Domenick Louis "Don" Marinko (27 August 1907 – 4 May 1967) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the and

West Perth Football Club The West Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Falcons, is an Australian rules football club located in Joondalup, Western Australia. West Perth competes in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and WAFL Women's (WAFLW) and is the oldest exi ...

s in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL) and the Boulder City Football Club in the

Goldfields Football League The Goldfields Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Goldfields region of Western Australia. Founded in 1896 as Hannans District Football Association, the league enjoyed a seat and full voting rights on the Austra ...

(GFL). Born in the

Goldfields Goldfield or Goldfields may refer to: Places * Goldfield, Arizona, the former name of Youngberg, Arizona, a populated place in the United States * Goldfield, Colorado, a community in the United States * Goldfield, Iowa, a city in the United State ...

region of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, he was educated at Christian Brothers' College in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, and made his senior debut for Subiaco in 1923, at the age of 16. The following season, Marinko returned to the Goldfields in order to find work in the mines, and took up playing for the Boulder City Football Club in the Goldfields Football Association (GFA), playing in premierships in 1924 and 1925. Returning to Perth, he fell into West Perth's zone, and began playing with the club in 1926. Marinko played in premiership sides for West Perth in 1932, 1934, and 1935, and was captain of the club for the latter two seasons. At his retirement in 1939, he had played 194 games for the club, and 197 games total in the WAFL, as well as playing thirteen

interstate The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

matches for

. Having died in 1967 from a sudden heart attack, Marinko was named in West Perth's Team of the Century in 2000, and inducted into the

West Australian Football Hall of Fame The West Australian Football Hall of Fame was created in 2002 to recognise and enshrine those who have made a significant contribution to Australian rules football in Western Australia. People eligible for inclusion are players, coaches, umpires, ...

in 2011.

Early career

Marinko was born to Antony and Mary Marinko on 27 August 1907, at Kamballie, a railway station south of Boulder in the

region of

.West Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees
– West Australian Football Commission. Retrieved 10 June 2012. Educated at the Christian Brothers' College in

, Marinko took up playing football for the school's team. He began his senior football career at the age of 16 with , debuting during the 1923 season. Playing as a forward, Marinko managed three games, but was criticised for his kicking ability. In a match against , which Subiaco lost by four points, it was reported by ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...

'' that he had cost his team the match: "...Marinko lost badly and the opportunity thus mulled cost the visitors the match". The following year, Marinko moved to the Goldfields to further his employment opportunities. He began playing with the Boulder City Football Club. In January 1925, Marinko appeared before the Boulder Police Court on two complaints made by a Mr. Ivan Rocci of assault and using abusive language. The charges were dismissed by the resident magistrate, a Mr. J. E. Geary. Midway through the 1925 season, Marinko attempted to transfer to the

Mines Rovers Football Club The Goldfields Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Goldfields region of Western Australia. Founded in 1896 as Hannans District Football Association, the league enjoyed a seat and full voting rights on the Austral ...

, also based in Boulder. The clearance was refused. On his return to Perth at the end of the 1926 season, Marinko signed with .

West Perth career

In May 1937, after a match against , Marinko was suspended for five matches, comprising a two-match suspension for attempting to kick Stan Headon and a three-match suspension for abusive language toward a field umpire. It was noted that "the statement that Marinko had not been reported before during his long football career was taken into consideration" by the tribunal. In April 1934, Marinko was announced as captain of West Perth, a role which he reprised the following season.

Later life

Marinko retired at the end of the 1939 season, in part due to lack of movement caused by a strained back suffered at work, and was elected a life member of West Perth at the club's 1940 annual general meeting. Two of his sons, Donald Anthony and Raymond George Marinko, both played WAFL football for West Perth in the 1950s. Marinko died in 1967 from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

. He was named in West Perth's Team of the Century in October 2000, and was inducted into the

in March 2011.Stylish Don heading for WA Hall of Fame
– inmyCommunity. Published 8 March 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marinko, Don, senior 1907 births 1967 deaths Australian rules footballers from Western Australia Boulder City Football Club players Subiaco Football Club players West Perth Football Club players West Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees People educated at Christian Brothers' College, Perth People from Boulder, Western Australia