Ron Barassi says premiership teammate Stuart Spencer was one of the club’s greats

AFL LEGEND Ron Barassi says Melbourne could have won 10 premierships in a row, had star rover Stuart Spencer remained a Demon.

Author Faye Spencer at the launch of her book ‘Stuey: My life with Stuart Spencer’. Pictu

FOOTBALL legend Ron Barassi says Melbourne could have won 10 premierships in a row, had star rover Stuart Spencer remained a Demon.

“We won five from six from the mid-50s and all of us believed had Stuey not gone to Tasmania that we would have won in the wet in ‘58 and gone on from there,” he said.

“Stuey was quick, had courage and a big engine… he was on another level to us.”

In his foreword to “Stuey”, My Life with Stuart Spencer, written by his wife of 56 years Fay Spencer, the legendary Barassi, now 78, said his old teammate had skills he could only dream about.

“He left us at 24 before he was even at his absolute top,” he said. ‘Even then he was best and fairest in two premiership seasons (1955 and 1956) and best afield in the ’56 Grand Final. He could play all right. He was our biggest star of all.’

Author Faye Spencer at the launch of her book ‘Stuey: My life with Stuart Spencer’. Picture: Richard Jupe

At the MCG launch for the book Garry Lyon said Spencer’s involvements at Melbourne both as a player and later as long time club president helped to create a harmony and fraternity which was the envy of every other League club.

Melbourne played in eight Grand Finals in 11 years from 1954-64, winning six flags. They appeared in the finals in the other three seasons, finishing third in 1961, fourth in 1962 and fifth in 1963.

Spencer remains a football icon in Victoria and Tasmania. Best afield in back-to-back Melbourne premierships in 1955 and 1956, he left the mainland at the age of 24 when he was at the height of his fame to coach in Tasmania. Recruited from Portland in far west Victoria, he played 236 games for Clarence and finally hung the boots up at 36. Victoria’s loss was Tasmania’s gain and in 1958 he was All Australian before his ultimate triumph when he led Tasmania to a historic victory over the mighty Big V.

Passionate, determined, highly gifted and caring, Spencer’s inspirational example and people skills saw him make friends from all walks of life. His many decorations include AFL Life Membership and selection in the Melbourne and AFL Hall of Fame and the Tasmanian Hall of Fame as player and coach. He and wife Fay, a Tassie girl, were married for 56 years.

Spencer died in 2011.

Published in a limited edition of 400 hardback copies, Stuey includes 232 pages and almost 100 pictures, cuttings and illustrations plus some magnificent full colour endpapers and statistics which will delight. It costs $49.95 plus post from www.cricketbooks.com.au