1935 WAFL season | |
---|---|
Teams | 8 |
Premiers | West Perth 7th premiership |
Minor premiers | Subiaco 5th minor premiership |
Sandover Medallist | Lou Daily (Subiaco) George Krepp (Swan Districts) [a] |
Bernie Naylor Medallist | George Doig (East Fremantle) |
Matches played | 76 |
The 1935 WANFL season was the 51st season of the Western Australian National Football League. The season saw West Perth win the premiership under the coaching of Johnny Leonard; it was the only time in West Perth's history that it won consecutive premierships, [1] preceding a brief but exceptionally steep decline that saw the Cardinals four years later suffer the equal longest losing streak in WA(N)FL history. [2]
This season saw Claremont-Cottesloe under new president Pat Rodriguez change its name to Claremont, [3] and at first gave promise of great improvement before returning to their worst 1934 form. 1934 finalists Victoria Park lost defenders Shepherd, A. Brown, Hungerford and Patrick Fitzgerald in the off-season to retirement of major injuries [4] and failed to cope with these problems, [5] finishing last for the only time in open-age competition between 1924 and 1980. In contrast, Subiaco, who had been disappointing in 1934 with just seven victories, regained Lou Daily from Geelong and Collingwood to signal the end of a major exodus to the VFL. [6] Daily's brilliant play in defence, and the acquisition of Frank Murphy from the Magpies as captain-coach, made the Maroons the best team in the competition for much of 1935, but West Perth's defence was too much in the Grand Final and Subiaco were to have a third of a century as a cellar-dweller before their next premiership in 1973.
The Sandover Medal count was marred by overlooking a clause in the rules to deal with a tie – Lou Daily was initially awarded the Medal on the casting vote of WANFL President Walter Stooke [7] and became the first full-back to win a "best-and-fairest" medal in any leading Australian Rules state, [8] but on 21 September it was pointed out that George Krepp should have won through having received one more three-vote than Daily. [9] Ultimately the WANFL had no choice but to strike a second medal, which was given to Krepp at the League meeting on 16 October. [10]
Round 1 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 4 May (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 19.10 (124) | def. | South Fremantle 11.17 (83) | Fremantle Oval | [11] |
Saturday, 4 May (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 14.15 (99) | def. | Swan Districts 10.12 (72) | Subiaco Oval | [12] |
Saturday, 4 May (2:45 pm) | Claremont 16.16 (112) | def. | Victoria Park 12.11 (83) | Claremont Oval (crowd: 955) | [13] |
Monday, 6 May (2:45 pm) | West Perth 17.17 (119) | def. | East Perth 11.15 (81) | Leederville Oval | [14] |
Clarence Hooper, in his first match for the Tigers, shows that the hype he received in the pre-season [4] is justified with a clear best-on-ground display in his WANFL debut. |
Round 2 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 11 May (2:45 pm) | Victoria Park 11.7 (73) | def. by | East Fremantle 19.10 (124) | WACA | [15] |
Saturday, 11 May (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 13.10 (88) | def. | West Perth 9.9 (63) | Bassendean Oval | [16] |
Saturday, 11 May (2:45 pm) | East Perth 14.11 (95) | def. by | Subiaco 18.19 (127) | Perth Oval | [17] |
Saturday, 11 May (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 15.10 (100) | def. by | Claremont 18.16 (124) | Fremantle Oval | [18] |
George Doig, following on from his record 1934 season, kicked twelve goals against Victoria Park. |
Round 3 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 18 May (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 20.16 (136) | def. | Swan Districts 14.11 (95) | Fremantle Oval | [19] |
Saturday, 18 May (2:45 pm) | Claremont 6.9 (45) | def. by | East Perth 12.17 (89) | Claremont Oval | [20] |
Saturday, 18 May (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 21.12 (138) | def. | South Fremantle 14.7 (91) | Subiaco Oval | [21] |
Saturday, 18 May (2:45 pm) | West Perth 19.19 (133) | def. | Victoria Park 11.11 (77) | Leederville Oval | [22] |
George Doig kicked a further ten goals against Swan Districts. |
Round 4 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 25 May (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 13.10 (88) | def. | Claremont 14.13 (97) | Bassendean Oval | [23] |
Saturday, 25 May (2:45 pm) | East Perth 11.22 (88) | def. by | East Fremantle 15.13 (103) | Perth Oval | [24] |
Saturday, 25 May (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 9.8 (62) | def. by | West Perth 11.16 (82) | Fremantle Oval | [25] |
Saturday, 25 May (2:45 pm) | Victoria Park 15.12 (102) | def. by | Subiaco 18.17 (125) | WACA | [26] |
|
Round 5 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 1 June (2:45 pm) | East Perth 13.11 (89) | def. | Swan Districts 12.10 (82) | Perth Oval | [27] |
Saturday, 1 June (2:45 pm) | Claremont 10.9 (69) | def. | East Fremantle 9.12 (66) | Claremont Oval | [28] |
Saturday, 1 June (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 18.21 (129) | def. | Victoria Park 8.11 (59) | Fremantle Oval | [29] |
Monday, 3 June (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 10.10 (70) | def. by | West Perth 13.13 (91) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 9578) | [30] |
Following its loss to West Perth, Subiaco protested on the grounds that former Collingwood player Jack Beveridge had played without the proper permit. The protest was upheld, and Subiaco was awarded the match points for the game. [31] |
Round 6 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 8 June (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 14.14 (98) | def. | Subiaco 15.7 (97) | Fremantle Oval | [32] |
Saturday, 8 June (2:45 pm) | West Perth 11.18 (84) | def. | Claremont 12.7 (79) | Leederville Oval | [33] |
Saturday, 8 June (2:45 pm) | Victoria Park 12.14 (86) | def. by | East Perth 24.19 (163) | WACA | [34] |
Saturday, 8 June (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 8.15 (63) | def. by | South Fremantle 17.14 (116) | Bassendean Oval | [35] |
Round 7 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 15 June (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 14.17 (101) | def. | West Perth 6.19 (55) | Fremantle Oval | [36] |
Saturday, 15 June (2:45 pm) | Victoria Park 15.14 (104) | def. | Swan Districts 10.12 (72) | WACA | [37] |
Saturday, 15 June (2:45 pm) | East Perth 13.22 (100) | def. | South Fremantle 10.16 (76) | Perth Oval | [38] |
Saturday, 15 June (2:45 pm) | Claremont 14.12 (96) | def. by | Subiaco 20.11 (131) | Claremont Oval | [39] |
First interstate match | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 22 June (2:45 pm) | Western Australia | def. by | Victoria | Perth Oval (crowd: 25,500) | [40] |
1.2 (8) 7.4 (46) 11.4 (70) 13.10 (88) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 5.6 (36) 9.10 (64) 14.17 (101) 18.18 (126) | Umpires: Jack McMurray senior | ||
George Doig, Davey 3.0 Anderson 1.4 Stewart Daily, Norm McDiarmid, Rainoldi, Richardson 1.1 Lawn, McGlinn 1.0 Walsh, Ryan 0.1 | Goals | 6.2 Beames 4.3 Green 3.1 Morrison 2.2 Evans 1.5 Hartnett 1.2 Dyer 1.0 Collier 0.2 Taylor 0.1 Bisset, Mills | |||
Bowe, McDiarmid, Rainoldi, Clarke, Batt, Davey | Best | Shea (best on ground), Beames, Regan, Collier, Huxtable, Dick Reynolds, Gandion | |||
Injuries | Martin (ribs) | ||||
Western Australia's lack of system and the strength of Regan in defence ensure a convincing defeat. |
Second interstate match | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tuesday, 25 June (2:45 pm) | Western Australia | def. by | Victoria | Leederville Oval (crowd: 11,221) | [41] |
3.0 (18) 6.1 (37) 9.4 (58) 11.6 (72) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 5.2 (32) 7.10 (52) 8.11 (59) 12.13 (85) | Umpires: Jack McMurray senior | ||
George Doig 5.1 Reynolds 3.0 Rainoldi 1.1 Ditchburn, McDiarmid 1.0 J. Anderson, Ryan 0.1 | Goals | 3.3 Green 2.3 Hartnett 2.2 Dick Reynolds 2.1 Evans 2.0 Beames 1.1 Nash 0.1 Shea, Lewis | |||
Rainoldi, McDiarmid, Krepp, Tetley, Lawn, Clarke | Best | Shea (best on ground), Dick Reynolds, Regan, Evans, Beames, Anderson | |||
A second defeat, although the match was closer than the Saturday encounter, revealed Western Australia's definite weakness in key positions. |
Round 8 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 29 June (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 10.9 (69) | def. by | Subiaco 18.11 (119) | Bassendean Oval | [42] |
Saturday, 29 June (2:45 pm) | East Perth 15.11 (101) | def. | West Perth 12.12 (84) | Perth Oval | [43] |
Saturday, 29 June (2:45 pm) | Victoria Park 11.13 (79) | def. by | Claremont 15.11 (101) | WACA | [44] |
Saturday, 29 June (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 9.19 (73) | def. by | East Fremantle 15.21 (111) | Fremantle Oval | [45] |
Claremont enters the top four with its fifth win, but it proved the club's last win for the season. |
Round 9 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 6 July (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 15.8 (98) | def. | East Perth 12.16 (88) | Subiaco Oval | [46] |
Saturday, 6 July (2:45 pm) | Claremont 10.8 (68) | def. by | South Fremantle 17.9 (111) | Claremont Oval | [47] |
Saturday, 6 July (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 14.14 (98) | def. by | Victoria Park 17.13 (115) | Fremantle Oval | [48] |
Saturday, 6 July (2:45 pm) | West Perth 14.17 (101) | def. | Swan Districts 11.11 (77) | Leederville Oval | [49] |
Victoria Park kicked eight goals in the final quarter to defeat East Fremantle and hand over bottom position to Swan Districts. Gook's marking was spectacular. |
Round 10 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 13 July (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 17.15 (117) | def. | Subiaco 16.12 (108) | Fremantle Oval | [50] |
Saturday, 13 July (2:45 pm) | Victoria Park 7.7 (49) | def. by | West Perth 11.15 (81) | WACA | [51] |
Saturday, 13 July (2:45 pm) | East Perth 12.12 (84) | def. | Claremont 10.15 (75) | Perth Oval | [52] |
Saturday, 13 July (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 14.11 (95) | def. | East Fremantle 9.16 (70) | Bassendean Oval | [53] |
For a second successive round East Fremantle lose to the bottom club, jeopardising their second semi-final berth. |
Western Australian National Football League Second XVIII v Goldfields Football League | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 20 July (2:45 pm) | Western Australian National Football League Second XVIII 16.18 (114) | def. | Goldfields Football League 11.22 (88) | Leederville Oval | [54] |
A WANFL "second eighteen" [b] struggles against the powerful Goldfields league, despite wet conditions unfamiliar to players from that region. The Goldfields were especially impressive in high marking. [55] |
Round 11 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 27 July (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 18.18 (126) | def. | Victoria Park 13.16 (94) | Subiaco Oval | [56] |
Saturday, 27 July (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 15.18 (108) | def. by | East Perth 18.16 (124) | Fremantle Oval | [57] |
Saturday, 27 July (2:45 pm) | Claremont 11.8 (74) | def. by | Swan Districts 13.15 (93) | Claremont Oval | [58] |
Saturday, 27 July (2:45 pm) | West Perth 18.8 (116) | def. | South Fremantle 7.11 (53) | Leederville Oval | [59] |
Round 12 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 3 August (2:45 pm) | West Perth 10.8 (68) | def. | Subiaco 9.7 (61) | Leederville Oval | [60] |
Saturday, 3 August (2:45 pm) | Victoria Park 12.10 (82) | def. by | South Fremantle 14.16 (100) | WACA | [61] |
Saturday, 3 August (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 21.14 (140) | def. | Claremont 9.8 (62) | Fremantle Oval | [62] |
Saturday, 3 August (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 10.18 (78) | def. by | East Perth 12.12 (84) | Bassendean Oval | [63] |
The top four moved three games clear of the bottom four with only six more rounds to be played, and with George Doig kicking eight goals and Kingsbury five East Fremantle end a worrying slump against the Tigers, who had now lost their last four. |
Round 13 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 10 August (2:45 pm) | East Perth 13.17 (95) | def. | Victoria Park 11.12 (78) | Perth Oval | [64] |
Saturday, 10 August (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 10.12 (72) | def. by | Swan Districts 11.21 (87) | Fremantle Oval | [65] |
Saturday, 10 August (2:45 pm) | Claremont 9.4 (58) | def. by | West Perth 12.16 (88) | Claremont Oval | [66] |
Saturday, 10 August (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 11.14 (80) | def. | East Fremantle 7.13 (55) | Subiaco Oval | [67] |
Round 14 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 17 August (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 11.16 (82) | def. by | Victoria Park 14.16 (100) | Bassendean Oval | [68] |
Saturday, 17 August (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 14.15 (99) | def. | East Perth 12.25 (97) | Fremantle Oval | [69] |
Saturday, 17 August (2:45 pm) | West Perth 17.11 (113) | def. | East Fremantle 11.19 (85) | Leederville Oval | [70] |
Saturday, 17 August (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 17.13 (115) | def. | Claremont 10.21 (81) | Subiaco Oval | [71] |
|
Round 15 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 24 August (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 16.16 (112) | def. | South Fremantle 10.11 (71) | Fremantle Oval | [73] |
Saturday, 24 August (2:45 pm) | Claremont 11.13 (79) | def. by | Subiaco 13.17 (95) | Claremont Oval | [74] |
Saturday, 24 August (2:45 pm) | Victoria Park 8.9 (57) | def. by | East Perth 10.16 (76) | WACA | [75] |
Saturday, 24 August (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 11.10 (76) | def. by | West Perth 19.11 (125) | Bassendean Oval | [76] |
Ted Tyson (West Perth) kicked 10.6 (66) against Swan Districts. |
Round 16 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 31 August (2:45 pm) | East Perth 17.20 (122) | def. | Swan Districts 11.11 (77) | Perth Oval | [77] |
Saturday, 31 August (2:45 pm) | Claremont 2.10 (22) | def. by | West Perth 14.8 (92) | Claremont Oval | [78] |
Saturday, 31 August (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 7.18 (60) | def. by | Subiaco 12.16 (88) | Fremantle Oval | [79] |
Saturday, 31 August (2:45 pm) | Victoria Park 9.3 (57) | def. by | East Fremantle 13.18 (96) | WACA | [80] |
|
Round 17 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 7 September (2:45 pm) | Claremont 12.7 (79) | def. by | East Perth 27.21 (183) | Claremont Oval | [83] |
Saturday, 7 September (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 14.14 (98) | def. | Victoria Park 13.13 (91) | Bassendean Oval | [84] |
Saturday, 7 September (2:45 pm) | West Perth 16.19 (115) | def. | South Fremantle 10.13 (73) | Leederville Oval | [85] |
Saturday, 7 September (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 15.8 (98) | def. by | East Fremantle 19.15 (129) | Subiaco Oval | [86] |
|
Round 18 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 14 September (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 16.17 (113) | def. | South Fremantle 10.9 (69) | Subiaco Oval | [89] |
Saturday, 14 September (2:45 pm) | East Perth 9.8 (62) | def. by | Subiaco 16.16 (112) | Perth Oval | [90] |
Saturday, 14 September (2:45 pm) | Victoria Park 20.14 (134) | def. | Claremont 9.8 (62) | WACA | [91] |
Saturday, 14 September (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 12.15 (87) | def. | West Perth 8.16 (64) | Fremantle Oval | [92] |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Subiaco | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1887 | 1547 | 122.0 | 56 |
2 | West Perth (P) | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1674 | 1300 | 128.8 | 52 |
3 | East Fremantle | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1843 | 1512 | 121.9 | 48 |
4 | East Perth | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1821 | 1583 | 115.0 | 48 |
5 | South Fremantle | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 1555 | 1787 | 87.0 | 24 |
6 | Swan Districts | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 1505 | 1731 | 86.9 | 24 |
7 | Claremont | 18 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 1383 | 1855 | 74.6 | 20 |
8 | Victoria Park | 18 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 1520 | 1873 | 81.2 | 16 |
First semi-final | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 21 September (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 8.13 (61) | def. by | East Perth 9.18 (72) | Leederville Oval (crowd: 8,411) | |
In a fast, high-speed game in wet and slippery conditions, East Perth came from behind to win after East Fremantle had opened with four goals to none with the breeze in the first quarter. [93] |
Second semi-final | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 28 September (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 13.9 (87) | def. | West Perth 9.17 (71) | Perth Oval (crowd: 12,728) | |
Subiaco, aided by the return of Lou Daily from Victoria, defeated West Perth to reach their third Grand Final in five seasons. [94] |
Preliminary final | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 5 October (2:45 pm) | West Perth 10.17 (77) | def. | East Perth 11.4 (70) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 11,808) | |
Retiring follower Jack McDiarmid was the outstanding player as West Perth came from behind to defeat an East Perth in a very fast game. [95] |
1935 WANFL Grand Final | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 12 October (2:15 pm) | Subiaco | def. by | West Perth | Perth Oval | [96] |
2.1 (13) 2.5 (17) 5.7 (37) 7.9 (51) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 3.5 (23) 5.5 (35) 8.5 (53) 11.8 (74) | Umpires: George Owens | ||
Mills 2, Richardson 2, Roe, Green, Stewart Daily | Goals | Tyson 5, Yates, McDiarmid, Anderson, Beveridge, Rainoldi, Marinko | |||
Davies (best on ground), Bowe, Briggs, Lou Daily, Strack, Murphy | Best | Beveridge, Morgan, Benton, Flemming, Sanderson, Shuttleworth, Anderson, Rainoldi | |||
This was the last ever WANFL Grand Final at Perth Oval. |
a WANFL President Walter Stooke gave a casting vote to Daily, but Bob Bryant noted that Krepp had received eight first votes to Daily's seven, and should according to the "countback" rule of the time have won, so that the WANFL had to strike a second medal.
b The "first eighteen" of Western Australia was in Adelaide playing South Australia for this weekend.
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from April to September, with the top five teams playing off in a finals series, culminating in a Grand Final. The league also runs reserves, colts (under-19) and women's competitions.
The Claremont Football Club, nicknamed Tigers, is an Australian rules football club based in Claremont, Western Australia, that currently plays in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and WAFL Women's (WAFLW). Its official colours are navy blue and gold. Formed as the "Cottesloe Beach Football Club" in 1906, the club entering the WAFL in 1925 as the "Claremont-Cottesloe Football Club"', changing its name to the present in 1935. Claremont have won 12 senior men's premierships since entering the competition, including most recently the 2011 and 2012 premierships.
The Swan Districts Football Club, nicknamed the Swans, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and WAFL Women's (WAFLW). The club is based at Bassendean Oval, in Bassendean, an eastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. The club was formed in 1933, and joined the then-Western Australian National Football League (WANFL) in 1934, acting as a successor to the Midland Junction Football Club, which had disbanded during World War I, in the Perth Hills region.
George Llewellyn Krepp was an Australian rules footballer who was highly successful in the West Australian National Football League (WANFL) playing for the Swan Districts Football Club.
The 1934 WANFL season was the 50th season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. Following upon numerous unsuccessful attempts to revive Midland Junction during the 1920s, Bassendean-based Swan Districts were admitted to the competition. The black and whites were more competitive than previous new clubs owing to the presence of a number of players with previous WANFL experience, including Fred Sweetapple from West Perth, captain-coach "Judda" Bee from East Fremantle and Nigel Gorn from South Fremantle, but after five promising campaigns were to endure nineteen open-age seasons without once winning as many matches as they lost.
The 1933 WANFL season was the 49th season of the Western Australian National Football League in its various incarnations. It was the last year of a seven-team senior competition, and saw George Doig, during the second semi-final, become the first player to kick one hundred goals in a season.
The 1932 WANFL season was the 48th season of the Western Australian National Football League. The premiership was won by West Perth for the first time since 1905. The Cardinals’ win ended both a run of four consecutive premierships by East Fremantle, which won its fifth of seven successive minor premierships but lost both finals it played to be eliminated in the preliminary final, and West Perth's longest premiership drought in its history. West Perth's win was highlighted by the success of champion full forward Ted Tyson, who headed the goalkicking with eighty-four goals including a record eight in the Grand Final[a]. Tyson went on to kick an unprecedented 1,203 goals during a twelve-season career with the Cardinals, but their rise from winning only six matches in 1931 was due to the development of second-year defender Max Tetley, the discovery of a third pre-war Cardinal stalwart in Norm McDiarmid,[b] brother of star ruckman Jack, plus further outstanding youngsters Jim Morgan and Bob Dalziell.
The 1931 WANFL season was the 47th season of the Western Australian National Football League and the first under that moniker, having been called the West Australian Football League (WAFL) until 1930.
The 1930 WAFL season was the 46th season of the West Australian Football League in its various incarnations, and the last before it changed its name to the ‘Western Australian National Football League’. The season saw East Fremantle win the premiership for the third consecutive season, marking the second time that the club had achieved the feat; the club was never seriously challenged as the best team except during the interstate break and achieved the unusual feat of being the only club with a percentage of over 100.[a] Jerry Dolan said in retrospect that East Fremantle's 1930 team was the greatest he had ever played in or coached – including even the unbeaten team of 1946.
The 1929 WAFL season was the 45th season of the West Australian Football League in its various incarnations.
The 1936 WANFL season was the 52nd season of the Western Australian National Football League. The most conspicuous features were the rise of Claremont to their first finals appearance since entering the WAFL ten years beforehand after having won only forty of its first 183 games, and the thrilling finals series in which East Perth rose to their first premiership for nine years after holding on to a thrilling struggle for fourth position where all eight clubs were in the running well into August, then winning two finals by a solitary point. In the process the Royals set a record for the most losses by an eventual premiership club in major Australian Rules leagues,[a] but won their last open-age premiership until 1956. The Royals overcame much adversity to win the premiership, including a crippling injury toll and a schedule modified to allow them to tour Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania between 4 July and the first week of August.
The 1937 WANFL season was the 53rd season of the Western Australian National Football League. The season saw numerous notable highlights, including:
The 1938 WANFL season was the 54th season of the Western Australian National Football League, and saw Claremont, under champion coach Johnny Leonard who had transferred from West Perth, win its first premiership after losing two Grand Finals and drawing the first one this season. The blue and golds were to win the following two premierships before a long period near the foot of the ladder after Claremont Oval was gutted by a fire in 1944.
The 1939 WANFL season was the 55th season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. It is best known for West Perth's record losing streak of twenty-seven matches up to the fifteenth round, an ignominy equalled by Peel Thunder in their formative years but never actually beaten. The Cardinals finished with the worst record since Midland Junction lost all twelve games in 1917, and were the first WANFL team with only one victory for twelve seasons. In their only win, champion forward Ted Tyson became the first West Australian to kick over one thousand goals and he just failed to replicate his 1938 feat of leading the goalkicking for a bottom club. Subiaco, despite a second Sandover win from Haydn Bunton won only three matches, and Swan Districts, affected by the loss of star goalkicker Ted Holdsworth to Kalgoorlie, began a long period as a cellar-dweller with a fall to sixth.
The 1940 WANFL season was the 56th season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. It saw Claremont win its third consecutive premiership, but its last before returning to the status of cellar-dweller it occupied during its first decade in the WA(N)FL – between 1943 and 1978 Claremont played finals only five times for one premiership. South Fremantle, after a lean period in the middle 1930s, displaced perennial power clubs East Fremantle and East Perth as the Tigers’ Grand Final opponent, and established some of the basis, in spite of three disastrous wartime under-age seasons, for the club's fabled dynasty after the war.
The 1970 WANFL season was the 86th season of the Western Australian National Football League. After four years of dominance by the three Perth clubs, 1970 saw 1969 wooden spooners South Fremantle, aided by a tough pre-season training program under coach “Hassa” Mann and the arrival of Len Clark and John O‘Reilly from the VFL, rise to take their first premiership since the 1947–1954 dynasty. The Bulldogs upset Perth in two finals in wet conditions, while 1969 premiers West Perth fell to sixth with only ten victories: indeed this was the first season since 1955 with East Perth that legendary ruckman “Polly” Farmer had played for a team that missed the finals. The Cardinals were affected by the loss of John Wynne to Norwood, backup ruckmen Brian Sampson and Neil Evans to retirement and Greg Astbury to a major stomach problem, plus a dispute over Bill Valli, whose clearance to Collingwood was refused by the WANFL and the club's severe lack of depth in its reserves. Of the lower sides from previous seasons, in addition to South Fremantle's surprise flag Claremont showed major improvement due to such young players as Moss, winning more games than in any season since 1965, and would have done much better but for long-term injuries to rover Bruce Duperouzel and centre half-forward Lindsay Carroll in the second half of the season, when they fell out of the four after looking like a second semi-final berth.
The 1941 WANFL season was the 57th season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. Owing to the drain of players to military service in World War II, the league was forced to suspend the reserves competition until 1946, and ultimately this was to be the last season of senior football in Perth until 1945 as the supply of available players became smaller and smaller and the Japanese military threatened northern Western Australia.
The 1942 WANFL season was the 58th season of the Western Australian National Football League. Whilst the previous two seasons had been increasingly affected by the drift of players to the services, the 1941/1942 off-season saw the Imperial Japanese Navy and air force move into the north of Western Australia, bombing many northwestern settlements.
The 1946 WANFL season was the 62nd season of senior football in Perth, Western Australia.
The 1947 WANFL season was the 63rd season of senior football in Perth, Western Australia. With the background of war completely removed, 1947 saw the WANFL begin a golden age of growth dominated by the two Fremantle clubs, West Perth and Perth, who made the league for the following nine seasons a de facto hierarchy led by South Fremantle and West Perth, who respectively won 128 and 121 of their 159 home-and-away matches between 1947 and 1954. Zones with vastly different populations and large unzoned areas allowed these more successful and financially secure clubs to monopolise the leading player talent.