1980 WAFL season

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1980 WAFL season
Teams8
Premiers South Fremantle
10th premiership
Minor premiers Swan Districts
3rd minor premiership
Sandover Medallist Stephen Michael (South Fremantle)
Bernie Naylor Medallist Simon Beasley (Swan Districts)
Matches played88
←  1979 (WANFL)
1981  →

The 1980 WAFL season was the 96th season of the West Australian Football League in its various incarnations.

Contents

The season saw the league drop the word ‘national’ from its official name for the first time in fifty years, reverting to the title in use from 1908 to 1930. It also saw reigning premiers East Fremantle embark on the most rapid slide by any reigning premier since Subiaco went from first to last in 1916. Handicapped by the loss of Mario Turco to North Melbourne and Doug Green to retirement, along with injuries to Jim Sewell, Graham Carter, Swan Districts recruit Mark Olsen and Rod Lester-Smith and form lapses by Tony Buhagiar and Ian Thomson, [1] the blue and whites also lost classy Essendon recruit Darren “Daisy” Williams who returned to Victoria for personal reasons after two matches. [2] Old Easts were to win only five matches all season, and were in danger of their first wooden spoon for eighty-two years before a win in their penultimate game put them safely ahead of Subiaco, who had another disastrous season plagued by financial problems whereby calls to “Save Subi” were opposed by calls from opponents to “Flog Subi”, [3] leading to the worst record by any WA(N)FL club for twelve seasons.

In contrast, Swan Districts had the best start to a WAFL season for twenty-one years, winning their first thirteen matches and gaining a $2000 bonus from Marlboro for winning their first twelve – with a further $200 if they could achieve a perfect home-and-away season. [4] Swans were overpowered at the “business end” by the Mal Brown-coached South Fremantle, who were unbeaten apart from a five-game slump between the fifth and ninth rounds. The Bulldogs’ play late in the season is regarded as some of the finest ever seen in the WAFL, a claim substantiated by their thrashing top VFL club Carlton by 91 points in Escort Championships during March [5] – easily the biggest win by a non-VFL club therein and in fact the biggest loss by a VFL club until the AFC Night Series was restricted thereto. [6] The win over Carlton was impressive due to the fact that Carlton fielded their Premiership team from 1979 and South Fremantle had many young reserve players in their team like Wayne Henwood, Daryl Stokes, John Townsend and others. Brad Hardie was only 16 years old.

Home-and-away season

Round 1 (Easter weekend)

Round 1
Saturday, 5 April Subiaco 8.9 (57)def. by West Perth 17.16 (118) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 9148)
Saturday, 5 April South Fremantle 23.23 (161)def. Perth 16.21 (117) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 11128) [1]
Monday, 7 April Claremont 11.17 (83)def. by East Perth 13.13 (91) Claremont Oval (crowd: 15066)
Monday, 7 April Swan Districts 24.17 (161)def. East Fremantle 6.14 (50) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 14906)
  • Mal Brown’s skill in moving rover Noel Carter to the centre and the inexperienced Ross Sweetman onto Bosustow ensures South Fremantle fight back after having had only three scoring shots to sixteen late in the opening quarter. [7]
  • In their first game after the 1979 premiership, East Fremantle suffer the worst loss to that point in their history - an ominous sign for the season but a record comprehensively beaten the following year. [8] Craig Holden holds 1979 leading goalkicker Kevin Taylor to 0.2 (2).

Round 2

Round 2
Saturday, 12 April West Perth 15.11 (101)def. by South Fremantle 15.18 (108) Leederville Oval (crowd: 11755)
Saturday, 12 April East Perth 19.10 (124)def. by Swan Districts 21.20 (146) Perth Oval (crowd: 17,490)
Saturday, 12 April East Fremantle 15.21 (111)def. by Claremont 24.14 (158) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 9556)
Saturday, 12 April Perth 27.20 (182)def. Subiaco 12.10 (82) Lathlain Park (crowd: 5784)
  • Swan Districts show their maturity by warding off two major challenges from East Perth – who take the lead during their third quarter and get within eight points halfway through the last – owing to a superb roving division led by Neesham and Mike Richardson. [9]
  • The playing of Peake at centre half-forward does not help East Fremantle as their star has only four possessions before being moved into the centre and Claremont build up a lead they easily maintain. [10]

Round 3

Round 3
Saturday, 19 April Swan Districts 22.23 (155)def. Perth 13.20 (98) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 10190)
Saturday, 19 April Subiaco 8.14 (62)def. by East Perth 23.17 (155) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 5104) [11]
Saturday, 19 April West Perth 21.15 (141)def. Claremont 9.12 (66) Leederville Oval (crowd: 8752)
Saturday, 19 April East Fremantle 10.14 (74)def. by South Fremantle 28.13 (181) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 11212)
  • A brilliant display in windy and showery weather dominated by long handballing gives Old Easts a third successive thrashing and shows a below-strength Bulldogs as already better than 1979. [12]
  • West Perth, led by Chris Stasinowsky and centre half-forward Ron Alderton, annihilate Claremont in wet conditions during the last quarter, kicking 12.2 (74) to 1.2 (8). [13]

Round 4

Round 4
Saturday, 26 April South Fremantle 25.17 (167)def. Subiaco 13.8 (86) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 7284) [14]
Saturday, 26 April Claremont 20.18 (138)def. by Swan Districts 23.19 (157) Claremont Oval (crowd: 14547) [15]
Saturday, 26 April East Perth 15.14 (104)def. by East Fremantle 20.22 (142) Perth Oval (crowd: 10012)
Saturday, 26 April Perth 15.17 (107)def. by West Perth 27.12 (174) Lathlain Park (crowd: 10205)

A fine display by the returning Wayne Cormack and improved form by Ken Judge gives East Fremantle a first win and a short-lived hope of moving back to the top. [2] Old Easts jumped the Royals with the first five goals and, despite further injuries that leave Rod Lester-Smith crippled, are never headed.

Round 5

Round 5
Saturday, 3 May South Fremantle 22.11 (143)def. by Claremont 21.18 (144) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 13028)
Saturday, 3 May Subiaco 8.15 (63)def. by Swan Districts 27.32 (194) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 6590)
Saturday, 3 May Perth 18.22 (130)def. East Perth 16.10 (106) Lathlain Park (crowd: 8672)
Saturday, 3 May West Perth 26.24 (180)def. East Fremantle 11.9 (75) Leederville Oval (crowd: 11217)
  • South Fremantle claim a behind was missed – which would have produced the league’s first draw for six seasons [16] – but the appeal was rejected when it was seen that Claremont’s Kevin Worthington was given a free kick whilst a shot by South’s Basil Campbell hit a goalpost. [17]
  • The 32 behinds is the most Swan Districts have ever scored in a WAFL match, [18] beating by five the previous record against East Perth from 1955.

Round 6

Round 6
Saturday, 10 May Claremont 28.15 (183)def. Subiaco 14.11 (95) Claremont Oval (crowd: 5613)
Saturday, 10 May East Fremantle 16.16 (112)def. by Perth 22.11 (143) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 7420)
Saturday, 10 May Swan Districts 27.20 (182)def. West Perth 8.8 (56) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 22350)
Saturday, 10 May East Perth 21.12 (138)def. South Fremantle 18.8 (116) Perth Oval (crowd: 10857)
  • In front of the biggest-ever crowd at Bassendean and Swans’ biggest home-and-away attendance at any venue, [19] Swan Districts become the second team after West Perth in 1941 to win consecutive matches by over 100 points. [20]
  • An all-in-brawl leads to four reports for Subiaco half-forward Frank Bucknall [21] who gets six matches on one of the busiest nights for the WAFL Tribunal with seven players on report. [22]

Round 7

Round 7
Saturday, 17 May West Perth 13.21 (99)def. by East Perth 12.14 (86) Leederville Oval (crowd: 14860)
Saturday, 17 May Perth 20.12 (132)def. by Claremont 29.17 (191) Lathlain Park (crowd: 9693)
Saturday, 17 May South Fremantle 15.18 (108)def. by Swan Districts 22.15 (147) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 19279)
Saturday, 17 May Subiaco 20.25 (145)def. East Fremantle 9.13 (67) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 4658)

In winning their first match, Subiaco record their biggest win against the reigning premier club until 1993, beating 76 points from 1968 [23] [a] They do this despite losing spearhead Peter Munro after kicking five in the first quarter and then Gary Buckenara. [24]

Round 8

Round 8
Saturday, 24 May East Perth 19.20 (134)def. Claremont 14.13 (97) Perth Oval (crowd: 12596)
Saturday, 24 May West Perth 22.18 (150)def. Subiaco 15.13 (103) Leederville Oval (crowd: 8103) [25]
Saturday, 24 May Perth 19.17 (131)def. by South Fremantle 21.25 (151) Lathlain Park (crowd: 8566) [26]
Saturday, 24 May East Fremantle 15.16 (106)def. by Swan Districts 29.17 (191) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 8348)
  • After being fifteen points behind at quarter-time, Swan Districts produce a devastating second half to stay unbeaten with a percentage of 179.41, as East Fremantle apply virtually no pressure. [27]
  • The aggregate of 204 points in the second half – Swan Districts 22.8 (140) and East Fremantle 10.4 (64) – constitutes a record for any half of WA(N)FL football. [28]

Round 9 (Foundation Day)

Round 9
Saturday, 31 May Perth 16.18 (114)def. by Swan Districts 19.17 (131) Lathlain Park (crowd: 11316)
Saturday, 31 May East Perth 28.11 (179)def. Subiaco 12.20 (92) Perth Oval (crowd: 6680)
Monday, 2 June Claremont 18.15 (123)def. West Perth 7.10 (52) Claremont Oval (crowd: 13479) [29]
Monday, 2 June South Fremantle 14.21 (105)def. by East Fremantle 16.17 (113) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 12487)

The presence of the injured Peake and a return to form by their small men gives East Fremantle a desire completely lacking in other games of 1980 and allows them to overpower their Fremantle rivals in a hard-running game – producing unfulfilled hopes of a revival. [30]

Round 10

Round 10
Saturday, 7 June South Fremantle 18.16 (124)def. West Perth 12.22 (94) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 10976) [31]
Saturday, 7 June Swan Districts 16.21 (117)def. East Perth 12.12 (84) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 19237)
Saturday, 7 June Claremont 24.18 (162)def. East Fremantle 15.15 (105) Claremont Oval (crowd: 9016)
Saturday, 7 June Subiaco 13.17 (95)def. by Perth 16.17 (113) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 4989)

11.6 (72) from Warren Ralph puts paid to hopes of a blue and white revival and reveals a new WAFL star, as the Tigers kick 12.4 (76) to 4.0 (24) after Old Easts drew to within five points early in the final quarter. [32]

Round 11

Round 11
Saturday, 14 June Subiaco 9.23 (77)def. by South Fremantle 16.19 (115) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 4932) [33]
Saturday, 14 June Swan Districts 20.14 (134)def. Claremont 13.7 (85) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 12870)
Saturday, 14 June East Fremantle 16.14 (110)def. by East Perth 25.18 (168) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 6028)
Saturday, 14 June West Perth 16.19 (115)def. Perth 10.17 (77) Leederville Oval (crowd: 7352)
  • Swan Districts win their sixteenth match in succession as former Sandover winner and six-goal ruck-rover Graham Melrose shows leadership qualities for a team depleted by interstate calls. [34]
  • Controversial West Perth ruckman Ben Jager proves he has improved beyond his formerly criticised disposal as he proves a worthy leader for a Cardinal team minus captain Fong and vice-captain Heal. [35]

Round 12

Round 12
Saturday, 21 June Claremont 3.4 (22)def. by South Fremantle 8.13 (61) Claremont Oval (crowd: 6716)
Saturday, 21 June East Perth 8.13 (61)def. by Perth 14.14 (98) Perth Oval (crowd: 5048)
Saturday, 21 June Swan Districts 7.12 (54)def. Subiaco 5.13 (43) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 6105)
Saturday, 21 June East Fremantle 7.8 (50)def. by West Perth 9.13 (67) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 3860)
  • On a day where 45.4 millimetres (1.79 in) of rain fell in Perth, [36] Claremont’s normally powerful attack kick the lowest WAFL score between 1969 and 1994, with Phil Krakouer kicking 3.2 of the 3.4 after Claremont, against all advice, kicked into a strong wind on winning the toss and conceded 4.3 (27) in sixteen minutes when the ground remained dry. [37]
  • This also remains Claremont’s lowest score ever against the Bulldogs. [38]

Round 13

Round 13
Saturday, 28 June Subiaco 12.16 (88)def. by Claremont 29.20 (194) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 6640)
Saturday, 28 June Perth 25.19 (169)def. East Fremantle 20.19 (139) Lathlain Park (crowd: 5926)
Saturday, 28 June West Perth 17.11 (113)def. by Swan Districts 16.19 (115) Leederville Oval (crowd: 15847)
Saturday, 28 June South Fremantle 24.18 (162)def. East Perth 10.14 (74) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 11526)
  • Swan Districts win their eighteenth consecutive match dating back to late 1979, the best opening to a WAFL season since East Perth won the first seventeen in 1959 [39]
  • West Perth suffer the first of three heartbreaking losses for that cost them a finals berth, as Swans’ superb fighting qualities see them win after being behind all afternoon. [40]
  • Despite East Fremantle kicking 9.10 (64) in the final quarter, Perth’s wingers Cam Shepherd and Alan Johnson had inflicted too much damage for the reigning premiers. [41]

Round 14

Round 14
Saturday, 12 July East Perth 11.19 (85)def. West Perth 9.11 (65) Perth Oval (crowd: 6744)
Saturday, 12 July Claremont 18.15 (123)def. Perth 10.18 (78) Claremont Oval (crowd: 4945)
Saturday, 12 July Swan Districts 10.8 (68)def. by South Fremantle 11.21 (87) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 9791)
Saturday, 12 July East Fremantle 17.22 (124)def. Subiaco 9.12 (66) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 2830)

South Fremantle’s supremacy in the wet, with wingman Geoff O‘Brien and Maurice Rioli superb, virtually seals the top two and ends Swans’ hopes of an unbeaten season. [42]

Round 15

Round 15
Saturday, 19 July Claremont 19.14 (128)def. East Perth 12.6 (78) Claremont Oval (crowd: 12580)
Saturday, 19 July South Fremantle 20.20 (140)def. Perth 15.16 (106) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 8258)
Saturday, 19 July Subiaco 13.9 (87)def. West Perth 13.8 (86) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 4795)
Saturday, 19 July Swan Districts 19.18 (132)def. East Fremantle 17.11 (113) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 9972)

Subiaco gain their second and last win in a game with no score for twenty minutes in the last quarter - remarkable in such a high-scoring era in fine, if windy, weather. [43]

Round 16

Round 16
Saturday, 26 July West Perth 13.14 (92)def. by South Fremantle 13.15 (93) Leederville Oval (crowd: 7979)
Saturday, 26 July East Perth 19.11 (125)def. Swan Districts 6.13 (49) Perth Oval (crowd: 8182)
Saturday, 26 July Perth 25.17 (167)def. Subiaco 9.8 (62) Lathlain Park (crowd: 3061)
Saturday, 26 July East Fremantle 10.9 (69)def. by Claremont 11.12 (78) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 4946)

Despite a stirring fightback after losing Adamson, Ellen and Logan before the game, West Perth lose by one point for the second successive match and East Perth move within a narrow percentage gap of claiming their place in the four. [44]

Round 17

Round 17
Saturday, 2 August Swan Districts 20.20 (140)def. Perth 12.14 (86) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 9877)
Saturday, 2 August Subiaco 13.10 (88)def. by East Perth 21.23 (149) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 5138)
Saturday, 2 August West Perth 16.15 (111)def. by Claremont 20.22 (142) Leederville Oval (crowd: 12117)
Saturday, 2 August East Fremantle 18.10 (118)def. by South Fremantle 21.22 (148) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 10880)

A return to form with 7.6 (48) by Warren Ralph – who had been hopeless in the wet – and the dominance of Moss and Hunter ensure Claremont of a win that puts West Perth out of the four for the first time during 1980. [45]

Round 18

Round 18
Saturday, 9 August South Fremantle 17.21 (123)def. Subiaco 7.14 (56) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 6016)
Saturday, 9 August Perth 13.19 (97)def. by West Perth 17.17 (119) Lathlain Park (crowd: 5222)
Saturday, 9 August Claremont 11.12 (78)def. by Swan Districts 14.19 (103) Claremont Oval (crowd: 9961)
Saturday, 9 August East Perth 27.10 (172)def. East Fremantle 13.16 (94) Perth Oval (crowd: 5612)

Despite having Moss, Jim and Phil Krakouer and Ralph all well held, Claremont are only one point behind early in the last quarter before Swans show their ability under pressure and win well. [46]

Round 19

Round 19
Saturday, 16 August Subiaco 19.17 (131)def. by Swan Districts 26.14 (170) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 5027)
Saturday, 16 August Perth 10.9 (69)def. by East Perth 22.13 (145) Lathlain Park (crowd: 6817)
Saturday, 16 August South Fremantle 17.16 (118)def. Claremont 17.12 (114) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 13138)
Saturday, 16 August West Perth 21.25 (151)def. East Fremantle 11.13 (79) Leederville Oval (crowd: 9034)
  • With Alan Watling kicking an equal career-best seven goals in this 250th match, West Perth run over hapless East Fremantle with 10.7 (67) to 2.3 (15) in the third quarter, but poor second and final quarters question their finals hopes in critics’ eyes. [47]
  • Subiaco, after being 86 points behind at half-time, kick 17.8 (110) to 10.3 (63) in the second half to reveal a question mark upon most of their football during 1980. Despite playing most of the second half at centre-half-forward with Stan Nowotny at full-forward, Simon Beasley kicks nine for Swans. [48]

Round 20

Round 20
Saturday, 23 August Swan Districts 21.16 (142)def. West Perth 14.15 (99) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 12873)
Saturday, 23 August East Perth 22.5 (137)def. by South Fremantle 21.15 (141) Perth Oval (crowd: 14565)
Saturday, 23 August Claremont 27.16 (178)def. Subiaco 13.13 (91) Claremont Oval (crowd: 5462)
Saturday, 23 August East Fremantle 25.13 (163)def. Perth 22.14 (146) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 4010)
  • Don Haddow, the last remaining player from South’s 1970 premiership team, kick 7.4 (46) and leads well to fill the unfamiliar role of full-forward that had caused the Bulldogs trouble. [49]
  • East Perth made a late charge from 41 points behind, led by Paul Arnold, that fails owing to weaknesses on the flanks and young ruckman Ironmonger’s immobility around the ground.
  • With Ralph equaling his best performance of 11.6 (72) and Phil Krakouer unstoppable with his superb disposal, Claremont kick 18.9 (117) to 5.2 (32) after a promising first half by the Lions. [50]

Round 21

Round 21
Saturday, 30 August South Fremantle 18.14 (122)def. Swan Districts 10.16 (76) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 15980)
Saturday, 30 August West Perth 20.16 (136)def. East Perth 17.4 (106) Leederville Oval (crowd: 14427)
Saturday, 30 August Perth 15.12 (102)def. by Claremont 18.18 (126) Lathlain Park (crowd: 5807)
Saturday, 30 August Subiaco 18.13 (121)def. by East Fremantle 19.33 (147) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 3412)
  • West Perth produce a superb team effort that sees them in the four early in the last quarter before several goals from Murray Couper reduce the margin and re-establish East Perth’s place. [51]
  • East Fremantle equal the second highest number of behinds in a senior WAFL match [52]
  • Subiaco’s colts kicked the embarrassing score of 1.16 (22), but scored 12.7 (79) against the same opponent the following weekend.

Ladder

1980 ladder
PosTeamPldWLDPFPAPPPts
1 Swan Districts 21183027642023136.672
2 South Fremantle (P)21174026742085128.268
3 Claremont 21138026132194119.152
4 East Perth 211110025012224112.544
5 West Perth 211110023192104110.244
6 Perth 2171402462269191.528
7 East Fremantle 2151602161294873.320
8 Subiaco 2121901790301559.48
Source: WAFL Footy Facts
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers

Finals

First semi-final

First semi-final
Saturday, 6 September Claremont 15.10 (100)def. by East Perth 19.18 (132) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 30,184)

Despite the loss of decorated centreman Phil Kelly, Steve Curtis’ blanketing of Phil Krakouer after the first fifteen minutes and the dominance of key forward Paul Arnold and Grant Campbell gives East Perth a clear win. [53]

Second semi-final

Second semi-final
Saturday, 13 September Swan Districts 11.12 (78)def. by South Fremantle 11.22 (88) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 34,575)

In a fiery match, South Fremantle show they remained Western Australia’s wet-weather specialists by keeping Swan Districts to 2.9 (21) after half-time as rain began and the pressure intensified. [54]

Preliminary final

Preliminary final
Saturday, 20 September Swan Districts 28.13 (181)def. East Perth 15.15 (105) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 34,193)
  • Record attendance for a WA(N)FL Preliminary Final [55]
  • Swans beat Subiaco’s 1959 record for the highest score in a WA(N)FL final by two points, showing the gap between the top two and the rest. East Perth cannot counter the centreline of Keith and Phil Narkle and Mike Smith, nor Graham Melrose and Beasley who finish with 16.1 between them. [56]

Grand final

1980 WAFL Grand Final
Saturday, 27 September South Fremantle def. Swan Districts Subiaco Oval (crowd: 46,208)
3.6 (24)
11.13 (79)
17.16 (118)
23.18 (156)		Q1
Q2
Q3
Final		2.2 (14)
3.7 (25)
8.7 (55)
15.8 (98)		Umpires: John Morris, Bob Phillips
Simpson Medal: Maurice Rioli (South Fremantle)
Carter 4, Hardie 3, Outhwaite 3, Vigona 3, Morley 2, Shaw 2, Michael 2, Rioli 2, O‘Brien, Campbell DelmenicoGoalsRichardson 3, Neesham 2, Hoyer 2, Solin 2, Beasley 2, Holmes 2, Holden, Phil Narkle
Rioli, Carter, McKay, Michael, Vigona, DelmenicoBestNeesham, Boucher, Skwirowski, Gillespie, Solin, Richardson

South Fremantle, on a winning streak dating back to Round 10, give what is often regarded as the finest display in any WAFL Grand Final to thrash Swan Districts, playing in their first Grand Final since 1965.

Notes

a The game when Austin Robertson kicked 15.11 (101).

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The 1975 WANFL season was the 91st season of senior Australian rules football in Perth and the forty-fifth as the “Western Australian National Football League”. The season saw West Perth, after unexpectedly falling to last in 1974, rise under former Fitzroy coach Graham Campbell to a remarkable premiership win over South Fremantle by a record 104 points in front of what was then the biggest WANFL crowd on record and has since been only exceeded by the 1979 Grand Final. The Bulldogs, apart from Claremont the least successful WANFL club between 1957 and 1974, rose with arrival of Aboriginal stars Stephen Michael and Maurice Rioli to their first finals appearance in five years and began their greatest era since their golden days of the middle 1950s. With East Perth, revitalised after injuries affected their 1974 campaign, and the inconsistent but at times incomparable Swan Districts, they comprised a top four that remained unchanged for the final fourteen rounds.

The 1974 WAFL season was the 90th season of the various incarnations of senior football in Perth and the forty-fourth as the "Western Australian National Football League". It continued the fluctuating fortunes of clubs that had been part and parcel of the league since 1970, with East Perth, the most consistent player in the competition for eight years, missing finals participation for the only time in seventeen seasons between 1966 and 1982 due largely to injuries to key defenders Gary Malarkey, who missed the second half of the season, and Ken McAullay who did not play at all. West Perth fell from runners-up to their worst season since 1939, largely owing to the loss of 1973 leading goalkicker Phil Smith which left a gaping hole in their attack.

The 1937 WANFL season was the 53rd season of the Western Australian National Football League. The season saw numerous notable highlights, including:

  1. Five players[a] kicked 100 goals, a number equalled in the major leagues of VFL/AFL, VFA/VFL, or SANFL, only in the 1939 VFA season.[b]
  2. Frank "Scranno" Jenkins won the Sandover Medal in his debut season of senior football with a record high under the 3-2-1 voting system of 34 votes.
  3. In the second round, East Fremantle broke their own 21-year-old record for the highest score in league history.
  4. East Perth drew three games in one season, a feat equalled in major Australian Rules Leagues only by VFA club Moorabbin in 1958 and West Perth in 1960. The Royals could easily have drawn a fourth game but for crowd acclamation preventing umpires from hearing the bell against Subiaco on Foundation Day. No senior Australian Rules team at any level is known to have tied four matches in a season, but Geelong’s Under-19s did so in 1971.
  5. Swan Districts, with Ted Holdsworth kicking at least six goals in each of the first ten games, reached their first finals series in only their fourth WANFL season. Holdsworth was to reach his 100 goals in two fewer games than George Doig took in his 152-goal 1934 season, but concussion and a broken hand eliminated the prospect of a new record.

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 1972 WANFL season was the 88th season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. It saw East Perth, after five Grand Final losses in six seasons and a frustrating seven since their last premiership in 1959, break the drought against a Claremont team that had achieved its first minor premiership since Johnny Leonard’s days, despite kicking into the wind after winning the toss.

The 1971 WANFL season was the 87th season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League, and the forty-first under that moniker.

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 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 1968 WANFL season was the 84th season of senior football in Perth, Western Australia. It saw Perth, after having won only two premierships in its first sixty-six seasons, win its third consecutive flag under captain-coach Mal Atwell and champion rover Barry Cable – all three Grand Finals having been won against East Perth with Cable taking the Simpson Medal.

References

  1. 1 2 See Hopkins, Colin; ‘Swans Live Up to Their Promise’; The West Australian , 8 April 1980, p. 87
  2. 1 2 Carew-Reid, Andrew; ‘East Fremantle Throw Off the Blues’; The West Australian, 28 April 1980, p. 78
  3. ↑ See Spillman, Ken; Diehards: the Story of the Subiaco Football Club 1946-2000, p. 199; ISBN   0-9578185-0-5
  4. ↑ See Christian, Geoff; ‘Claremont Lose Their Wingmen’, The West Australian, 23 June 1980; pp. 65, 68
  5. ↑ Bird, Frank; ‘Percy’s Carlton Crushed’; The Age , 17 March 1980, p. 38
  6. ↑ Rodgers, Stephen (compiler); The Complete Book of VFL Records; pp. 223-227. ISBN   1862528020
  7. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Brown’s Gamble Pays Off’; The West Australian, 7 April 1980, p. 70
  8. ↑ WAFL Footy Facts: East Fremantle – Game Records
  9. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘New-Look Swans Survive Crises’; The West Australian, 14 April 1980, p. 68
  10. ↑ Hopkins, Colin; ‘Peake’s Talent Wasted at Centre Half-Forward’; The West Australian, 14 April 1980, p. 67
  11. ↑ Hopkins, Colin; ‘Defenders Save Face for Drab East Perth’; The West Australian, 21 April 1980, p. 63
  12. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘South Reveal Star Quality’; The West Australian, 21 April 1980, p. 76
  13. ↑ Sheterline, John; ‘West Perth Mean Business’; The West Australian, 21 April 1980, p. 76
  14. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘All’s Not Lost for Subiaco’; The West Australian, 28 April 1980; p. 63
  15. ↑ Hopkins, Colin; ‘Claremont Flaws Come to Surface’; The West Australian, 28 April 1980; p. 62
  16. ↑ WAFL Footy Facts: Draws Archived 2014-05-13 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘1979 Flops on the Top’; The West Australian, 5 May 1980; pp. 90, 96
  18. ↑ Swan Districts: Most Behinds
  19. ↑ Swan Districts: Biggest Home-and-Away Crowds
  20. ↑ "WAFL Footy Facts: Consecutive Wins by 100 Points". Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  21. ↑ ‘Reports Come after Brawl’; The West Australian, 12 May 1980; p. 66
  22. ↑ ‘Bucknall Penalised for Six Dates’; The West Australian, 13 May 1980; pp. 79, 80
  23. ↑ Subiaco: Biggest Wins
  24. ↑ ‘Lions Find Their Roar’; The West Australian, 19 May 1980, p. 55
  25. ↑ ‘Long Kicks Boost W.P.’; The West Australian, 26 May 1980, p. 67
  26. ↑ ‘Souths End Run of Losses’; The West Australian, 26 May 1980, pp. 68, 67
  27. ↑ ‘Swans March Home with 22-goal Half’; The West Australian, 26 May 1980, p. 67
  28. ↑ "WAFL Footy Facts – Most Combined Points in Second Half". Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  29. ↑ “A Special Writer” (anonymous author); ‘Claremont Crush West Perth’; The West Australian, 3 June 1980, p. 75
  30. ↑ ‘E. F‘Tle Give Their Best in Derby’; The West Australian, 3 June 1980, p. 76
  31. ↑ ‘Mal’s Move Pays Off’; The West Australian, 9 June 1980, p. 66
  32. ↑ ‘Old Easts a Heap of Ruins’; The West Australian, 9 June 1980, p. 66
  33. ↑ Sheterline, John; ‘Subiaco Lacks Discipline’; The West Australian, 16 June 1980, p. 58
  34. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Melrose Provides the Inspiration’; The West Australian, 16 June 1980; p. 74
  35. ↑ Hopkins, Colin; ‘Jager Proves Critics Wrong’; The West Australian, 16 June 1980; p. 75
  36. ↑ Daily Rainfall for Perth Regional Office, June 1980
  37. ↑ Hopkins, Colin; ‘Rioli Bursts Back into Best Form’, The West Australian, 23 June 1980
  38. ↑ "WAFL Footy Facts: Claremont v South Fremantle". Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  39. ↑ "WAFL Footy Facts: Streaks". Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  40. ↑ Sheterline, John; ‘Swans Pass Test of Character’; The West Australian, 30 June 1980, p. 60
  41. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Perth Wingers Show the Way’; The West Australian, 30 June 1980, p. 61
  42. ↑ Hopkins, Colin; ‘Bring on the Rain Is South’s Cry’; The West Australian, 14 July 1980, p. 68
  43. ↑ Hopkins, Colin, ‘Reward for Perseverance’; The West Australian, 21 July 1980; p. 69
  44. ↑ Hopkins, Colin; ‘Shaw Gains Status as a Defender’; The West Australian, 28 July 1980, p. 72
  45. ↑ Hopkins, Colin; ‘Claremont Shatter West Perth’s Hopes’; The West Australian, 4 August 1980; p. 70
  46. ↑ Hopkins, Colin; ‘Swans Are at Their Best under Pressure’; The West Australian, 11 August 1980, p. 66
  47. ↑ Sheterline, John; ‘West Perth Must Sustain Pressure’; The West Australian, 18 August 1980, p. 74
  48. ↑ Hopkins, Colin; ‘There’s a Glimmer of Hope for Subiaco’; The West Australian, 18 August 1980, p. 75
  49. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Haddow Looks the Answer in Attack’; The West Australian, 25 August 1980, p. 96
  50. ↑ Hopkins, Colin; ‘Melville Will Be Hand in Finals’; The West Australian, 25 August 1980, p. 96
  51. ↑ Hopkins, Colin; ‘West Perth Take All the Glory’; The West Australian, 1 September 1980, p. 67
  52. ↑ East Fremantle: Most Behinds
  53. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘East Perth Are on Target’; The West Australian, 8 September 1980; p. 72
  54. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Now or Never for South, Says Brown’; The West Australian, 15 September 1980, p. 67
  55. ↑ Devaney, John; Full Points Footy’s WA Football Companion; p. 12. ISBN   978-0-9556897-1-0
  56. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘East Perth Were Always Lagging’; The West Australian; 22 September 1980, p. 67
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