1981 WAFL season | |
---|---|
Teams | Eight |
Premiers | Claremont 5th premiership |
Minor premiers | Claremont 6th minor premiership |
Sandover Medallist | Stephen Michael (South Fremantle) |
Bernie Naylor Medallist | Warren Ralph (Claremont) |
Matches played | 88 |
Highest | 18,106 |
The 1981 WAFL season was the 97th season of the West Australian Football League in its various incarnations. The season opened on 11 April and concluded on 3 October with the 1981 WAFL Grand Final between Claremont and South Fremantle. It was the last WAFL season to begin in April and end in October; from 1982 the league shifted the schedule of the season forward by a week and in later years by another.
The 1981 WAFL season is famous because of its prodigious scoring, chiefly by premiers Claremont and runners-up South Fremantle. The Claremont trio of Warren Ralph, and brothers Jimmy and Phil Krakouer broke numerous records related to scoring in single matches and seasons. (It was to be the Krakouer brothers' last season at Claremont, before a move to North Melbourne, where they introduced an attacking style of football to the VFL.) During 1981, the 1979 record score by Swan Districts was broken twice, with the last round record by South Fremantle still remaining as the highest score in senior WAFL history. The average score of 123 points per team per game is the highest in WAFL history and as much as ten points higher than the VFL/AFL maximum during 1982, whilst tailender Perth set the unenviable record of conceding 157 points per match, [1] allowing under 100 only on a very wet day against East Perth.
Round 1 | |||||
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Saturday, 11 April | Swan Districts 21.21 (147) | def. | West Perth 10.12 (72) | Bassendean Oval (crowd: 12467) | |
Saturday, 11 April | East Perth 25.10 (160) | def. | Perth 14.10 (94) | Perth Oval (crowd: 7626) | |
Saturday, 11 April | Claremont 22.22 (154) | def. | South Fremantle 18.18 (126) | Claremont Oval (crowd: 10105) | |
Saturday, 11 April | East Fremantle 21.16 (142) | def. | Subiaco 18.12 (120) | East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 7010) | |
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Round 2 | |||||
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Saturday, 18 April | West Perth 23.16 (154) | def. | East Perth 14.14 (98) | Leederville Oval (crowd: 13053) | |
Saturday, 18 April | South Fremantle 22.21 (153) | def. | East Fremantle 20.14 (134) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 14827) | |
Monday, 20 April | Perth 13.9 (87) | def. by | Swan Districts 38.21 (249) | Lathlain Park (crowd: 10859) | [4] |
Monday, 20 April | Subiaco 22.21 (153) | def. | Claremont 18.15 (123) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 9167) | |
|
Round 3 | |||||
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Saturday, 25 April | Swan Districts 22.17 (149) | def. | Subiaco 17.11 (113) | Bassendean Oval (crowd: 11070) | |
Saturday, 25 April | East Perth 21.9 (135) | def. | South Fremantle 17.14 (116) | Perth Oval (crowd: 10426) | |
Saturday, 25 April | Claremont 29.17 (191) | def. | Perth 12.23 (95) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 5997) | |
Saturday, 25 April | East Fremantle 19.25 (139) | def. | West Perth 8.17 (65) | East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 8923) | |
East Fremantle's unusual policy of playing four roving forwards gives Old Easts an open forward line that completely outplays the Cardinals, as shown by a match total of ninety-three effective handballs to West Perth's fifty. [8] |
Round 4 | |||||
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Saturday, 2 May | Subiaco 18.16 (124) | def. | West Perth 17.18 (120) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 8451) | |
Saturday, 2 May | Perth 17.13 (115) | def. by | South Fremantle 26.28 (184) | Lathlain Park (crowd: 6053) | |
Saturday, 2 May | Claremont 20.26 (146) | def. | East Perth 17.11 (113) | Claremont Oval (crowd: 10347) | |
Saturday, 2 May | Swan Districts 28.17 (185) | def. | East Fremantle 12.6 (78) | Bassendean Oval (crowd: 12020) | |
Six third quarter goals by Demon flanker Doug Simms brings the match to life despite the Demons being thrashed for the fourth successive week and finishing with a percentage of 49.87. [9] |
Round 5 | |||||
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Saturday, 9 May | South Fremantle 17.19 (121) | def. | Swan Districts 16.16 (112) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 16120) | |
Saturday, 9 May | East Perth 23.23 (161) | def. | Subiaco 10.11 (71) | Perth Oval (crowd: 8562) | |
Saturday, 9 May | Claremont 26.24 (180) | def. | West Perth 13.9 (87) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 8871) | |
Saturday, 9 May | East Fremantle 20.21 (141) | def. | Perth 13.20 (98) | East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 5023) | |
Round 6 | |||||
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Saturday, 16 May | Subiaco 13.19 (97) | def. by | South Fremantle 17.13 (115) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 7930) | |
Saturday, 16 May | West Perth 18.15 (123) | def. | Perth 17.9 (111) | Leederville Oval (crowd: 7006) | |
Saturday, 16 May | Swan Districts 27.14 (176) | def. | East Perth 17.13 (115) | Bassendean Oval (crowd: 14107) | |
Saturday, 16 May | East Fremantle 14.12 (96) | def. by | Claremont 19.12 (126) | East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 8851) | |
East Perth's gamble to rely on bold attacking play fails as Swan Districts win the toss with a stiff easterly and later dominate the final quarter against this breeze. [10] |
Round 7 | |||||
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Saturday, 23 May | Perth 22.16 (148) | def. | Subiaco 17.12 (114) | Lathlain Park (crowd: 5018) | |
Saturday, 23 May | Claremont 24.12 (156) | def. | Swan Districts 16.14 (110) | Claremont Oval (crowd: 16154) | |
Saturday, 23 May | East Perth 24.12 (156) | def. | East Fremantle 17.10 (112) | Perth Oval (crowd: 9808) | |
Sunday, 24 May | West Perth 17.14 (116) | def. by | South Fremantle 18.18 (126) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 11180) | |
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Round 8 | |||||
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Saturday, 30 May | Swan Districts 31.14 (200) | def. | Perth 10.13 (73) | Bassendean Oval (crowd: 5125) | |
Saturday, 30 May | Claremont 25.11 (161) | def. | Subiaco 19.12 (126) | Claremont Oval (crowd: 5552) | |
Monday, 1 June | East Perth 20.18 (138) | def. by | West Perth 22.10 (142) | Perth Oval (crowd: 13564) | |
Monday, 1 June | East Fremantle 13.15 (93) | def. by | South Fremantle 27.17 (179) | East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 15212) | |
Led by Les Fong in this 150th match, West Perth, despite a serious knee injury to John Duckworth, come back from 32 points down during the third quarter to win a thriller over their rivals. [14] |
Round 9 | |||||
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Saturday, 6 June | West Perth 5.10 (40) | def. by | Swan Districts 18.17 (125) | Leederville Oval (crowd: 7534) | |
Saturday, 6 June | Perth 10.14 (74) | def. by | East Perth 13.8 (86) | Lathlain Park (crowd: 4038) | |
Saturday, 6 June | South Fremantle 16.19 (115) | def. | Claremont 13.17 (95) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 9920) | |
Saturday, 6 June | Subiaco 14.13 (97) | def. | East Fremantle 14.5 (89) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 4122) | |
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Round 10 | |||||
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Saturday, 13 June | Subiaco 15.7 (97) | def. by | Swan Districts 14.18 (102) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 8236) | |
Saturday, 13 June | South Fremantle 22.15 (147) | def. | East Perth 11.11 (77) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 11908) | |
Saturday, 13 June | Perth 10.14 (74) | def. by | Claremont 23.18 (156) | Lathlain Park (crowd: 5563) | |
Saturday, 13 June | West Perth 37.17 (239) | def. | East Fremantle 9.7 (61) | Leederville Oval (crowd: 7716) | |
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Round 11 | |||||
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Saturday, 27 June | West Perth 9.13 (67) | def. | Subiaco 9.11 (65) | Leederville Oval (crowd: 7930) | |
Saturday, 27 June | South Fremantle 30.18 (198) | def. | Perth 10.13 (73) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 4487) | |
Saturday, 27 June | East Perth 13.14 (92) | def. by | Claremont 21.17 (143) | Perth Oval (crowd: 7595) | |
Saturday, 27 June | East Fremantle 10.13 (73) | def. by | Swan Districts 13.13 (91) | East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 4452) | |
|
Round 12 | |||||
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Saturday, 4 July | Swan Districts 19.20 (134) | def. | South Fremantle 13.8 (86) | Bassendean Oval (crowd: 14600) | |
Saturday, 4 July | Subiaco 26.14 (170) | def. | East Perth 12.8 (80) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 7148) | |
Saturday, 4 July | Claremont 30.19 (199) | def. | West Perth 20.9 (129) | Claremont Oval (crowd: 8922) | |
Saturday, 4 July | Perth 23.24 (162) | def. | East Fremantle 21.9 (135) | Lathlain Park (crowd: 4091) | |
With young Laurie Keene kicking nine goals, Subiaco make a charge for fourth place against the struggling Royals, for whom no one does much in attack against Mitch Fussell's speed. [23] |
Round 13 | |||||
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Saturday, 11 July | South Fremantle 23.20 (158) | def. | Subiaco 10.17 (77) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 6375) | |
Saturday, 11 July | West Perth 26.23 (179) | def. | Perth 13.17 (95) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 3500) | [24] |
Saturday, 11 July | East Perth 14.13 (97) | def. by | Swan Districts 17.9 (111) | Perth Oval (crowd: 6500) | |
Saturday, 11 July | Claremont 30.17 (197) | def. | East Fremantle 14.11 (95) | Claremont Oval (crowd: 5183) | |
Subiaco lose full-back Fussell with a compound left leg fracture and this loss combined with their on-field loss to South Fremantle ends the Lions hopes of a finals berth. [25] |
Round 14 | |||||
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Saturday, 18 July | West Perth 23.8 (146) | def. | South Fremantle 19.19 (133) | Leederville Oval (crowd: 8205) | |
Saturday, 18 July | Subiaco 22.17 (149) | def. | Perth 14.8 (92) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 4289) | |
Saturday, 18 July | Swan Districts 16.16 (112) | def. by | Claremont 17.12 (114) | Bassendean Oval (crowd: 14019) | |
Saturday, 18 July | East Fremantle 9.17 (71) | def. by | East Perth 12.11 (83) | East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 4211) | |
|
Round 15 | |||||
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Saturday, 25 July | West Perth 10.10 (70) | def. by | Swan Districts 25.22 (172) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 12169) | |
Saturday, 25 July | East Perth 20.16 (136) | def. | Perth 17.8 (110) | Perth Oval (crowd: 4765) | |
Saturday, 25 July | Claremont 23.22 (160) | def. | South Fremantle 14.25 (109) | Claremont Oval (crowd: 12670) | |
Saturday, 25 July | East Fremantle 14.9 (93) | def. by | Subiaco 18.19 (127) | East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 3987) | |
West Perth suffer another big loss to Swan Districts and again fall out of the four. The Cardinals do not goal between the five-minute mark of the opening quarter and the twenty-minute mark of the second as Swans’ waves of speed move down the field to produce eleven of their own. [29] |
Round 16 | |||||
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Saturday, 1 August | Perth 13.15 (93) | def. by | Swan Districts 18.20 (128) | Lathlain Park (crowd: N/A) | |
Saturday, 1 August | West Perth 15.9 (99) | def. by | East Perth 25.10 (160) | Leederville Oval (crowd: 11980) | |
Saturday, 1 August | Subiaco 12.10 (82) | def. by | Claremont 28.13 (181) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 8348) | |
Saturday, 1 August | South Fremantle 24.22 (166) | def. | East Fremantle 19.5 (119) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 6510) | |
An unfashionable but brilliant centreline and the move of John Hayes to full-forward where he kicks 7.1 (43) allows East Perth to beat finals rival West Perth and move a game plus percentage clear inside the four. [30] |
Round 17 | |||||
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Saturday, 8 August | Swan Districts 30.17 (197) | def. | Subiaco 10.14 (74) | Bassendean Oval (crowd: 9237) | |
Saturday, 8 August | East Perth 20.11 (131) | def. | South Fremantle 16.22 (118) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 11022) | |
Saturday, 8 August | Claremont 39.20 (254) | def. | Perth 12.9 (81) | Claremont Oval (crowd: 5820) | |
Saturday, 8 August | East Fremantle 21.17 (143) | def. | West Perth 16.11 (107) | East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 5175) | |
|
Round 18 | |||||
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Saturday, 15 August | Subiaco 25.13 (163) | def. | West Perth 9.15 (69) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 4858) | |
Saturday, 15 August | Perth 18.13 (121) | def. | South Fremantle 15.13 (103) | Lathlain Park (crowd: 4897) | |
Saturday, 15 August | Claremont 23.24 (162) | def. | East Perth 8.13 (61) | Claremont Oval (crowd: 10172) | |
Saturday, 15 August | Swan Districts 24.24 (168) | def. | East Fremantle 8.15 (63) | Bassendean Oval (crowd: 6123) | |
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Round 19 | |||||
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Saturday, 22 August | South Fremantle 21.22 (148) | def. | Swan Districts 16.17 (113) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 12142) | |
Saturday, 22 August | East Perth 19.14 (128) | def. | Subiaco 16.7 (103) | Perth Oval (crowd: 10220) | |
Saturday, 22 August | West Perth 12.9 (81) | def. by | Claremont 35.15 (225) | Leederville Oval (crowd: 7145) | |
Saturday, 22 August | East Fremantle 20.19 (139) | def. | Perth 17.18 (120) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 3218) | |
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Round 20 | |||||
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Saturday, 29 August | Subiaco 18.12 (120) | def. | South Fremantle 10.23 (83) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 7814) | |
Saturday, 29 August | West Perth 16.19 (115) | def. | Perth 16.15 (111) | Leederville Oval (crowd: 4827) | |
Saturday, 29 August | Swan Districts 18.14 (122) | def. | East Perth 14.17 (101) | Bassendean Oval (crowd: 12728) | |
Saturday, 29 August | East Fremantle 7.16 (58) | def. by | Claremont 10.21 (81) | East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 7935) | |
East Fremantle kick only 1.9 (15) in dry (but windy) conditions after quarter-time, not goalling in the second or third quarters — a first in the WA(N)FL since Subiaco in Round 11 of 1976. Their wasteful short-kicking game allows the Tigers to recover from Old Easts’ ferocious tackling in the first quarter. [40] |
Round 21 | |||||
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Saturday, 5 September | South Fremantle 40.18 (258) | def. | West Perth 12.6 (78) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 6157) | |
Saturday, 5 September | Perth 18.16 (124) | def. by | Subiaco 26.15 (171) | Lathlain Park (crowd: 4984) | |
Saturday, 5 September | Claremont 22.16 (148) | def. | Swan Districts 20.13 (133) | Claremont Oval (crowd: 18106) | |
Saturday, 5 September | East Perth 17.15 (117) | def. | East Fremantle 12.10 (82) | Perth Oval (crowd: 5660) | |
|
Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Claremont (P) | 21 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 3352 | 2128 | 157.5 | 76 |
2 | Swan Districts | 21 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 3036 | 2019 | 150.4 | 64 |
3 | South Fremantle | 21 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 2942 | 2400 | 122.6 | 52 |
4 | East Perth | 21 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 2425 | 2523 | 96.1 | 44 |
5 | Subiaco | 21 | 9 | 12 | 0 | 2413 | 2582 | 93.5 | 36 |
6 | West Perth | 21 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 2298 | 2973 | 77.3 | 32 |
7 | East Fremantle | 21 | 5 | 16 | 0 | 2156 | 2837 | 76.0 | 20 |
8 | Perth | 21 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 2151 | 3311 | 65.0 | 12 |
First semi-final | |||||
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Saturday, 12 September | South Fremantle 19.14 (128) | def. | East Perth 13.10 (88) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 32,860) | |
Despite a heavy knock, Bruce Monteath kicks 6.2 (38) of 6.4 (40) to avoid a potential upset by the Royals. He had no recollection of equalling the WA(N)FL record of nine goals in a final. [43] |
Second semi-final | |||||
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Saturday, 19 September | Claremont 14.24 (108) | def. | Swan Districts 12.9 (81) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 33,478) | |
A wayward Claremont win with surprising ease owing to Swan Districts’ roving weakness in windy conditions combined with the overlooked power of Claremont's defence. [44] |
Preliminary final | |||||
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Sunday, 27 September | Swan Districts 15.15 (105) | def. by | South Fremantle 28.10 (178) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 33,940) | |
South Fremantle gain the opportunity to defend their 1980 premiership with a brilliant twenty-goal second half after being sixteen points behind late in the second quarter. Rover Noel Carter rivals his last-round eleven-goal display and Monteath is again superb – this time at centre half-forward. [45] |
1981 WAFL Grand Final | |||||
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Saturday, 3 October | Claremont | def. | South Fremantle | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 50,517) | |
4.5 (29) 7.7 (49) 11.13 (79) 16.15 (111) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 1.3 (9) 7.15 (57) 10.20 (80) 12.24 (96) | Umpires: Ross Capes, Ron Powell Simpson Medal: Gary Shaw (Claremont) Maurice Rioli (South Fremantle) | ||
Malaxos 5, Blackwell 3, Ralph 3, Daniels, Jimmy Krakouer, Panizza, Shaw, Watson | Goals | Monteath 4, Carter 3, McKay, Hardie, Rioli, Randall, Vasoli | |||
Moss, Phil Krakouer, Shaw, Pearce, Morton, Blackwell, Malaxos, Harper | Best | Rioli, Barrett, Monteath, Carter, Vasoli, Michael | |||
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 1986 WAFL season was the 102nd season of the various incarnations of the West Australian Football League. It was the last season before the introduction of the West Coast Eagles in the VFL which would relegate the WAFL to a second-level league from 1987, and already all WAFL clubs were in severe financial difficulties as attendances were stagnant at best since 1970 and the financial power of wealthy VFL clubs drew most top players away and left below-market transfer fees as WAFL clubs' inadequate main income source.
The 1987 WAFL season was the 103rd season of the West Australian Football League in its various iterations. This season saw a Western Australia-based team, West Coast, that was one of two interstate teams to make their debut in the Victorian Football League (VFL), which had profound effects on the WAFL competition. The Eagles took away thirty-five of the competition's best players, severely reducing attendances and club revenue, the latter of which was further affected by the payment of the Eagles’ licence fee to the VFL. The WAFL budgeted for a 30 percent decline in attendances, but the observed decline was over fifty percent, and they were also hit by Channel Seven telecasting the Round 17 Hawthorn versus Footscray match, breaching agreements to not telecast non-Eagles VFL matches to Perth.
The 1985 WAFL season was the 101st season of the West Australian Football League and its various incarnations. The season opened on 30 March and concluded on 21 September with the 1985 WAFL Grand Final contested between East Fremantle and Subiaco.
The 1984 WAFL season was the 100th season of the West Australian Football League and its various incarnations. The season opened on 31 March and concluded on 22 September with the 1984 WAFL Grand Final contested between East Fremantle and Swan Districts.
The 1983 WAFL season was the 99th season of the West Australian Football League in its various incarnations. The season opened on 31 March and concluded on 17 September with the 1983 WAFL Grand Final contested between Claremont and Swan Districts.
The 1982 WAFL season was the 98th season of the West Australian Football League and its various incarnations. The season opened on 27 March 1982 and concluded on 18 September 1982 with the 1982 WAFL Grand Final contested between Claremont and Swan Districts. Under the coaching of John Todd, Swans won the 1982, 1983 and 1984 premierships before the financial lure of the VFL deprived it one by one of the stars of this period. The black and whites’ win was marred a little, however, by their decision to play a virtual reserve grade lineup against Richmond in an Escort Cup quarter-final after the game was postponed twice[a] and the VFL Tigers refused to play the match at Subiaco Oval on a Monday afternoon – Richmond won 33.16 (214) to 4.4 (28) and Swan Districts were suspended from the competition until 1985, despite the WAFL approving of their decision after Todd argued it was normal practice among VFL clubs to play reserves players in the Escort Cup.
The 1980 WAFL season was the 96th season of the West Australian Football League in its various incarnations.
The 1979 WANFL season was the 95th season of the West Australian National Football League in its various incarnations, and the last of forty-nine under that moniker.
The 1978 WANFL season was the 94th season of the Western Australian National Football League in its various incarnations, and the second-last under that moniker.
The 1988 WAFL season was the 104th season of the West Australian Football League in its various incarnations.
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 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.
The 1967 WANFL season was the 83rd season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. Its most salient feature was the decline of East Fremantle, the league's most successful club, to its worst season since its inaugural 1898 season. Old Easts – having during the first two-thirds of the century never won fewer than ten matches in a season – won only seven and finished second-last after looking set for a still-worse record during the first fifteen rounds. Their appointed captain-coach Bert Thornley resigned after twelve matches due to the club's bad form and his desire to play for Carlton in 1968. The blue and whites suffered severely from a bad run of injuries and form lapses amongst senior players like Sorrell, Spriggs, Rogers and Casserly, plus a serious weakness in attack due to the loss of Bob Johnson. Despite regaining Austin Robertson and acquiring Johnson, Subiaco continued their disastrous form of late 1966 for their worst season since 1953, as the loss of Slater and injuries to Brian Sarre left them decrepit in the ruck and defence.