By Malcolm Conn and Daniel Brettig
On Thursday evening in Sydney, Ian and Greg Chappell got together with Jeff Thomson. They spoke, mostly, about their close friend Rod Marsh and the ordeal of the past week after his heart attack in Bundaberg.
When the call came that all had been dreading but expecting - Marsh’s life support at the Royal Adelaide Hospital was to be switched off that night - the catch-up became an impromptu wake.
They called Dennis Lillee, another legendary figure from the Australian teams of the 1970s and ’80s, and spoke together about Marsh and his enormous legacy. It’s a conversation that is now being had across the country and the world.
Marsh died about 6am on Friday. He played 96 Tests for Australia between 1970 and 1984 as one of the nation’s finest players. He was the first Australian wicketkeeper to make a century and held the world record for dismissals for 14 years.
Pat Cummins described Rod Marsh as a “colossal figure” in Australian cricket.Credit: Getty
Greg Chappell, captain for the last eight years of Marsh’s career, described him as the “spiritual leader” of the Australian team during his playing days.
“It’s a very sad day for cricket,” Chappell told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. “For all of us from that group, it was obviously a successful era. There were a lot of good guys and Rod was the spiritual leader of the group.”
John Inverarity, Marsh’s former captain with Western Australia and lifelong friend, described him as a man of great integrity and fairness, but with a mischievous streak that made him a tremendous tourist.
“He was a great companion, friend and of course cricketer,” Inverarity said. “When you reflect on your time in cricket, the most valuable thing is the friends you make, and he was a dear, dear friend and he made friends easily. He was pretty special.
“We first played in a team together when he was 14 and I was 17. He and Ros were married six days before Jane and I were married, so we were close, close friends from our early 20s. It’s been a tough week.”
Later, Marsh and Inverarity shared time together on the national selection panel. “We were totally honest, open and frank with each other and shared our views,” Inverarity said. “He was always a delight to be with - trustworthy.”
Ian Chappell, who captained Marsh from 1971-75, credited the gloveman with first singing the now famous team song Under the Southern Cross after Australia beat England at Brisbane’s Gabba during the 1974-75 tour.
“It’s the first time I heard it in a team situation and from then on, whenever we won, he let loose,” he said.
Marsh remained involved in cricket for much of his life. He was a commentator and took charge of Australia’s National Cricket Academy before filling the same role with England and then the International Cricket Council.
“His tentacles were pretty widespread in cricket, so there were a lot of people that knew him, and even if somebody didn’t necessarily like him, they respected him,” Ian Chappell said.
Australian cricket legends Rod Marsh and Dennis Lillee at the MCG in 2017.Credit: Getty
“He was always happy to have a yarn, he had a good sense of humour, anybody that met him enjoyed his company.”
Marsh’s eldest son Paul, CEO of the AFL Players’ Association and former CEO of the Australian Cricketers Association, released a statement on behalf of the family.
“He has been an incredible husband, father and grandfather and we have been so fortunate to have had him in all of our lives,” Paul Marsh said. “We are so grateful for all of the love and support our family has received from so many people over the last week. It has given us strength in the most difficult week of our lives.”
Australia’s cricketers donned black armbands in commemoration of Marsh during day one of their Test match against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. There will be a minute’s silence before play, and flags at Pindi Stadium flew at half-mast. Players were upset by the news, having dealt closely with Marsh as selection chair as recently as 2016.
“He was brilliant to deal with because he knew the game inside out, but also had a way of dealing with you to put you at your ease,” the men’s Test captain Pat Cummins said.
“When I think of Rod I think of a generous and larger-than-life character who always had a life-loving, positive and relaxed outlook, and his passing leaves a massive void in the Australian cricket community.
“My thoughts, and the thoughts of the entire tour party here in Pakistan, are with Rod’s wife Ros and their family at this terrible time.”
CA’s chair Lachlan Henderson spoke of Marsh’s indelible footprint on the game as both a cricketer and a mentor.
“Rod will be forever remembered for the way he played the game and the pleasure he brought crowds as a member of some great Australian teams,” he said. “‘Caught Marsh, bowled Lillee’ has iconic status in our game.
“Rod also made an enormous contribution to the game by identifying, coaching and mentoring many future stars in his various roles as coach and director at cricket academies in Australia and other cricket playing nations.“
Inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2005 and the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009, Marsh is survived by wife Ros and children Paul, Dan and Jamie.
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