Post-season 1986 - Swan Districts FC Club of Origin 17.15 (117) d Claremont FC Club of Origin 14.7 (91), Subiaco Oval.

The R.A. McDonald Stand, Bassendean Oval, 12/7/2011

Post-season 1986: Swan Districts Club of Origin v Claremont Club of Origin, Subiaco Oval, 4 October 1986

This now forgotten game was played as the curtain-raiser to the Subiaco v Hawthorn match at Subiaco Oval on 4 October 1986. It was played using State of Origin rules applied to club football so all of the stars of Swan Districts and Claremont from the grand final years of the early-1980s playing in the then VFL and the SANFL were permitted to come back to their Club of Origin for this game. It was not a novelty veterans' match as most of the returning players were still playing good football interstate or at other WAFL clubs (for example Gerard Neesham was by this time back at East Fremantle). Clearly the rules were somewhat of a work-in-progress as Derek Kickett played for Claremont whereas, during 1984, Swans’ last premiership season, he was playing at West Perth. Club of Origin rules only appeared to apply to bring players back to Claremont and Swans rather than to disqualify current players at those two clubs. I think extra authenticity could have been obtained had the clubs been limited to playing only players who had played for that club in the early-1980s as well as youngsters without any previous allegiances. West Coast supporters will notice the name “McKenna” among the long list of possible Claremont interchange players. A few players had retired from league football such as Ron Boucher who last played in 1984 but came back for this match to lead the first ruck and renew his heated rivalry with Graham Moss. It was Darrell Panizza’s last game for Claremont until his return to the club in 1990. He played with Woodville in the SANFL from 1987-89.

If this match had been played in 1984 or 1985 as a stand-alone fixture (a billing which it deserved) it might have attracted much more press and public interest and a huge crowd. By October 1986 the showy West Coast Eagles had been admitted to the expanded VFL and all of the public and media attention had shifted in that direction. This Club of Origin was a very interesting concept, perhaps a world-first in any code of sport, and I wonder whether we will ever see it again. It’s also very doubtful whether two stronger teams have ever played in a curtain-raiser match at Subiaco Oval. (Read through the two lists of best players below to verify this statement.)  I am very happy to present here full likely line-ups and match results for the game. Even in this festival-type match Claremont could not turn the tables on its arch-rival and the margin was similar to what we had been accustomed to from the clashes between these two teams in the early-1980s: Swans won by a convincing margin but it was no thrashing. You have to feel somewhat sympathetic towards Graham Moss and Claremont: they must have been one of the best WAFL teams of any era, golden or otherwise, to win only one league premiership. Of course West Perth had Swans’ measure in 1982, 1983, and 1984 (winning five out of the nine contests) but that is another story [by Jack Frost, 16 February 2012].

Facebook comment by Brad Willey (11 September 2018): "I went to the match just to watch the Swans v Claremont game. Ed Blackaby gave a glimpse of what he could have been had injuries and ill health not affected his time at Swans."

Likely line-ups:

(Source: The West Australian, Friday, 3 October, 1986, p. 79, country edition)

Swan Districts FC Club of Origin team

Backs: Holden, Kenny, A Sidebottom

Half-backs: Langsford, Rance, Solin

Centres: K Narkle, Neesham, P Narkle

Half-forwards: M Richardson, Nowotny, Holmes

Forwards: Blackaby, Beasley, Sartori

Ruck: Boucher, Fogarty, Melrose

Interchange from: Skwirowski, G Sidebottom, Kimberley, M Smith, Gillespie, Hutton, Casey, Caton, Baker

Claremont FC Club of Origin team

Backs: L Kickett, Betts, Beecroft

Half-backs: Morton, Hepburn, Hutton

Centres: Gooding, Blackwell, Panizza

Half-forwards: P Krakouer, Ditchburn, Hunter

Forwards: Shaw, Ralph, D O’Connell

Ruck: Moss, Annear, J Krakouer

Interchange from: D Kickett, Lewis, McKenna, Pearce, Scott, Goulding, Melville, Colreavy, S Reynolds, Craig, Solomon

Match results – Saturday, 4 October, 1986, Subiaco Oval (curtain-raiser)
Swan Districts FC Club of Origin 3.6 8.9 12.13 17.15 (117) d Claremont FC Club of Origin 5.2 10.4 11.7 14.7 (91)

Scorers: SD: Beasley 5.1, Blackaby 3.4, Holmes, Boucher 2.0, Kimberley, P Narkle 1.1, Richardson, Casey, Sartori 1.0, Holden, G Sidebottom 0.2, Melrose, M Smith, Caton 0.1, Forced 0.1.

C: P Krakouer 3.0, Beecroft 2.0, Annear 1.3, Hunter 1.1, J Krakouer, D Kickett, Shaw, Ditchburn, D O’Connell, Melville, Blackwell 1.0, Scott, Panizza 0.1, Forced 0.1.

Weather: Mainly fine with light and variable winds.

Attendance: 20,600.

(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 6 October, 1986, p. 96)

Best players GARY STOCKS:

SD: E Blackaby 1, S Beasley 2, P Narkle 3, R Boucher 4, G Sidebottom 5, P Sartori 6.

C: W Blackwell 1, K Hunter 2, J Krakouer 3, J Annear 4, D O’Connell 4, B Beecroft 6.   

(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 6 October, 1986, p. 96) [archival research by Jack Frost].

Round 3, 1979 - Swan Districts FC 11.12 (78) d Perth FC 11.8 (74), Lathlain Park

Perth v Swan Districts @ Lathlain Park, 32 years on, last quarter in the can bar, 2/7/2011. The famous members' and public stand is at left. All or most of the guys pictured here are probably that generation which began to support Perth during its glory years of the mid-1970s. When / if Perth win aother premiership the celebrations will be unbelievable. If you see yourself in this picture please post a comment below so we can acknowledge you!

P v SD, last quarter, 2/7/2011, viewed from can bar

Without a doubt Swan Districts was the club of the early-1980s in the WAFL, i.e. the club had and has the privileged position of being the Golden Club of the Golden Era. (However, Swan Districts of 1982-83 versus Perth of 1976-77 would have been a brilliant contest.) After being easy-beats for most of the late-1970s, with a bottom two position nearly assured, Swans, under the expert coaching of the disciplinarian John Todd, began a rapid ascent up the premiership ladder to the extent that the club played in (but lost) the 1980 Grand Final against a brilliant Mal Brown coached South Fremantle team that included Basil Campbell; Brad Hardie; Stephen Michael; Joe McKay; the late Maurice Rioli; Tony Morley; and Benny Vigona. Fullpointsfooty.net comments as follows regarding the coaching style of John Todd:

“Whereas the best Western Australian teams have traditionally been renowned for producing highly-skilled, open, flowing football Todd tended to favour a more ‘Victorian’ approach. His teams were tough and determined, capable of brilliance, but more typically achieving victory by relentless running supplemented with substantial amounts of vigour. It is probably no coincidence that Todd went on to become the first coach to steer the West Coast Eagles into the finals as his style was eminently suited to the dog eat dog desperation of the [then] VFL” [http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/Swan_Districts.htm, accessed 5 January 2011].

LP: PFC merchandise stall, 2/7/2011

I was actually there at the moment in 1979 when there was a symbolic “changing of the guard” between declining Perth (1976 and 1977 premiers and 1978 grand finalists) and emergent Swans (premiers in 1982, 1983, and 1984 and 1980 grand finalists). I was sitting high up in the visiting fans’ section of the Lathlain Park grandstand with my late grandfather Herbert Arthur Acott (1906-99) and his best mate Ernie Henderson on this day in 1979. In a tense finish, the emergent Swans held on to win by four points to symbolize the end of the Perth era and the start of the Swans’ era. East et al. (2005, p. 251) report that the date was Monday 16 April 1979 and the final score was: Swan Districts 11.12 (78) defeated Perth 11.8 (74). The official attendance was 11,046. The picture on p. 166 of Dawson’s (2004) book John Todd: Six Decades of Footy shows John Todd embracing his chairman of selectors Bob Manning at the end of the game. Dawson (2004, p. 166) writes that: “There was palpable relief in John’s face on the final siren, with Swans kicking only six points in the last term as Perth fought back from a three goal deficit”. Although never a Swans’ supporter, I was nonetheless caught up in the emotion of the game, and remember running down to the visiting team players’ race (just a wire-chain fence on both sides and over the top) to cheer the Swans’ players as they left the ground. Years later, in the 1998 season when my grandfather was 92-years-old and I was 29, I took him to a Perth versus East Fremantle game at Lathlain Park (either on 4 April or 8 August; East et al., 2005, p. 254). It took forever for me to help him walk up and down the grandstand steps. He enjoyed the game and especially the speed and skill of East Fremantle, the eventual premiers that year. East Fremantle’s team included the veteran Steve Malaxos whom my grandfather remembered for his earlier stints at Claremont and West Coast. The last part of my grandfather’s memory to disappear was that part that stored up the names of football players! On a sunny day, the view from the top of the Lathlain Park grandstand is magnificent with the tree-tops in the middle distance, the blue sky above, and the hills of the Darling Ranges as the backdrop. It is one of WAFL football's truly iconic views [by Kieran James, this revised version is dated 20 November 2013].  

LP: P v SD, 2/7/2011, viewed from can bar

Round 3, 1979 – Perth v Swan Districts, Lathlain Park

Likely line-ups

(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 16 April, 1979, p. 69)

Perth FC

Backs: Noack, Quartermaine, Fotheringhame

Half-backs: Inman, Cook, Roberts

Centres: Watt, Wilson, Johnson

Half-forwards: Currie, Montgomery, Bosustow

Forwards: Kimberley, Farrant, Turner

Ruck: Rosbender, Gibellini, Doyle

Reserves: Lawrence, P Smith

In: Quartermaine, P Smith, Lawrence

Out: Mitsopoulos (injured), Couper, B Smith

Swan Districts FC

Backs: Comerford, Mullooly, Bell

Half-backs: Fogarty, Cransberg, O’Rourke

Centres: P Narkle, Holden, K Narkle

Half-forwards: Casey, Beasley, Bauskis

Forwards: Frost, Olsen, Dikolli

Ruck: Boucher, Nowotny, Neesham

Reserves: Smith, Langsford

In: Bauskis, Bell, Fogarty, Dikolli, Smith, Langsford

Out: Skwirowski (knee), Parker (heel), Reid, Holmes, Chidlow, Richardson

Match results – Monday 16 April 1979

Swan Districts FC 6.1 7.6 11.6 11.12 (78) d Perth FC 2.0 4.2 8.6 11.8 (74)

Scorers: SD: Olsen 4.1, Beasley 3.1, Bauskis 2.1, Dikolli 2.0, Neesham 0.2, Langsford, Casey, Smith, P Narkle, Frost 0.1, Forced 0.2.

P: Bosustow 2.2, Kimberley 2.1, Lawrence 2.0, Gibellini 1.2, Farrant, Doyle, Smith, Currie 1.0, Johnson 0.1, Forced 0.2.

Free kicks: SD: 9, 11, 13, 6 – 39.

P: 5, 11, 12, 7 – 35.

Official attendance: 11,046 (from WAFL Online)

Weather: Fine with moderate north-easterly winds.

(Source: The West Australian, Tuesday, 17 April, 1979, p. 74)

Best players:

1 Simon Beasley (SD): The focal point for the Swan Districts attack all day. Marked brilliantly and kicked strongly and with purpose.

2 Alan Montgomery [Kieran James' note: correct spelling is Allan Montgomery] (P): A brilliant aerialist who covered plenty of ground and was the key man in the Perth forward moves.

3 Gerard Neesham (SD): A damaging rover who worked hard midfield, but spoilt his work with poor disposal.

Team rankings:

SD: S Beasley 1, G Neesham 2, K Narkle 3, G Frost 4, R Boucher 5, P Narkle 6.

P: A Montgomery 1, D Farrant 2, N Fotheringhame 3, J Doyle 4, G Gibellini 5, W Rosbender 6.

	Round 3	Table	WAFL	1979
	Played	Won	Lost	%	Points
EAST FREM*	3	3	0	134.62	12
EAST PERTH	3	2	1	156.70	8
CLAREMONT	3	2	1	127.65	8
SOUTH FREM**	3	2	1	109.81	8
Perth	3	1	2	118.84	4
Swan Dist***	3	1	2	84.04	4
West Perth	3	1	2	62.63	4
Subiaco	3	0	3	49.08	0

*Eventual 1979 WAFL premiers

**Eventual 1979 WAFL runners-up and 1980 premiers

*** Eventual 1980 WAFL runners-up

(Source: The West Australian, Tuesday, 17 April, 1979, p. 74)

Match analysis

Quotes from COLIN HOPKINS:

Old Victoria Park station (prior to renovations)

“Swan Districts pulled off the confidence-booster they needed so badly when they hung on to beat Perth by four points to bring up their first win for the season in the match at Lathlain Park yesterday.

“Swans won this fiery, bruising encounter 11.12 to 11.8 to show that they are a force to be reckoned with in the race for places in the top four this season.

“The young Swans side had trouble finishing off their work in the first two matches of the season – and it almost looked likely to be the same story yesterday.

“Their inexperience almost cost them the game as Perth came back with everything they had.

“Swans deserved their win. They were 25 points ahead at quarter time, 22 at half-time and 18 points at three-quarter time.

“Perth played with great purpose and put their opponents under pressure in the final quarter. But they just could not reduce the deficit and paid the penalty for their slow start in the opening quarter.

“The match was dominated by the performances of rival centre-half-forwards Simon Beasley (Swan Districts) and Alan Montgomery (Perth).

“Beasley showed all the attributes of a future state player to provide the focal point in the Swans’ attack for most of the day.

“Montgomery, who marks brilliantly, played with flair and purpose and he is improving with every game.

“The move of Gerard Neesham to the side’s No. 1 roving position turned into an outstanding success for Swans coach John Todd and he was one of the heroes of the victory.

“Neesham was the busiest rover on the ground. He was a prolific kick-getter and was well supported by Skender Dikolli.

“They made the most of the feast of opportunities provided by ruckmen Greg Frost and Ron Boucher.

“The two Swan Districts big men continually thumped the ball forward and it was left to [Wim] Rosbender to try to counter the pair. Rosbender worked hard, but lacked support and the Perth rovers were clearly beaten by their opponents.

“Perth now lack a touch of brilliance in the small-man department. Former Essendon player Andy Wilson was a dismal flop yesterday.

“John Doyle started in the centre, one of eight positional changes made by Perth coach Ken Armstrong to the pre-match line-up.

“Barry Kimberley battled hard all day as a rover, but he did not do the damage of Neesham, who looks likely to be a tremendous acquisition for Swans.

“Swans received great drive from wingmen Keith and Phil Narkle and it was only in the second half that [Alan] Johnson started to come into his own.

“Perth are going to find it much harder to force their way into the final four this season.

“Swans have the ability to go on with the job. They are a side with the physical capacity to test most combinations and they have a neat balance in their team.

Old Lathlain station (now demolished), looking south

“Beasley is a fine player and the high-marking Mark Olsen, who kicked four goals yesterday, represents real danger in front of goals.

“However, Olsen must learn to fight harder when the ball hits the ground and yesterday Neil Fotheringhame overcame a slow start to outpoint him.

“Perth were well served by Doug Farrant, and ruck-rover Gary Gibellini weighed in with a solid second half.

“Tom Bell [SD] made an encouraging return to league ranks in a back-pocket, Tom Mullooly managed to contain the brilliant bursts of Peter Bosustow and Graeme Comerford continues to show great potential in the other pocket.

“Todd would have been happy with the performances of half-back flankers Glenn O’Rourke and Jon Fogarty, who will improve with experience.

“Swans finally learnt how to win a match yesterday and this should act as a stimulus in coming weeks.”

(Source: Colin Hopkins (1979), “Swans learn how to win”, The West Australian, Tuesday, 17 April, 1979, pp. 74, 76) [archival research by Kieran James].

Perth v SD, Lathlain Park can bar, 2/7/2011