Australian Football

Recruited from Tuart Hill, John Gastev made his league debut for West Perth midway through the 1983 season, and went on to play a total of 48 games and kick 60 goals for the club over the next three and a half years. In 1987 he was a member of West Coast's inaugural VFL squad, playing 30 games and kicking 31 goals before being somewhat surprisingly released to Brisbane in 1989.

It was while with the Bears that Gastev played probably his best and most consistent football, winning club best and fairest awards in 1989 and 1992, and establishing a reputation as one of the toughest and most courageous on-ballers in the game. Renowned for his hard attack on the football, and his unflinching valour under enemy fire, Gastev was a firm favourite among Brisbane's fans, and one of the club's most important players during its formative years. He played a total of 113 games for the Bears between 1989 and 1994, kicking 41 goals. He also played two interstate games for Western Australia.

Author - John Devaney