. Having the best football players all playing in the AFL has lessened the standard of play; however this has recovered somewhat, with retired or delisted AFL players returning and young players coming through. HALF-FORWARD: Bailey Rogers (C), Tyler Keitel (WP), Sam Fisher (SD) Sandover Medalists: (16 total) 1921: Cyril Hoft,[e] 1943: Terry Moriarty,[f] 1945: George Bailey, 1948: Merv McIntosh, 1953: Merv McIntosh, 1954: Merv McIntosh, 1961: Neville Beard, 1964: Barry Cable, 1968: Barry Cable, 1970: Pat Dalton, 1972: Ian Miller, 1973: Barry Cable, 1983: Bryan Cousins,[d] 1987: Mark Watson, 1999: Gus Seebeck, 2009: Ross Young, Bernie Naylor Medalists: (11 total) 1913: Alf Halliday (46), 1914: Alf Halliday (38), 1916: Alf Halliday (38), 1921: Allan Evans (64), 1931: Doug Oliphant (84), 1939: Albert Gook (102), 1950: Ron Tucker (115), 1975: Murray Couper (63), 1985: Mick Rea (100), 1986: Mick Rea (90), 1994: Brenton Cooper (90), All Australians:(7 total) 1953: Merv McIntosh, 1956: Keith Harper, 1966 & 1969: Barry Cable, 1969: Greg Brehaut, 1972: Ian Miller, 1986: Robert Wiley, Tassie Medallists: (2 total) 1953: Merv McIntosh, 1966: Barry Cable, Highest Score: Round 4, 1977 30.18 (198) vs. South Fremantle at Lathlain Park, Lowest Score: Round 10, 1903 0.3 (3) vs. East Fremantle at Fremantle Oval, Greatest Winning Margin: Round 15, 1904 153 points vs. Subiaco at WACA, Greatest Losing Margin: Round 17, 1981 173 points vs. Claremont at Claremont Oval, Most Games: Terry Moriarty 253 (19421953), Record Home Attendance: Round 6, 1967 19,541 v East Perth, Record Finals Attendance: 1966 Grand Final 46,763 v East Perth at Subiaco Oval, Longest Winning Streak: 14 games, from Round 12, 1968 to Round 2, 1969 (including 1968 premiership), Longest Losing Streak: 20 games, from Round 20, 1999 to Round 20, 2000[d]. He finished the season on fire with all seven of his Team of the Week selections coming in the last eight rounds of the season and he very nearly claimed a second Sandover Medal. Times named in 2022: 6 They approached the state government for financial aid, and were rewarded with a grant of $1.9million. However, despite not being perfectly consistent during the home-and-away round, the Demons under new captain Colin Lofts clicked when it counted, taking out the 1976 Grand Final by 23 points, again at the expense of East Perth. 37.17 v East Fremantle 9.7 (13 June 1981) Highest Goal Tally in a Season. However, in those 13 games he did play before getting hurt, he was simply brilliant for the Sharks through the middle with his dynamic ability to break out of congestion, and drive the ball long was game changing. He became a premiership player in 2021 by confirming himself as a regular player at Subiaco and while 2022 didnt have the same team success with the Lions missing finals, what it meant for him was him taking the next step in his career. The club initially struggled, winning only 11 games in their first seven seasons, but improved to win their first premiership in 1912 and added two more in the next three seasons. On 12 March 2004, a West Australian Football Hall of Fame was formed when 81 former players, coaches, umpires, administrators and media representatives were inducted. The schoolboy side lasted just two matches, but the three other sides went on to contest what in retrospect was viewed as the first-ever official Western Australian Football Association (WAFA) premiership, won by Rovers. Representing the south-east area of the Perth metropolitan region, the club currently trains and plays its home games at Lathlain Park (currently known, for sponsorship reasons, as Mineral Resources Park), having previously played at the WACA Ground between 1899 and 1958 and later in 1987 and 1988. In 2000, the team lost only 1 game. The Demons thrashed South Fremantle by 143 points in the opening game and from then on were always the team to beat, scoring a 16-point win over East Perth in the 1966 Grand Final. His passion and intensity was infectious, his ferocity was intimidating and his celebrations were unforgettable as he put together a season of kicking 39 goals including six in Round 3 along with two hauls of five, and kicking four another couple of times. Radio stations which cover the competition include ABC Radio Perth, ABC Grandstand Digital, 91.3 SportFM, 107.3 HFM and KIX Country Digital. Crowds had been buoyed by State of Origin football that saw Western Australia's best players return home briefly, but this effect was short lived. The following awards are or were awarded each season: East Fremantle has won the most premierships, with 29, most recently in 1998. On a Claremont team full of superstars and higher profile players, it's hard to ignore that he has become their barometer. Interest in the semi-national competition saw attendances at WAFL games start to fall, with severe consequences for the club's support base and finances. Its was adapted when the Club changed logos to the Sharks in 1983. Attendances have recovered slightly and in 2004, the league posted a total attendance of 202,797. On September the 2 nd, 1996, 21 men achieved footballing immortality when they were named in the V/AFL Team of the Century. Previous Teams of the Year: 6 (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021). He's named to the Team of the Year for the sixth time in a career that has now spanned 142 games while kicking 260 goals as he approaches West Perth life membership. The Victorians merged with the West Australian Football Club in 1891 to form the Metropolitan Football Club, which changed its name to West Perth in 1892. The former Carlton AFL big-bodied midfielder has found a home for himself with the Royals and while 2022 didnt end up in the finals appearance they were hoping, he couldnt have possibly done more. Working as a Software Developer in Private Cloud Team of Druva inSync. Returned full-time to East Perth in 2022 and delivered a tremendous season in the midfield for the Royals averaging 27.8 touches a game including 30 or more on nine occasions to end up named to the Team of the Week six times and finish runner-up in Sandover Medal voting. BACK POCKET TOBY MCQUILKIN (South Fremantle) The match took place at Marvel Stadium and was attended by 51,052 people. The club was founded in 1899 and began play in the First Rate Junior Association, but was promoted to the WAFL after eight games to replace the Rovers Football Club after they dropped out of the league and folded, with Perth drawing much of its inaugural WAFL squad from Rovers. [6] There were unsuccessful plans by the WAFL to relocate the Demons to the Perth Hills to capture expanding outer suburbs as West Perth did by moving to Joondalup,[7] but in spite of the trouble many players had travelling to Lathlain, the Perth board voted by 115 to 83 to remain there on 11 July 1995. The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. Times named in 2022: 5 Round 15 Darcy Tucker (Peel Thunder) He was selected in Footscray's Team of the Century in 2002 and inducted into WA's Football Hall of Fame in 2007. There is currently no naming rights partner of the WAFL, so the competition is officially known as the "WAFL Premiership". Albert Thurgood (Essendon) 11/1/1874-8/5/1927 Inducted: 1996 A legend of the game before the VFL was formed, he showed his all-round greatness . Essendon Essendon VFL and VFLW The Hangar - Non-footy talk Essendon History. It wasnt an easy back-line to be part of given they were often under siege with opposition forays forward, but he stood strong impressively as a defender and intercept marker while doing his best to set up play out of the back-line. Started his career with West Perth as a tough, uncompromising and long-kicking half-back but the longer his career has gone on the more he has turned himself into one of the standout on-ballers in the competition, even more so since returning from his stint playing in the VFL. At the end of the 1980 season East Perth put in an application to join the VFL. The Team 1906-1944 Backs: Wally Fletcher Harry Sherlock Alby Western Half Backs: Harold (Nashy) Brentnall Ray Starr Archie Herd Centres: Ike Allen William (Digger)Thomas Jackie Guhl Half Fwds: Mick Cronin (Capt) Paddy Hebbard This is partly because having an odd number of teams forces one team to have a bye each week. Up until Round 15 he didnt have fewer than 20 possessions in a game and an injury in Round 20 was unfortunate, but overall he had a tremendous season and will again be a key part of Swans' midfielder under a new coach in 2023. Also in 1997, the WAFL was renamed Westar Rules, in an attempt to revamp the league's image. [citation needed]. The club was based in the inner-Perth . RUCK ROVER ANGUS SCHUMACHER (East Perth) He was later appointed coach . West Perth rank second with 20 premierships, the most recent in 2022. RUCK HAMISH FREE (South Fremantle) The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September, with the top five teams playing off in a finals series, culminating in a Grand Final. Another key part of East Fremantle's return to finals action in 2022 as he built on what he did throughout the second half of 2021 when he was given a permanent role in the midfield. Peel had 22 players make a Team of the Week and they had the most across the competition to make it just once with 12. Ruckman Wim Rosbender marked his best season, winning the Simpson Medal. Then on the interchange it was made up of fellow midfielders Luke Meadows, Kyle Baskerville, Liam Hickmott and Hamish Brayshaw with Stefan Giro and Shane Nelson also taking up two of three emergency spots. Recent years have seen the WAFL stabilise itself as a league a step down from the AFL. Suffering from internal dissent as presidents Barry McGrath and Nick Catalano were opposed by the board over not only relocation, which most other members opposed in favour of a better deal from the West Australian Football Commission,[9] but also the admission of Peel Thunder,[10] Perth immediately returned to the basement. To commemorate the 100 th birthday of the V/AFL, the Team of the Century was named at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne, by the selection . Major gold discoveries at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie in 1892, coupled with a major international economic depression, caused immigration from the eastern colonies to accelerate not only to the Goldfields but also onto Perth. the VFL representative team) had by far the best record in interstate games for a long time. In 2019 the West Coast Eagles entered the Wafl so the teams are now 10. In 1996, the VFL/AFL celebrated the Centenary year of the Australian Football League. Fremantle The Purple Horde Freo Player Watch. Just, wow. The offer was withdrawn. Throughout their brief history, they have struggled to compete with the traditional eight clubs, which are generally opposed to their presence. In 1997 the East Fremantle Football Club named its Team of the Century, to coincide with the club centenary celebrations. (Indeed, the 1991 introduction of the Adelaide Crows to the VFL/AFL meant that the SANFL was experiencing a similar decline to the WAFL.). The Subiaco Football Club was formed in 1896 and joined the West Australian Football Association (now the WAFL) in 1901. Has had a remarkable first 33 games of his WAFL career. He turned himself into one of the elite players in the competition and his engine to run all day on the wing, and outwork his opponents became one of his great traits. This proposal was vindicated in 2020 when Victoria took on the All-Stars in late February in a rare one-off rep match to raise money for those impacted by that summer's devastating bushfires. In 1986 the decision had been made that the WAFL needed to become involved in helping the VFL, where several clubs were also struggling financially, to become national. This record is made much worse by the fact that up to 1925 before Claremont-Cottesloe were admitted four of six teams played off and to 1933 four of seven did so. Over his entire 89-game WAFL career now after serving a significant reserves apprenticeship, he has consolidated himself as a no-nonsense key defender who might not grab the spotlight like his teammates, but at the same time is very rarely beaten and is outstanding at taking on the league's best forwards. The West Australian Football Hall of Fame was created in 2002 and the first induction took place in 2004. McIntosh crowned his last game winning the Simpson Medal for best on field. Back then though rugby union was the dominant football code, with only one senior club, "Unions", playing Australian Rules. The appointment of Malcolm Atwell as captain-coach in 1966 was at first controversial, but with such young players as Barry Cable, Perth more than fulfilled the most sanguine expectations. Settled on a wing for the Lions and went on to averaging 27.6 possessions a game including racking up 30 or more touches on seven occasions highlighting his quality and consistency as a hard running and reliable left-footer. They were the inaugural premiers of the competition, defeating Swan Districts in the grand final.[10]. After three decades among the WANFL elite, Perth declined abruptly in 1979, winning only eight games of twenty-one and finishing a distant sixth. In his day he was the fastest big man or near big man in the game. Oct 2. He took their 1974 team, skippered by the versatile Bob Shields, into the Grand Final. Formed in 1899, Perth is the fourth-oldest of the nine WAFL clubs. Previous Teams of the Year: 7 (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), PLAYERS OF THE ROUND Around the state leagues: Suns pair dominate, Crows talls fire Check out all the best players from this weekend's VFL, SANFL and WAFL action . Round 14 Brandon Erceg (Swan Districts) Times named in 2022: 8 Pune Area, India. Hazard & Incident Reporting Form | On Wednesday 12 October 1927, the WAFL was renamed the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL) the "national" concept in the name being adopted by the SANFL, TANFL and other leagues when the Australian Football Council became the Australian National Football Council earlier in the year.[29]. They were given one concession, which was to draft champion Hawthorn player Ben Allen, who . Marsh top-scored with 108 not out from just 111 balls as the home side's first-innings lead grew to 157, combining with No.11 Charlie Stobo (38) for a 113-run and a "very special" slice of history in a . BRETT Hodge has been able to turn himself into one of the best ball-winning midfielders in the WAFL after being perhaps the competition's best run-with player and he is a key reason why Perth is currently sitting in fourth position and appears set for a first finals appearance since 1997. Round 7 Oliver Eastland (Claremont) Round 6 Blair Bell (Peel Thunder) He has played 44 reserves games along the way and only managed 18 league appearances in those first three seasons, but has consolidated himself the last three years and stepped up even further in 2022. WING JESSE TURNER (Swan Districts) Times named in 2022: 8 To top it off, he played State football for the first time in 2022, reached his 150-game milestone and now just needs a premiership to finish off with.