1937 WAFL season | |
---|---|
Teams | 8 |
Premiers | East Fremantle 18th premiership |
Minor premiers | Claremont 1st minor premiership |
Sandover Medallist | Frank Jenkins (South Fremantle) |
Bernie Naylor Medallist | George Doig (East Fremantle) |
Matches played | 88 |
The 1937 WANFL season was the 53rd season of the Western Australian National Football League. The season saw numerous notable highlights, including:
Claremont, following on from their maiden finals campaign in 1936, won their first minor premiership, but were again beaten in the grand final, leading them to recruit returning West Perth coach Johnny Leonard (who led them to a hat-trick of premierships). East Fremantle, after three unsuccessful finals series, recovered to win their Eighteenth WANFL premiership, whilst Subiaco in falling from third after the 1936 home-and-away season to their first wooden spoon since 1916 with only three victories after the opening round, began thirty years as an almost perennial cellar-dweller.
Off the field, a minor dispute with the Perth City Council over the use of Leederville and Perth Ovals caused a delay in making the fixture list; [5] however unlike what was to happen in 1940 when those grounds were off limits to the WANFL all season the dispute was quickly resolved by a return to the £750 rental fee. [6]
Round 1 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 24 April (2:45 pm) | East Perth 14.13 (97) | drew with | Claremont 13.19 (97) | Perth Oval | [7] |
Saturday, 24 April (2:45 pm) | Perth 10.12 (72) | def. by | East Fremantle 15.17 (107) | WACA | [8] |
Saturday, 24 April (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 14.15 (99) | def. by | West Perth 19.8 (122) | Fremantle Oval | [9] |
Saturday, 24 April (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 16.11 (107) | def. | Swan Districts 11.17 (83) | Subiaco Oval | [10] |
East Perth come back from twenty-nine points down at half-time for the first WANFL draw since Round 20, 1934 when the Royals drew with Subiaco. |
Round 2 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 1 May (2:45 pm) | West Perth 10.19 (79) | def. | Perth 9.11 (65) | Leederville Oval | [11] |
Saturday, 1 May (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 28.23 (191) | def. | South Fremantle 16.14 (110) | Fremantle Oval | [12] |
Saturday, 1 May (2:45 pm) | Claremont 18.14 (122) | def. | Swan Districts 13.8 (86) | Claremont Oval | [13] |
Saturday, 1 May (2:45 pm) | East Perth 20.15 (135) | def. | Subiaco 7.7 (49) | Perth Oval | [14] |
East Fremantle kick the highest score to that point in WANFL history, beating their own record of 27.22 (184) against the defunct Midland Junction from 1916. George Doig kicks a phenomenal 13.12 (90). |
Round 3 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday, 3 May (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 10.13 (73) | def. by | West Perth 12.7 (79) | Subiaco Oval | [15] |
Monday, 3 May (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 13.17 (95) | def. | South Fremantle 11.15 (81) | Bassendean Oval | [16] |
Monday, 3 May (2:45 pm) | Claremont 14.9 (93) | def. by | East Fremantle 16.16 (112) | Claremont Oval | [17] |
Monday, 3 May (2:45 pm) | Perth 11.10 (76) | def. by | East Perth 25.27 (177) | WACA | [18] |
East Perth set a WANFL record for best first quarter score with 10.11 (71). This was not beaten in open-age competition until Round 12 of 1955. [19] |
Round 4 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 8 May (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 15.12 (102) | def. | East Fremantle 14.12 (96) | Bassendean Oval | [20] |
Saturday, 8 May (2:45 pm) | East Perth 8.3 (51) | drew with | West Perth 7.9 (51) | Perth Oval | [21] |
Saturday, 8 May (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 12.12 (84) | def. by | Claremont 15.10 (100) | Fremantle Oval | [22] |
Saturday, 8 May (2:45 pm) | Perth 15.12 (102) | def. | Subiaco 13.12 (90) | WACA | [23] |
East Perth’s two draws in four matches is the second-closest pair of draws by any club in WAFL history, behind West Perth’s two consecutive drawn games in 1960. [24] |
Round 5 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wednesday, 12 May (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 10.6 (66) | def. by | Claremont 12.13 (85) | Subiaco Oval | [25] |
Saturday, 15 May (2:45 pm) | West Perth 12.11 (83) | def. | East Fremantle 11.14 (80) | Leederville Oval | [26] |
Saturday, 15 May (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 17.17 (119) | def. | Perth 11.10 (76) | Fremantle Oval | [27] |
Saturday, 15 May (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 12.9 (81) | def. | East Perth 11.7 (73) | Bassendean Oval | [28] |
|
Round 6 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 22 May (2:45 pm) | Perth 11.15 (81) | def. by | Swan Districts 14.14 (98) | WACA | [30] |
Saturday, 22 May (2:45 pm) | East Perth 15.13 (103) | def. | South Fremantle 10.7 (67) | Perth Oval | [31] |
Saturday, 22 May (2:45 pm) | West Perth 11.8 (74) | def. by | Claremont 15.14 (104) | Leederville Oval | [32] |
Saturday, 22 May (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 21.12 (138) | def. | Subiaco 12.20 (92) | Fremantle Oval | [33] |
|
Round 7 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 29 May (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 17.14 (116) | def. | Subiaco 11.9 (75) | Fremantle Oval | [34] |
Saturday, 29 May (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 11.14 (80) | def. | West Perth 11.11 (77) | Bassendean Oval | [35] |
Saturday, 29 May (2:45 pm) | East Perth 18.11 (119) | def. | East Fremantle 10.8 (68) | Perth Oval | [36] |
Saturday, 29 May (2:45 pm) | Claremont 25.18 (168) | def. | Perth 8.10 (58) | Claremont Oval | [37] |
|
Round 8 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 5 June (2:45 pm) | West Perth 12.17 (89) | def. | South Fremantle 10.15 (75) | Leederville Oval | [39] |
Saturday, 5 June (2:45 pm) | Claremont 15.19 (109) | def. | East Perth 15.11 (101) | Claremont Oval | [40] |
Saturday, 5 June (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 16.16 (112) | def. | Subiaco 7.10 (52) | Bassendean Oval | [41] |
Saturday, 5 June (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 16.26 (122) | def. | Perth 18.11 (119) | Fremantle Oval | [42] |
Round 9 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday, 7 June (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 16.15 (111) | def. | East Fremantle 14.17 (101) | Fremantle Oval | [43] |
Monday, 7 June (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 14.12 (96) | def. | Claremont 12.17 (89) | Bassendean Oval | [44] |
Monday, 7 June (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 16.11 (107) | def. by | East Perth 16.12 (108) | Subiaco Oval | [45] |
Monday, 7 June (2:45 pm) | Perth 12.12 (84) | def. by | West Perth 14.11 (95) | WACA | [46] |
|
Round 10 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 12 June (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 20.20 (140) | def. | Claremont 16.14 (110) | Fremantle Oval | [47] |
Saturday, 12 June (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 14.11 (95) | def. | South Fremantle 14.9 (93) | Bassendean Oval | [48] |
Saturday, 12 June (2:45 pm) | West Perth 17.13 (115) | def. | Subiaco 4.14 (38) | Leederville Oval | [49] |
Saturday, 12 June (2:45 pm) | East Perth 11.11 (77) | def. by | Perth 11.16 (82) | Perth Oval | [50] |
|
Round 11 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 19 June (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 18.18 (126) | def. | Swan Districts 14.15 (99) | Fremantle Oval | [52] |
Saturday, 19 June (2:45 pm) | West Perth 11.14 (80) | def. by | East Perth 15.8 (98) | Leederville Oval | [53] |
Saturday, 19 June (2:45 pm) | Claremont 22.13 (145) | def. | South Fremantle 15.10 (100) | Claremont Oval | [54] |
Saturday, 19 June (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 10.14 (74) | def. | Perth 9.13 (67) | Subiaco Oval | [55] |
8.7 (55) in the second quarter allows Old Easts to end Swan Districts’ winning streak, though East Perth’s win over the Cardinals ensures Swans remain on top. |
Round 12 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 26 June (2:45 pm) | Claremont 8.11 (59) | def. by | Subiaco 14.7 (91) | Claremont Oval | [56] |
Saturday, 26 June (2:45 pm) | East Perth 10.9 (69) | def. | Swan Districts 7.9 (51) | Perth Oval | [57] |
Saturday, 26 June (2:45 pm) | Perth 17.21 (123) | def. | South Fremantle 7.8 (50) | WACA | [58] |
Saturday, 26 June (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 14.12 (96) | def. | West Perth 11.9 (75) | Fremantle Oval | [59] |
With Crow holding Holdsworth to one goal one on a ground waterlogged by 159.8 millimetres (6.29 in) of rain over the past week, [60] East Perth knocks Swans from the top. |
Round 13 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 3 July (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 12.13 (85) | def. by | East Fremantle 15.13 (103) | Subiaco Oval | [61] |
Saturday, 3 July (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 17.17 (119) | def. | East Perth 11.16 (82) | Fremantle Oval | [62] |
Saturday, 3 July (2:45 pm) | Claremont 15.9 (99) | def. | West Perth 12.16 (88) | Claremont Oval | [63] |
Saturday, 3 July (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 13.11 (89) | def. by | Perth 14.8 (92) | Bassendean Oval | [64] |
Holdsworth, on 94 goals, misses a simple shot and lowly Perth record a surprise win that sends East Fremantle to top place. |
Round 14 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 10 July (2:45 pm) | West Perth 12.12 (84) | def. by | Swan Districts 14.7 (91) | Leederville Oval | [65] |
Saturday, 10 July (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 12.9 (81) | def. | South Fremantle 7.15 (57) | Subiaco Oval | [66] |
Saturday, 10 July (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 13.14 (92) | def. by | East Perth 14.28 (112) | Fremantle Oval | [67] |
Saturday, 10 July (2:45 pm) | Perth 14.17 (101) | def. by | Claremont 14.18 (102) | WACA | [68] |
|
Round 15 | |||||
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Saturday, 17 July (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 9.10 (64) | def. by | West Perth 14.9 (93) | Fremantle Oval | [69] |
Saturday, 17 July (2:45 pm) | East Perth 12.10 (82) | def. by | Claremont 15.14 (104) | Perth Oval | [70] |
Saturday, 17 July (2:45 pm) | Perth 13.14 (92) | def. by | East Fremantle 16.13 (109) | WACA | [71] |
Saturday, 17 July (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 11.13 (79) | def. | Subiaco 7.14 (56) | Bassendean Oval | [72] |
Ted Holdsworth, decisively beaten by Lou Daily, suffers concussion late in the third quarter, which keeps him out of the WA State team. |
Round 16 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 24 July (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 20.13 (133) | def. | South Fremantle 14.20 (104) | Fremantle Oval | [73] |
Saturday, 24 July (2:45 pm) | West Perth 18.6 (114) | def. | Perth 14.11 (95) | Leederville Oval | [74] |
Saturday, 24 July (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 10.8 (68) | def. by | East Perth 11.15 (81) | Subiaco Oval | [75] |
Saturday, 24 July (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 9.13 (67) | def. by | Claremont 14.15 (99) | Bassendean Oval | [76] |
Claremont run away from Swans – minus Holdsworth – in the last quarter to stay on top, whilst with Tyson kicking 10.0 West Perth remain with a chance of displacing the black and whites. |
Round 17 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 31 July (2:45 pm) | West Perth 22.18 (150) | def. | Subiaco 6.12 (48) | Leederville Oval | [77] |
Saturday, 31 July (2:45 pm) | Perth 13.18 (96) | def. by | East Perth 19.11 (125) | WACA | [78] |
Saturday, 31 July (2:45 pm) | Claremont 12.16 (88) | def. by | East Fremantle 15.16 (106) | Claremont Oval | [79] |
Saturday, 31 July (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 11.12 (78) | def. by | Swan Districts 11.15 (81) | Fremantle Oval | [80] |
|
Round 18 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 21 August (2:45 pm) | West Perth 11.11 (77) | def. | East Perth 10.14 (74) | Leederville Oval | [82] |
Saturday, 21 August (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 12.10 (82) | def. by | Perth 14.16 (100) | Subiaco Oval | [83] |
Saturday, 21 August (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 12.15 (87) | def. by | Swan Districts 16.18 (114) | Fremantle Oval | [84] |
Saturday, 21 August (2:45 pm) | Claremont 17.17 (119) | def. | South Fremantle 8.14 (62) | Claremont Oval | [85] |
|
Round 19 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 28 August (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 14.9 (93) | def. | West Perth 12.11 (83) | Fremantle Oval | [86] |
Saturday, 28 August (2:45 pm) | East Perth 17.19 (121) | def. | Swan Districts 12.5 (77) | Perth Oval | [87] |
Saturday, 28 August (2:45 pm) | Claremont 16.15 (111) | def. | Subiaco 11.16 (82) | Claremont Oval | [88] |
Saturday, 28 August (2:45 pm) | Perth 23.18 (156) | def. | South Fremantle 6.13 (49) | WACA | [89] |
|
Round 20 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 4 September (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 14.15 (99) | def. by | East Perth 19.11 (125) | Fremantle Oval | [91] |
Saturday, 4 September (2:45 pm) | Claremont 18.9 (117) | def. | West Perth 14.15 (99) | Claremont Oval | [92] |
Saturday, 4 September (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 12.10 (82) | def. by | East Fremantle 12.25 (97) | Subiaco Oval | [93] |
Saturday, 4 September (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 14.8 (92) | def. | Perth 11.14 (80) | Bassendean Oval | [94] |
West Perth’s loss, and East Perth’s win in a vicious match with eight players injured, seals the four with a round to play. |
Round 21 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 11 September (2:45 pm) | Perth 13.17 (95) | def. by | Claremont 15.15 (105) | WACA | [95] |
Saturday, 11 September (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 22.7 (139) | def. | West Perth 12.15 (87) | Bassendean Oval | [96] |
Saturday, 11 September (2:45 pm) | East Perth 17.7 (109) | drew with | East Fremantle 15.19 (109) | Perth Oval | [97] |
Saturday, 11 September (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 14.10 (94) | def. | Subiaco 11.21 (87) | Fremantle Oval | [98] |
|
Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Claremont | 21 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 2225 | 1887 | 117.9 | 62 |
2 | East Fremantle (P) | 21 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 2306 | 2054 | 112.3 | 58 |
3 | Swan Districts | 21 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 1907 | 1850 | 103.1 | 56 |
4 | East Perth | 21 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 2119 | 1759 | 120.5 | 54 |
5 | West Perth | 21 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1894 | 1763 | 107.4 | 46 |
6 | Perth | 21 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 1912 | 2123 | 90.1 | 24 |
7 | South Fremantle | 21 | 5 | 16 | 0 | 1831 | 2272 | 80.6 | 20 |
8 | Subiaco | 21 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 1585 | 2071 | 76.5 | 16 |
First semi-final | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 18 September (2:45 pm) | Swan Districts 11.7 (73) | def. by | East Perth 13.9 (87) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 11,000) | |
East Perth win a disappointing game in wet and windy conditions to eliminate Swan Districts in their first WANFL final. [99] |
Second semi-final | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 25 September (2:45 pm) | Claremont 13.10 (88) | def. | East Fremantle 10.14 (74) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 12,000) | |
An excellent last quarter into the breeze ensures Claremont reaches its second successive grand final. [100] |
Preliminary final | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 2 October (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 11.12 (78) | def. | East Perth 6.19 (55) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 12,000) | |
East Fremantle’s impressive defence and clever centreline, with McGlinn dominant, ensures a rematch with Claremont. [101] |
1937 WANFL Grand Final | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 9 October (2:45 pm) | Claremont | def. by | East Fremantle | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 16,460) | [102] |
3.1 (19) 7.2 (44) 12.8 (80) 13.9 (87) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 4.0 (24) 8.5 (53) 10.9 (69) 14.13 (97) | Umpires: George Owens | ||
Hopkins 5, Boys 3, Compton 2, Hooper, Lawn | Goals | George Doig 5, Truscott 3, Martiensen 3, McGlinn 2, Wendt | |||
Reeves (best on ground), Hopkins, Batt, Clarke (until injured), Syd Moloney, Boys | Best | Seubert, McGlinn, Clark, Kingsbury, Hutchinson, Fordham, Briggs | |||
Clarke (knee) | Injuries | ||||
In one of the best grand finals seen for some years, East Fremantle gain the upper hand in the last quarter and eventually overcome a dogged Claremont defence. |
a The five were George Doig with 144, Ted Tyson with 124, Frank Hopkins with 120, Ted Holdsworth with 109 and Albert Gook with 107. Bert Chandler of South Fremantle was to score 120 goals in 1938, so that only Subiaco and East Perth of the eight WANFL clubs did not have a century goalkicker in their ranks during this period.
b The five were George Hawkins (Prahran) with 164, “Soapy” Vallence (Williamstown), Harold Jones (Brunswick), Lance Collins (Coburg) and Laurie Nash (Camberwell) .
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 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, 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.
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 1973 WANFL season was the 89th season of the Western Australian National Football League. It is most famous for Subiaco breaking the longest premiership drought in the history of the competition, winning for the first time since 1924 after having been a chopping block for most of the middle third of the century. Under the coaching of former St Kilda champion Ross Smith, the Lions, as they became christened in July, bounced back from two disappointing seasons to lose only two of their final sixteen home-and-away games for their first minor premiership since 1935, then in a low-scoring Grand Final comfortably defeated a much more hardened West Perth team.
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 1969 WANFL season was the 85th season of the Western Australian National Football League. It saw continued dominance by the three Perth clubs and Subiaco, who occupied the top half of the ladder constantly from the fourth round onwards, and finished four games clear of the other four clubs, who were all in a “rebuilding” mode with varying success – late in the season both Swan Districts and Claremont fielded some of the youngest teams in the competition's history, whilst the Tigers, who fielded thirteen first-year players including Graham Moss, Russell Reynolds and Bruce Duperouzel, began disastrously but four wins in five games paved the way to impressive record from 1970 to 1972. Among the top four, Perth failed to achieve a fourth consecutive premiership[a] that at one point looked very much in their grasp due to the overwork of Barry Cable which robbed him of some brilliance, early-season injuries to key players Iseger and Page and a couple of surprising losses to lower clubs, whilst East Perth, who won consistently without being impressive for most of the season, failed for the fourth time in as many seasons in the Grand Final, this time to West Perth and in a much more decisive manner than any of their Perth defeats.
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 1945 WANFL season was the 61st season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League.
The 1944 WANFL season was the 60th season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. Consequent upon the improved fortunes of the Allies in the Pacific War, the league's decision to restrict football to those under nineteen as of 1 October become somewhat controversial, but the WANFL after much debate during the early weeks of the season decided it would not raise the age limit or even as West Perth suggested allow four 1943 players over the limit to play. This meant that a large number of players who had been mainstays in the 1942 and 1943 seasons were no longer eligible to play, and as in 1943 a number of players still eligible were erratically available due to service in the war.
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.