1985 WAFL season

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1985 WAFL season
Teams8
Premiers East Fremantle
26th premiership
Minor premiers East Fremantle
30th minor premiership
Sandover Medallist Murray Wrensted (East Fremantle)
Bernie Naylor Medallist Mick Rea (Perth)
Matches played88
←  1984
1986  →

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.

Contents

It was highlighted by the rise of Subiaco, who had nearly become extinct in the late 1970s due to financial problems [1] and had won only 25.2 percent of its games between 1975 and 1984. The Lions recovered from a mid-season slump to win their last seven games before the finals – their longest winning streak in one season since 1915 [2] – and challenge East Fremantle. The Sharks came off their 1984 Grand Final loss to win their first twelve on end, gain favourable comparisons with their unbeaten 1946 counterparts, and be quoted at odds of 25/1 to achieve a perfect season. [3] [4] The blue and whites sealed the minor premiership with four games remaining and defeated the Lions in a thrilling Grand Final.

Major declines occurred from Claremont, who had their worst season since 1977, and East Perth, who began a sequence of five seasons with only 24 wins, two wooden spoons (their first since 1964) and two last-round escapes. Perth, who had not played finals in any grade since the 1978 Grand Final, [5] [6] embarked upon their first significant recruiting campaign for a decade, acquiring dissatisfied South Fremantle coach Mal Brown, former Claremont goalsneak Brett Farmer, and future mainstays Mark Watson, Wayne Ryder and Willie Dick [7] – but did not match expectations and rose just one position with one more win than in 1984.

Off the field, the season saw Perth businessmen Alan Delany and John Watts attempt to buy lowly VFL club St. Kilda and move them to Perth, [8] which failed but was the first move towards the modern national Australian Football League, which began in earnest with the formation of the West Coast Eagles in 1987.

Home-and-away season

Round 1

Round 1
Saturday, 30 March West Perth 19.18 (132)def. South Fremantle 10.22 (82) Leederville Oval (crowd: 8063)
Saturday, 30 March Subiaco 19.17 (131)def. Perth 14.12 (96) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 8034)
Saturday, 30 March East Perth 11.11 (77)def. Claremont 8.15 (63) Perth Oval (crowd: 5688)
Saturday, 30 March East Fremantle 20.23 (143)def. Swan Districts 9.10 (64) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 7147)
  • East Fremantle, aided by new rover David Bushell and wingman Chris Mainwaring, dominate Swans with the pace and drive and confirm their status as premiership favourties. [9]
  • Les Fong kicked nine goals in an amazing display of roving for the Falcons. He had never kicked more than five before and only 20 and 21 in the 1984 and 1983 seasons. [10]

Round 2

Round 2
Saturday, 6 April Perth 22.21 (153)def. East Perth 7.15 (57) Leederville Oval (crowd: 9796) [11]
Saturday, 6 April South Fremantle 14.15 (99)def. by East Fremantle 23.28 (166) [12] Fremantle Oval (crowd: 10118)
Monday, 8 April Swan Districts 19.14 (128)def. West Perth 15.12 (102) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 10500) [13]
Monday, 8 April Claremont 10.18 (78)def. Subiaco 10.10 (70) Claremont Oval (crowd: 5818)
  • Perth’s new-found solidity in defence and seven goals from Rea after having been at Mines Rovers in Collie during late 1984 ensures the Demons’ biggest victory since 1980 and second-biggest ever over the Royals. [14]
  • A depleted Claremont side, whose returning captain-coach Moss gave Subiaco first use of the wind, comes back for a surprise win in wet conditions [15] as Monteath and John Scott upset the balance of Subiaco’s defence. [16]

Round 3

Round 3
Saturday, 13 April Subiaco 22.13 (145)def. West Perth 10.11 (71) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 10211)
Saturday, 13 April Perth 18.17 (125)def. South Fremantle 13.9 (87) Lathlain Park (crowd: 9010) [7]
Saturday, 13 April Claremont 13.14 (92)def. by East Fremantle 16.15 (111) Geraldton (crowd: 7970)
Saturday, 13 April East Perth 14.16 (101)def. by Swan Districts 16.12 (108) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 8827)
  • For the first time, the WAFL played a match in Geraldton, one of the largest country towns in WA.
  • Don Holmes’ seven brilliant goals – three in the critical final quarter – wins a game where East Perth had the bulk of the play but capitalise poorly. [17]

Round 4

Round 4
Saturday, 20 April Subiaco 17.16 (118)def. South Fremantle 16.19 (115) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 8196)
Saturday, 20 April West Perth 27.17 (179)def. Perth 20.6 (126) Leederville Oval (crowd: 8165) [18]
Saturday, 20 April Claremont 15.15 (105)def. Swan Districts 13.15 (93) Claremont Oval (crowd: 7953)
Saturday, 20 April East Fremantle 31.13 (199)def. East Perth 11.10 (76) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 7182)

Seven goals from rover Sean Regan – a member of a famous East Fremantle family and a cousin of teammate Gerard Neesham – gives East Fremantle a record win over the Royals [19] after East Perth led by four points twenty minutes into the second quarter. East Fremantle then scored 15.2 (92) to two behinds in twenty minutes. [20]

Round 5

Round 5
Saturday, 27 April Swan Districts 13.21 (99)def. by Subiaco 22.14 (146) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 9628)
Saturday, 27 April West Perth 18.18 (126)def. East Perth 16.9 (105) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 9160)
Saturday, 27 April South Fremantle 24.19 (163)def. Claremont 10.12 (72) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 6700)
Saturday, 27 April Perth 15.12 (102)def. by East Fremantle 18.17 (125) Lathlain Park (crowd: 7152)
  • Subiaco record their first win over Swan Districts since the same round of 1978, ending a run of twenty straight losses, the equal longest run by one club against another since 1958. [21]
  • Laurie Keene kicks nine and Victorian recruit Stephen Sells five in the win [22]
  • An unexpected move of key forward Colin Waterson onto the dangerous Rea gives East Fremantle an unexpected boon – the talented attacking player keeps Rea to one goal after half-time and ends Perth’s hope of upsetting the pacesetters. [23]
  • West Perth’s “youth policy” and the resourcefulness of Fong ensures the Falcons win a fine match over a gallant East Perth as a special tribute to former stars John Wynne and Bill Dempsey. [24]

Round 6

Round 6
Saturday, 4 May Swan Districts 23.16 (154)def. by South Fremantle 17.17 (119) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 7631)
Saturday, 4 May East Perth 14.15 (99)def. by Subiaco 20.10 (130) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 7505) [25]
Saturday, 4 May Perth 13.14 (92)def. by Claremont 18.15 (123) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 5867)
Saturday, 4 May East Fremantle 28.21 (189)def. West Perth 9.7 (61) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 6311)
  • Perth coach Mal Brown threatens to not pay his players as the Demons fall away from 32 points up near three-quarter time to lose by thirty-one. [26]
  • East Fremantle kick an amazing 17.13 (115) to 1.4 (10) in the second half, including a WA(N)FL record 14.6 (90) in the final quarter – all without full-forward Darren Bennett and goalkicking rover Roger Kerr, plus having Colin Waterson absent from attack. [27]

Round 7

Round 7
Saturday, 11 May Perth 14.14 (98)def. by Swan Districts 27.18 (180) Lathlain Park (crowd: 8178)
Saturday, 11 May South Fremantle 34.18 (222)def. East Perth 15.3 (93) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 6550)
Saturday, 11 May West Perth 23.7 (145)def. Claremont 20.13 (133) Leederville Oval (crowd: 7641)
Saturday, 11 May Subiaco 12.13 (85)def. by East Fremantle 24.18 (162) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 16709)
  • The crowd at Subiaco Oval is the record for a Subiaco home game there, and sees the Sharks stay undefeated with a comfortable win. [28]
  • Future Geelong star Mark Bairstow, at a time when he is criticised for coming to Perth only to train and play, decimates East Perth who lose in all grades for the sixth week running and concede their highest-ever score. [29]

Round 8

Round 8
Saturday, 18 May South Fremantle 19.24 (138)def. West Perth 13.16 (94) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 8880) [30]
Saturday, 18 May Perth 13.26 (104)def. by Subiaco 25.17 (167) Lathlain Park (crowd: 5356)
Saturday, 18 May Claremont 19.15 (129)def. East Perth 12.15 (87) Claremont Oval (crowd: 5105)
Saturday, 18 May Swan Districts 14.8 (92)def. by East Fremantle 23.20 (158) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 16723)
  • East Fremantle’s fine defence – with Browning completely blanketing Garry Sidebottom – and hard-running centreline gives an eighth straight victory with a percentage of 186.74 despite considerable Swan success tagging their prime movers. [4]
  • The inaccuracy of Brett Farmer, Wiley and Bryan Cousins – who score 3.15 (33) between them with most misses being from close-in and Cousins the worst offender with 1.6 (12) – denies Perth an upset win in a match that leaves Lion coach Bunton very angry at his team’s effort. [31]

Round 9

Round 9
Saturday, 25 May West Perth 15.13 (103)def. Subiaco 12.19 (91) Leederville Oval (crowd: 9000)
Saturday, 25 May Perth 17.20 (122)def. South Fremantle 12.16 (88) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 7246)
Saturday, 25 May Swan Districts 12.13 (128)def. East Perth 12.9 (81) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 6966) [32]
Saturday, 25 May Claremont 12.10 (82)def. by East Fremantle 19.13 (127) Claremont Oval (crowd: 8700)
  • East Fremantle kick an impressive 6.3 (39) to 2.3 (15) into a solid breeze during the final quarter to give suggestions an unbeaten season could be coming – besides maintaining an amazing record of 68 goals to 24 in final quarters so far in 1985. Claremont became the first team to outscore the Sharks in successive quarters, but Graham Moss, recalled at 35 to play centre half-forward, could not counter the East Fremantle defence. [33]
  • A magnificent goal from Les Fong, who had been struggling since his brilliant first-up display, a fine debut at 25 from brother Neale, [a] and thirty-two possessions from Corry Bewick ensure West Perth stay ahead of Subiaco all game and enter the four despite a bad percentage courtesy of the East Fremantle thrashing in Round 6. [34]
  • Perth produce a gutsy effort with Adrian Barich playing throughout with a broken hand and Willie Dick suffering a persistent flu to win their first game for seven rounds. [35]

Round 10

Round 10
Saturday, 1 June West Perth 15.10 (100)def. by Swan Districts 15.22 (112) Leederville Oval (crowd: 12784)
Saturday, 1 June Subiaco 19.15 (129)def. Claremont 14.17 (101) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 9111)
Monday, 3 June East Perth 17.23 (125)def. Perth 11.14 (80) Perth Oval (crowd: 8002)
Monday, 3 June East Fremantle 21.12 (138)def. South Fremantle 13.11 (89) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 20287)

Michael Mitchell takes an amazing high mark over Greg Wilkinson that came to be regarded as the best mark in the WAFL for many years, [36] but Subiaco recovers after the Tigers come back from 58 points down to take the lead early in the last quarter. [37]

Round 11

Round 11
Saturday, 8 June Subiaco 9.15 (69)def. by Swan Districts 14.10 (94) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 11254)
Saturday, 8 June Claremont 12.13 (85)def. by South Fremantle 16.9 (105) Claremont Oval (crowd: 6149)
Saturday, 8 June East Fremantle 21.21 (147)def. Perth 14.11 (95) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 6092)
Sunday, 9 June West Perth 16.13 (109)def. by East Perth 18.18 (126) Leederville Oval (crowd: 11948)

Round 12

Round 12
Saturday, 22 June South Fremantle 19.19 (133)def. Subiaco 20.7 (127) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 6442)
Saturday, 22 June Perth 9.12 (66)def. by West Perth 23.18 (156) Lathlain Park (crowd: 5086)
Saturday, 22 June Swan Districts 11.10 (76)def. by Claremont 24.27 (171) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 5971)
Saturday, 22 June East Perth 12.9 (81)def. by East Fremantle 18.11 (119) Perth Oval (crowd: 5984)
  • East Fremantle record their twelfth straight win, their best start since their perfect season of 1946 and exceeded since then only by Swan Districts in 1980, East Perth in 1959 [38] and the great South Fremantle side of 1950 [39]
  • South Fremantle came back from a 39-point deficit to win thanks to several unusual moves and shutting down key Lion Laurie Keene, who kicked only one goal. [40]
  • Motivation from former Warwickshire bowler Rudi Webster drives Clarement – led by recruits Peter Thorne from Melbourne and John Scott from East Perth to a flawlessly-played upset over the three-time premiers. [41]

Round 13

Round 13
Saturday, 29 June South Fremantle 28.15 (183)def. Swan Districts 16.11 (107) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 7275)
Saturday, 29 June Perth 22.13 (145)def. by Claremont 24.13 (157) Lathlain Park (crowd: 3801)
Saturday, 29 June West Perth 18.17 (125)def. East Fremantle 18.15 (123) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 8358)
Sunday, 30 June East Perth 9.12 (66)def. by Subiaco 19.18 (132) Dampier (crowd: 6040)
  • For the first time, the WAFL plays a game in the Pilbara town of Dampier, an experiment repeated in 1989 and 2010.
  • With Dorotich kicking ten and Vigona six, South Fremantle demoralise the premiers after half-time, kicking 15.6 to 7.6 to be only a game out of the four with a superior percentage. [42]

Round 14

Round 14
Saturday, 6 July Swan Districts 25.15 (165)def. Perth 17.20 (123) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 5867)
Saturday, 6 July East Perth 21.15 (141)def. South Fremantle 14.17 (101) Perth Oval (crowd: 6478)
Saturday, 6 July Claremont 16.17 (113)def. West Perth 14.11 (94) Claremont Oval (crowd: 8754)
Saturday, 6 July East Fremantle 18.17 (125)def. Subiaco 8.6 (54) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 7247)
  • Colin Waterson’s demolition of Keene ensures East Fremantle bounce back devastatingly from their first defeat as ex-Fitzroy player David Rankin moves from defence to be part of a dominating midfield. [43]
  • East Perth exploit South Fremantle’s weakness away from Fremantle Oval with a workmanlike win to move from last position. [44]

Round 15

Round 15
Saturday, 13 July West Perth 15.7 (97)def. South Fremantle 11.12 (78) Leederville Oval (crowd: 4304)
Saturday, 13 July Subiaco 15.15 (105)def. Perth 10.14 (74) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 4056)
Saturday, 13 July East Perth 13.11 (89)def. Claremont 9.15 (69) Perth Oval (crowd: 3413)
Saturday, 13 July East Fremantle 10.11 (71)def. by Swan Districts 12.13 (85) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 5025)
  • In Ron Alexander’s three hundredth senior match, John Todd’s interchanging of centre half-back Rance and injury plagued centre-half forward Peter Sartori breaks down the power Shark goal-to-goal line and the Swans are poised to threaten Subiaco’s hold on second position. [45]
  • With schoolteacher Glyn Williams returning to the team in an emergency despite little training, East Perth claim another significant scalp by beating an in-form Claremont in very wet conditions. [46] [47]

Round 16

Round 16
Saturday, 20 July Swan Districts 22.12 (144)def. West Perth 21.16 (142) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 9462)
Saturday, 20 July Perth 26.14 (170)def. East Perth 13.10 (88) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 5075)
Saturday, 20 July Claremont 12.17 (89)def. by Subiaco 22.16 (148) Claremont Oval (crowd: 5610)
Saturday, 20 July South Fremantle 18.14 (122)def. by East Fremantle 20.15 (135) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 10017)
  • The return of Warren Dean, after injury and abortive stints in defence and the ruck, allows the Lions to thrash Claremont in a fluctuating match where Claremont kick 8.6 (54) to 1.4 (10) after half-time before Subiaco pile on 11.7 (73) in the last quarter. [48]
  • A brilliant display from Wayne Ryder, who combined with Mick Rea and Bryan Cousins for twenty goals, gives Perth a crushing win to keep a third straight wooden spoon in doubt. [49]

Round 17

Round 17
Saturday, 27 July Subiaco 16.18 (114)def. West Perth 10.9 (69) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 7939)
Saturday, 27 July Perth 14.15 (99)def. by South Fremantle 19.12 (126) Lathlain Park (crowd: 4363)
Saturday, 27 July East Perth 9.13 (67)def. by Swan Districts 15.14 (104) Claremont Oval (crowd: 4593)
Saturday, 27 July East Fremantle 10.13 (73)def. Claremont 9.6 (60) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 4802)

Round 18

Round 18
Saturday, 3 August Subiaco 24.16 (160)def. South Fremantle 14.13 (97) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 7548)
Saturday, 3 August West Perth 26.13 (169)def. Perth 17.14 (116) Leederville Oval (crowd: 4689)
Saturday, 3 August Claremont 19.10 (124)def. Swan Districts 13.14 (92) Claremont Oval (crowd: 4655)
Saturday, 3 August East Fremantle 18.15 (123)def. East Perth 12.15 (87) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 4226)

With Moss reappointed as coach for 1986 and 1987, [50] Claremont produce a fine win over Swan Districts to keep the pressure on West Perth in a scenario compared by the press with 1964 when the Tigers had won from fourth position. [51]

Round 19

Round 19
Saturday, 10 August Swan Districts 16.14 (110)def. by Subiaco 20.15 (135) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 7154)
Saturday, 10 August East Perth 16.16 (112)def. by West Perth 20.13 (133) Perth Oval (crowd: 4886)
Saturday, 10 August South Fremantle 13.13 (91)def. by Claremont 21.11 (137) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 10774)
Saturday, 10 August Perth 16.15 (111)def. by East Fremantle 19.18 (132) Lathlain Park (crowd: 6774)

A crucial win for West Perth is marred by violent crowd behaviour whereby a group of West Perth supporters – known by the police beforehand as potentially dangerous – spit and hurl cartons of chocolate-flavoured milk at their East Perth counterparts. [52]

Round 20

Round 20
Saturday, 17 August Swan Districts 29.18 (192)def. South Fremantle 14.16 (100) Bassendean Oval (crowd: 6333)
Saturday, 17 August East Perth 12.10 (82)def. by Subiaco 31.14 (200) Perth Oval (crowd: 5219)
Saturday, 17 August Claremont 12.17 (89)def. by Perth 19.11 (125) Claremont Oval (crowd: 4546)
Saturday, 17 August East Fremantle 14.19 (103)def. by West Perth 18.22 (132) East Fremantle Oval (crowd: 7883)
  • Perth record their first win over Claremont since the last round of 1978, ending a run of twenty straight losses that is Claremont’s longest winning run over any club and Perth’s longest losing run in open-age WA(N)FL football. [21]
  • Subiaco kick their highest score against East Perth, beating their previous 1970 record by fifty-six points [53] Keene is unstoppable and Leishwan and Sells each kick six goals. [54]

Round 21

Round 21
Saturday, 24 August Perth 17.9 (111)def. Swan Districts 13.17 (95) Lathlain Park (crowd: 5325)
Saturday, 24 August South Fremantle 17.22 (124)def. East Perth 12.11 (83) Fremantle Oval (crowd: 3125)
Saturday, 24 August West Perth 20.10 (130)def. Claremont 8.10 (58) Leederville Oval (crowd: 5385)
Saturday, 24 August Subiaco 19.11 (125)def. East Fremantle 15.15 (105) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 9355)

A superb defence and a brilliant display by future Essendon star Darren Bewick leads West Perth to overrun Claremont. [55]

Ladder

1985 ladder
PosTeamPldWLDPFPAPPPts
1 East Fremantle (P)21174027741917144.768
2 Subiaco 21156025812072124.660
3 West Perth 21129024682402102.748
4 Swan Districts 2112902379244897.248
5 Claremont 2191202130226394.136
6 South Fremantle 2181302462257795.532
7 Perth 2161502332269186.724
8 East Perth 2151601923267971.820
Source: WAFL Footy Facts
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers

Finals series

First semi-final

First semi-final
Saturday, 31 August West Perth 19.12 (126)def. by Swan Districts 24.14 (158) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 26,508)

An injury-crippled West Perth outfit fails to break its Swan Districts hoodoo as Garry Sidebottom kicks nine goals and the Falcons are never closer than eleven points after the first few minutes. [56]

Second semi-final

Second semi-final
Saturday, 7 September East Fremantle 19.11 (125)def. Subiaco 16.17 (113) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 23,500)

In a high-standard match, Subiaco, despite losing to a resurgent East Fremantle, lose no friends and escape injuries from their first final since 1974. [57]

Preliminary final

Preliminary final
Saturday, 14 September Subiaco 20.13 (133)def. Swan Districts 11.16 (82) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 25,708)

This was the first final Subiaco had won since the 1973 Grand Final, and ended Swan Districts’ hat-trick of flags

Grand Final

1985 WAFL Grand Final
Saturday, 21 September East Fremantle def. Subiaco Subiaco Oval (crowd: 42,657)
3.1 (19)
9.7 (61)
12.9 (81)
15.12 (102)		Q1
Q2
Q3
Final		7.4 (46)
8.7 (55)
11.12 (78)
14.13 (97)		Umpires: David Johnson, Phil O'Reilly
Simpson Medal: Brian Taylor (Subiaco)
Browning 6, Wrensted 3, Wilson 2, Alexander, Peake, Neesham, KerrGoalsSells 2, Mort 2, Spencer 2, Keene 2, Scott 2, Dean, Neil Taylor, Phil Lamb, Brian Taylor
Browning, Wrensted, Waterson, Neesham, Wilson, MainwaringBestDean, Featherby, Brian Taylor, Sells, Neil Taylor, Scott

Regarded as one of the best-ever WAFL Grand Finals, the inexperienced Subiaco team nearly topples a powerful East Fremantle combination [58] in a thriller in showery conditions.

Notes

a Better known as a member of the West Australian Football Commission and author of the “Fong Report” on the future of West Australian football after the 2000 season.

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The 1991 WAFL season was the 107th season of the various incarnations of the West Australian Football League. With the West Coast Eagles still pushing attendances down and club finances into the red, the league made further experiments. Following on from the VFL and SANFL it introduced a ‘final five’ to replace the final four in use since 1905, but this did not produce the hoped-for financial benefits and was abandoned after four seasons. A more enduring result of this chance was a ‘double-header’ system of playing finals, whereby the two senior semi-finals were played at Subiaco Oval on the same day, with the first game starting just before noon and the second at the traditional time for playing finals. As a consequence of the double-headers, reserves finals were played at Fremantle Oval and colts at Bassendean.

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 1992 WAFL season was the 108th season of senior football in Perth, Western Australia. It is most notable for the end of the Claremont dynasty of the previous five seasons, which was pre-season an expected result of losing all but nine of the premiership side to the AFL draft or in two cases retirement. The Tigers, whose guernsey reverted from the gold sash to the CFC monogram, which they wore during their miraculous premiership success in 1964, fell from first with only two losses to avoiding the wooden spoon only by percentage, in the process using fifty-two players in the league team. East Fremantle won their first premiership for seven years after a very disappointing 1991, whilst East Perth, who had been stragglers for the preceding half-decade, made a remarkable rush from fifth position to narrowly miss their first Grand Final since winning the 1978 premiership.

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 1993 WAFL season was the 109th of the various incarnations of the West Australian Football League. It saw an extraordinarily even competition amongst all the teams except Perth, with only three and a half games separating first and seventh and the smallest dispersion of winning percentages in the WAFL since 1921. West Perth's 13 wins and a percentage marginally under 100 is the fewest wins and lowest percentage to take top position in a major Australian Rules league: indeed no team had headed the ladder with a percentage nearly so low at any stage of a season except Hawthorn during May of 1969 and Perth during June and July 1963.

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 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.

References

  1. ↑ Spillman, Ken; Diehards: the Story of the Subiaco Football Club 1946-2000, pp. 198-200; ISBN   0-9578185-0-5
  2. ↑ See Christian, Geoff; ‘Subiaco’s Winning Streak the Best for 12 Years’; The West Australian , 19 August 1985, p. 88
  3. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘What Price Sharks to Stay Unbeaten’; The West Australian, 27 May 1985, pp. 79, 84
  4. 1 2 Christian, Geoff; ‘Sharks Have a Touch of Greatness’; The West Australian, 20 May 1985, p. 81
  5. ↑ WAFL Reserves Ladder Positions (download)
  6. ↑ WAFL Colts Ladder Positions (download)
  7. 1 2 Christian, Geoff, ‘Perth’s Recruiting Policy Starting to Pay Off’; The West Australian, 15 April 1985, p. 76
  8. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘WAFL to Monitor Move on Saints’; in The West Australian; 20 May 1985; p. 80
  9. ↑ Stocks, Gary; ‘Young Rovers Give Spark to the Sharks’; The West Australian, 1 April 1985, p. 84
  10. ↑ Gossage, Tim; ‘Rogers Passes a Big Test’; The West Australian, 1 April 1985, p. 84
  11. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Stable Defence Warms Brown’; The West Australian, 8 April 1985, p. 72
  12. ↑ "WAFL Video Archives".
  13. ↑ Stocks, Garry; ‘Sidebottom Gets Going’; The West Australian, 9 April 1985, p. 92
  14. ↑ Perth: Biggest Wins
  15. ↑ Perth Regional Office (009034) April 1985 rainfall
  16. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Claremont Make Amends’; The West Australian, 9 April 1985, p. 92
  17. ↑ Casellas, Ken; ‘Holmes Leads Kelly on Merry Dance’; The West Australian, 15 April 1985, p. 76
  18. ↑ Marsh, David; ‘No Weak Link in Falcons’ Chain’; The West Australian, 22 April 1985, p. 76
  19. ↑ East Fremantle: Biggest Wins
  20. ↑ Casellas, Ken; ‘A Family Tradition’; The West Australian, 22 April 1985, p. 76
  21. 1 2 "WAFL Footy Facts: Team v Team Consecutive Wins". Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  22. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Efficient Subiaco Swamp Swans’; in The West Australian ; 29 April 1985; p. 76
  23. ↑ Stocks, Gary; ‘Waterson Move Pays Dividends’; The West Australian, 29 April 1985, p. 76
  24. ↑ Marsh, David; ‘Youth Shows the Way’; The West Australian, 29 April 1985, p. 76
  25. ↑ Casellas, Ken; ‘How Can The Stop Dwayne Lamb’; The West Australian, 6 May 1985, p. 106
  26. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Brown Takes a Tough Line at Perth’; The West Australian; 6 May 1985; p. 105
  27. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Sharks Turn On the Full Power’; The West Australian, 6 May 1985, p. 106
  28. ↑ Subiaco: Biggest Home-and-away Crowds
  29. ↑ Stocks, Gary; ‘...and So Does Bairstow’; The West Australian; 13 May 1985; p. 72
  30. ↑ Marsh, David; ‘Bulldogs on the March’; The West Australian, 20 May 1985, p. 80
  31. ↑ Gossage, Tom; ‘Bunton Angry after Narrow Victory’; The West Australian, 20 May 1985, p. 80
  32. ↑ Marsh, David; ‘Swans Edge East Perth in Thriller’; The West Australian, 27 May 1985, p. 68
  33. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Tigers Try, but Sharks Roll On’; The West Australian, 27 May 1985, p. 82
  34. ↑ Stocks, Gary; ‘Fong Provides the Spark’; The West Australian, 27 May 1985, p. 68
  35. ↑ Gossage, Tim; ‘Brown Applauds Perth’s Courage’; The West Australian, 27 May 1985, p. 80
  36. ↑ ‘Mitchell’s Magic’, The West Australian, 3 June 1985, p. 76
  37. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Subiaco Look Safe Now – Recovery Shows True Character’; The West Australian, 3 June 1985, p. 72
  38. ↑ East Perth Football Club: 1959 Fixtures
  39. ↑ South Fremantle Football Club: 1950 Fixtures
  40. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘South Comeback Stuns Subiaco’; The West Australian, 24 June 1985, p. 60
  41. ↑ Casellas, Ken; ‘Tigers Get the Right Medicine’; The West Australian, 24 June 1985, p. 60
  42. ↑ Marsh, David; ‘Swans Are on the Skids’; The West Australian, 1 July 1985; p. 76
  43. ↑ Stocks, Gary; ‘Alexander has an Eye for Quality’; The West Australian, 8 July 1985, p. 84
  44. ↑ Marsh, David; ‘East Perth Bounce Back’; The West Australian, 8 July 1985, p. 84
  45. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Swans Poised to Move up the Table’; The West Australian, 15 July 1985, p. 72
  46. ↑ Perth Regional Office (009034) July 1985 rainfall
  47. ↑ Stocks, Gary; ‘Williams Comes to the Rescue’; The West Australian, 15 July 1985, p. 72
  48. ↑ Casellas, Ken; ‘Dean Enjoys Move Back to Attack’; The West Australian, 22 July 1985, p. 88
  49. ↑ Stocks, Gary; ‘Ryder Shows His Class’; The West Australian, 22 July 1985, p. 88
  50. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Moss Gets Tigers’ Nod’; The West Australian, 5 August 1985, p. 72
  51. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Shades of ‘64 as Finals Approach’; The West Australian, 5 August 1985, p. 72
  52. ↑ Stocks, Gary; ‘Loutish Behaviour Must Be Eradicated’; The West Australian, 12 August 1985, p. 76
  53. ↑ Subiaco: Highest Scores
  54. ↑ Stocks, Gary; ‘Lions Are Right on Target’; The West Australian, 19 August 1985, p. 84
  55. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Revamped West Perth Defence in Fine Form’; The West Australian, 26 August 1985; p. 72
  56. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Falcons Are on the Right Track’; The West Australian, 2 September 1985, p. 72
  57. ↑ Christian, Geoff; ‘Subiaco Can Bounce Back’; The West Australian, 9 September 1985, p. 80
  58. ↑ Sharks Sink Subi (archived)
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