was an “absolute gentleman of football”.
“He would stop and take the time to talk to anyone and loved talking about football,” Hiller said.
“His passion for football in general, the Peel league and his work with the juniors was enormous. He was a PFL ambassador, did commentating for the finals and was well respected for his knowledge of the game.
“His loss to the football community is beyond words. He will be missed in all football circles.”