25 Broken Hill Sporting Icons – Visco Sulicich
BORN on May 8, 1960, the oldest of three children of a Croatian immigrant, Visco Sulicich would excel at both Australian summer and winter passions of Australian Rules Football and Cricket.
His foundation Aussie Rules football club was Central Broken Hill Magpies starting in the “Mosquito Fleet” under Fred Fulton and Phil Hibberd.
As a classy ball winning inside midfielder or rover Visco moved through the grades and by 1977, as a 16-year-old he made his A grade debut for the Magpies.
The former Broken Hill High School student won his first A grade Flags in 1979 under Vince Gauci and was a key member of the club’s five titles in row under Don Price’s mentorships from 1981 to 1985.
“We played in seven Broken Hill Football League grand finals in a row,” Sulicich said.
“West ruined our perfect run in 1980.
“I played in the 1993 premiership under Peter Nash and decided to retire.
“But in 1995 I came back and coached, and played enjoying an eighth flag.
“In 2006 I coached Central to another premiership, with a kid in his mid-teens by the name of Lachlan McGregor as our forward.
“I certainly enjoyed the transition to coaching great satisfaction from winning title as a coach.”
Along with his pair of back-to-back Middleton Medallist in 1984 and 1985 and being a consistent BHFL representative player, Sulicich played for SA Country in three successive years.
In 1984 he played in the Graham Cornes coached SA Country team alongside fellow Broken Hill talent Peter Johns.
In 1985 he travelled to Perth and played under Cornes at the Subiaco Oval, in the SA tri-colours.
The famous 1986 side under the legendary Rick “ER” Davies played at Football Park, noted for Davies unique approach to motivating the team.
“I Injured knee, did my ACL in ‘86 just after the SA country game in a local BHFL fixture,” Sulicich said.
“That actually finished my cricket as well.
“It took a significant time to recover from that injury.
“In the end I finished with 266 A grade games all for Magpies.”
His football career included five Broken Hill Magpies best and fairest accolades, impressively two were after knee operation, which Sulicich confirmed changed the way he played.
He remembers vividly played in matches BHFL against Woodville and in Whyalla, against the Spencer Gulf Football League
“Amongst my more significant opponents, I remember Peter Bongetti from West was always being tough,” Sulicich said.
“Greg Buss at the North Bulldogs and Randy Stenhouse at South are a couple of others that stick out.”
As a cricketer, Sulicich generally batted at number three at SACA Senior Country Cup, although he only went to a pair of carnivals.
They coincided with the Barrier team winning the titles in 1982 and 1986.
Front foot player he made a century at the Harry Meyer Cup, and both years he ventured to the city, Sulicich win the competitions fielding trophy.
“While I suggested to Rod (Johnston) I wouldn’t mind fielding in the slips, he always stationed me in the covers,” he said.
“I had the covers, Greg McCoy who was an outstanding fielder who patrolled the leg side.
“I played in a couple of premierships for the Central Broken Hill Cricket Club.
“Played alongside quick Bill Slee helped our cause, he was our full back in the footy premierships in the 1980s.”
His highest score in the Barrier Cricket competition was 170 among a small handful of centuries and in the Harry Meyer Cup Sulicich made 124 against Yorke Peninsula in the 1986 campaign.
Visco was also a social golfer playing off an 18 handicap, and enjoyed a significant work career being chief operating officer for 15 years at CBH Resources before retirement.
With wife Marnie he moved to Adelaide in 2018, and have two sons – Cohen and Dane – and a daughter Sienna.
“My close friends are all through sport,” Sulicich said.
“There is no doubt sport made the town of Broken Hill.”
