NEW INTERVIEW: Neil Whyte (EFFC / Applecross) talks about East Fremantle FC's modern-day problems.

Jack Frost1 (WAFL Golden Era website): What do you think explains East Freo's lack of premiership success since 1998?

Neil Whyte1: Many used to say that it was the number of players lost to the draft into the AFL, but this is no longer an excuse as it has been going on for way too long. There was a great crop of talent when I was designing the EF Football Academy conditioning program which started in 2005. My theory is that, if there is significant talent in the pool, then surely there is a spillover that can be utilized naturally at League level. Then it is up to coaching staff to unify the group with a common goal, to set standards etc. What I noticed was the club was not functioning as a team. Staff were disconnected from one another. i.e. I didn't know what the Physio was doing or saying to players and vice versa...he wouldn't know what I was doing either. I was gobsmacked on my first day at the club seeing colts guys doing weight training in the gym before skills training on the oval. Now, in my world as a pro trainer, this is a cardinal sin just asking for trouble. It's a bit like somebody is running a study to see how many injuries could be sustained...how many hamstrings they could tear etc ha ha. The senior coach at the time did not see eye to eye with my approach...especially when I extracted the colts players out of the weights room who had terrible form...and they were being overseen by a strength and conditioning coach!!! David wanted the boys in the gym to put on muscle, but I had to explain to him it's not that simple...and there is a process...and requires an individual plan. Anyway, I don't know how the club has been functioning since I left...but I would say it is still struggling for cohesion based on the results. Overall though...I really don't understand how the club has struggled for many years now. I can appreciate how the facilities are a bit run down...but this has nothing to do with football ability and training...it does have something to do with a certain percentage of players maybe not wanting to play for EF if the facilities are not up to scratch or if people start talking. So I think it is important for the club to either upgrade the facilities or agree to co-lease Fremantle Oval which appears to be an option at the moment.

I would like to add that Australian Rules football training methods can often be 'old school', particularly at WAFL level. The methods I tried to introduce to EF were much more cutting edge, but they were not ready for it. AFL are much more responsive to change and growth. So I also think that, when clubs are not prepared for progressive change, they can be stuck in the same old same old. This is what I sensed at EFFC in terms of its conditioning for its players.

JF2: What was your experience doing the 1991-92 pre-season at EFFC under head coach Ken Judge?

NW2: I was attempting to make a comeback into football after missing five seasons of football. I was 23 years of age. I kept myself quite healthy and reasonably fit, so that was a help. I got into playing drums and music as a teen which tended to get in the way of my sport. I suppose I was gifted with good motor skill coordination that was developing a lot during my teens...I spent a lot of time playing sport (cricket and football) and athletics. I still knew a lot of guys and some of the staff knew me, i.e. Rod Lester Smith, who knew my older brother Greg, who looked destined for league when he copped some injuries. Greg was fairest and best in first year at Colts and was more than competitive against Brian Peake in intra-club scratch matches...in fact he beat him convincingly on at least one occasion. Anyway...so pre-season was going well until I badly sprained my ankle..it was nearly a break...took me a month till I could walk on it again. Ken couldn't understand how long it was taking. Pre-season was your typical Aussie rules 'old school' pre-season training. I couldn't believe that once we were made to do exercises on the concrete in a car park at Wireless Hill, including 'crunches'. I saw players' backs for the next week with red marks down their spines, ha ha. To cut a long story short, I nearly got in the squad after the intra-club scratch matches, but he advised me to play for Applecross Sunday League as they were based at EF Oval. He was going to watch games and, if I was performing, he said he would be prepared to pull me out of Sunday League. However, I never got my Mojo...I think missing five seasons made a significant difference to my feel and spatial awareness. I still had some skill..but it wasn't quite the same along with my fitness level. And I just couldn't get going at Sunday League and get any momentum. This was very disappointing seeing as I had been a strong Junior - I won the 17's competition best player and was runner up in 16's. I was frustrated because I saw players at the club that I used to play with and against in juniors...some had progressed significantly, others not so much.

Neil Whyte (aka Whitey).

JF3: Has East Freo lost that culture of success and how can it be brought back?

NW3: The club has certainly lost the culture of success, and yes, of course, they can get it back. The club has a magnificent history. Going back in history they had a low point in the 1960's for only about six seasons, probably their lowest results ever up until that point, before they bounced back at the beginning of the 1970's. It is a reminder of how successful and consistent the club has been since it started in 1898. In the 70's, 80's and 90's they were a solid consistent club. But it has been an absolutely woeful and humiliating period for best part of the last 20 years (since late 90's). I suppose I see this as a new era and nothing lasts forever mentality. The world is changing and evolving rapidly and I think EFFC is fully immersed within all of this change. I think Subiaco in recent years have developed a winning culture...and hopefully EFFC can develop a similar version in their own style and way in the future.

JF4: Is East Freo's zone good enough now given aging of the population in the traditional heartland suburbs plus multiculturalism?

NW4: It is hard to keep up with zoning because they keep changing it, ha ha. For sure, my area that I grew up in of Ardross, Applecross, Brentwood, Mt Pleasant...was beginning to struggle for numbers even when I was playing back in the 1980's. I couldn't believe that in 1978 Brentwood had an under 18's side, which my brother played for and won the competition fairest and best with. By 1982, Brentwood struggled for numbers and combined with Ardross to form Karoonda, which then eventually changed to what is now known as Booragoon. On another note, I never could work out or find out who was behind changing the quarter lengths from 25 min in 16's and 17's to 20 min which in recent years applies to 14's, 15's, 16's and 17's. It still makes no sense to me...surely 16's and 17's should have longer quarters??? Anyway, I feel the club has plenty of potential talent coming through...it is what you do with the talent that counts. We also have to remember the country regions as well, so numbers aren't the problem. I think every WAFL club will be going through similar circumstances. Of course there are more options for kids now. When I was a kid and teen, there was a strong tradition of Aussie Rules football in winter and cricket in the summer. And athletics was in between. Nowadays it is more diverse including soccer (Perth Glory inspired), basketball (Wildcats inspired), Rugby (Western force inspired), Baseball (Perth Heat inspired), extreme sports (X games inspired) etc. Multiculturalism has certainly played a part in this new movement in recent years with other sports. This has made it much tougher now for funding, volunteers and sponsorships across the board in all of these sports. We don't have a big enough population to allow all of these sports to thrive, and this has been proven to be true. However, there is one massive incentive for parents to send their kids to AFL...their pay is potentially much grander than other sports, and 40 players are listed on a senior list at AFL level. Other sports have much smaller numbers such as Cricket, Basketball, soccer, baseball etc. This is why the AFL have paid attention to attempting to make the game 'cleaner' and less violent to parents to encourage them to play Aussie rules. So the entire issue is quite complex now and extends much further and beyond simply 'aging suburbs'...however, yes, multiculturalism has played a significant role in a changing landscape.

[Note: Neil Whyte started the EF Football Academy in 2005; was the colts fitness coach; and was the fitness coach for development squads. He developed a time-line of development for 14-18-year-olds predominantly. After a stellar junior career (not a Stella career - that would be me!), he played a few colts games in 1984 whilst also playing 17's juniors at Melville. Then he completed pre-season 1984-85 when Graham Melrose was coaching the colts team. At the age of 23, he returned to EFFC and completed the 1991-92 pre-season with the senior team under coach Ken Judge before drifting across to Applecross in the then Sunday Football League.]

ARTICLE: "East Fremantle Oval: From sand and scrub to a footy fortress", by John Townsend, 20/9/2017

ARTICLE: Jack Sheedy grew up opposite East Fremantle Oval, so there was no question he would relish the chance to play on the ground he saw converted from a patch of sand and scrub into the home of the WAFL’s most successful club.

One of WA football’s most famous figures as his title Mr Football would suggest, Gentleman Jack — or Bible Jack as he was also known after offering to swear his innocence on a bible during one of his assorted tribunal appearances — Sheedy was at the peak of his powers when he first ran on to East Fremantle Oval in April 1953.

He was 26, already a veteran of 150 club games, two premierships, a couple of years as coach and countless stoushes when Old Easts moved from Fremantle Oval to their own premises a couple of kilometres east of the port town.

“I was born and bred here and lived in the street opposite when the ground was built,” Sheedy, now 90, recalled at his recent induction into the club’s hall of fame.

“My parents took me to the football every week and I would run errands for the players after training. It was and is a great place.”

The bar in the clubrooms was popular.

The ground would soon pay witness to another remarkable footballer — a teenage Graham Farmer, who made his league debut there for East Perth but showed little in a game played in foul weather that he would develop into perhaps the greatest player the game has seen.

East Fremantle were only eight years old when they played their sole season at the barren and distant ground in 1906 before returning nearly half a century later in 1953 to put down roots at a ground they could finally call their own.

The Sharks — as they have been known for the past three decades after seeking an identity with greater bite — are considering a 21st century move to share Fremantle Oval again but while that development is progressing at funereal pace, it is positively electric compared with the glacial move after World War II. Supply and manpower short-ages meant the development first mooted during the war years took nearly a decade to come to fruition and did not create instant success when it finally happened.

The Lofts boys kit up to enjoy the action.

Old Easts only took a few years to win another premiership — one of their WAFL record 29 and against Sheedy’s East Perth after his controversial club switch — but their most dominant years were behind them.

Yet the club continued to boast a host of the game’s brightest stars whose presence at East Fremantle Oval would drive some of the biggest crowds in the league.

A lanky young farmer from Jennacubbine joined the club at that time and Jack Clarke would go on to have one of the game’s great careers. He became the only player from any State to be named All-Australian at four consecutive national carnivals.

The stars were headed by Sheedy, of course, dual Sandover Medallist Ray Sorrell and a crop from the 1970s that included medal winners Brian Peake, Graham Melrose and David Hollins.

[By John Townsend for The West Australian. This article was first published online on 20 September 2017 at the following link: https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/from-sand-and-scrub-to-a-footy-fortress-ng-b88606129z]

The football oval (top) was located next to the now-defunct Richmond trotting track.

West Perth Cheer Squad, WP versus EF, northern- or city-end, East Fremantle Oval, 8 August 1981. This cheer squad was led by Pam Hynsen and also included David Barr. It operated for many years at the northern- or Technical School-end of Leederville Oval and at away games.

NEW INTERVIEW: My interview with Mark Whiting (East Fremantle supporter), 13/5/2015, by Kieran James

West Perth cheer squad at northern (city) end goals at Moss Street ground versus East Fremantle, 8 August 1981. Moss Street was always a hostile and intimidating place for away fans and West Perth fans put in a great effort to bring such numbers and passion to Moss Street this late in the 1981 season, a season when neither side made the final-four. The final score this day was: East Fremantle 21.17 (143) defeated West Perth 16.11 (107) and the attendance was 5,175 (source: WAFL Online). 

Kieran James: Thanks for agreeing to do this interview. I know you said to me modestly that "you are only a fan" but this is a website for the supporters and the view of a supporter is very important to us (although apparently not to the WAFL). First of all, can you tell me how you first became an East Fremantle supporter.

Mark Whiting ready for a beer

1) In 1992 I started following East Fremantle as my WAFL club for a few reasons. Main reason was the South African side of my family was mainly Natal Sharks (South African rugby) and that was the main sport I followed before Aussie Rules. East Fremantle also being nicknamed the Sharks and the closest ground I decided to have an interest in them.  However, it was only in 1997 that I decided to act on that interest and started attending matches and closely follow the Sharks.

KJ2: Do you also follow AFL and if yes do you have a favourite team?

2) Only a slight interest in the AFL.  I used to support Fremantle until they briefly aligned themselves with East Fremantle's port rival South Fremantle (around the turn of the millenium). I just couldn't support the Dockers at all, in fact gave away all my dockers gear. So I went looking for the club with the biggest East Freo contingent which at the time happened to be Hawthorn (6 players - Michael Collica, Craig Trelevan, Jonathon Hay, Brendan Krummel, Daniel Chick, Luke McPharlin,  plus the coach, Ken Judge). Remained Hawthorn ever since.

But my interest is only slight. WAFL has the true football feel. You feel like a part of a club, not just another bum on the seat. Go onto the ground at the breaks. No glorified prima donnas, just rough, old style football. And it's cheaper too.

KJ3: The East Fremantle culture of success (and gentlemanly success without rule-bending or excessive violence behind the play) has been an amazing constant factor for the past 100 years and it is remarkable how it still gets instilled in people in these days of the WAFL as a nursery for young players. Growing up in East Fremantle territory in the 1970s we were only too aware of the aura and power that surrounded the club. Even supporters of other clubs gave unconditional respect. In Jack Lee's East Fremantle history book years such as 1975 (when the club finished fifth) were regarded as terrible failures whereas at West Perth fifth spot was not seen as a disgrace or a catastrophe. What are your comments about this?

3) That statement is very true. I believe that amongst fans, officials, and players brought up in the district generally have the notion ingrained that anything less than finals is disappointing for the club. That and the huge investment of time and money put into East Fremantle's football district.

KJ4: What do you think of the move to return to the vertical panels or strips jersey similar to that worn in the 1977 and 1979 Grand Finals? It is now slightly confusing for outsiders at least as to whether the vertical or the horizontal stripes should be seen as the "classic" or "traditional" strip.

4) Going back to the three vertical stripes was a brilliant move. It was originally only intended for a clash strip in the Foxtel Cup. However it proved extremely popular with the fans, so much so that some were forking out $200 to buy one.

I believe that reintroducing it has started some of the younger fans into looking at the history of the club which is great as the more they read into the club's history the more passion they will feel for the club. In addition, the more of the younger generation passionately involved the more chance there is of long-term survival and not only that but the nostalgic feel for the older fans might rekindle some of their lost passion.

KJ5: What caused the current proposed move back to Fremantle Oval (a traditional home ground for Old Easts which is so traditional that no-one alive today can even remember them playing there)? I'm not an Old Easts supporter but I am a little worried that the literal fear that the Moss Street ground engendered in opposition players and fans will be lost. I always associate Moss Street with those bleak grey farm-style sheds at both ends of the ground, grey skies, cold and piercing ocean winds, and of course large defeats at the hands of the host club. What do you think of the move?

5) From what I hear both the City of Fremantle and the South Fremantle Football Club are both in favour of East Fremantle moving back. The City of Fremantle I believe is willing to invest money into the redevelopment of the oval and facilities should East Fremantle decide to move. At the moment there is a feasibility study being done and it should be out in May 2015. East Fremantle will look at it and then decide whether or not to progress. By progress meaning not accepting straight away, but looking further into it, possible vote on the matter, etc.

Personally, I am in favour of the move back to Fremantle Oval. Even though it will be sad to see us leave Moss Street, I believe there is not much of a future left there.

Scoreboard bank at Moss Street

Ground sharing will reduce maintainence costs, and I strongly believe the rivalry between the two port clubs will only get stronger.

Being in a busier area rather than stuck in the middle of an outer suburb will mean more exposure for East Fremantle to the general public, creating more interest and potentially better crowds and sales. Plus with the markets, pubs and restaurants nearby it will be more inviting for fans to attend the footy as a bigger day experience.

KJ6: Here is an important question which few people are asking. It is often said, usually cynically by AFL supporters online, that only the over-35s or over-40s are still passionate WAFL fans. How can we get more under-35s, such as yourself, to passionately support WAFL teams and regularly attend games?

6) I believe the key lies in the parents and other older family members of the under 35s telling them of who they barracked for in the WAFL, past WAFL memories, any family members playing for a team, showing any football memorabilia, but above all must show they have still have an interest in the WAFL and take the under 35s to games.

I am also a strong believer in leaving all public holidays for WAFL matches. That is no AFL matches in WA played on Good Friday, Anzac Day,  Foundation / WA Day. WAFL clubs have more to benefit from public holiday matches than either WA AFL club.

KJ7: What do you think explains East Fremantle's lack of success in the 21st century? Is it due to the suburban zone being trapped by South Fremantle in the south, Perth in the east, and the Swan River to the north plus an aging demographic in many areas in the East Fremantle zone? 

7) I believe it is partially to do with that reason. But as a whole, I am struggling to find an answer.

KJ8: Have you watched any of the premiership DVDs from the WAFL's Golden Era of the 1970s and 1980s?

8) No. I haven't watched any of the premiership DVDs. I might get around to it someday.

KJ9: What does the Fremantle Derby (the only real West Australian football derby) mean to you and to local supporters of both clubs? Accept no imitators.

9) The derby is always a big day for most. It is for most more than just a home and away game but also a chance to get one up on the old foe. The hatred between the two may have waned somewhat over the years but the importance of beating them still remains. It's the whole game day atmosphere of a derby that excites me, especially when it is in Fremantle with the pubs, restaurants, and surrounding streets flooded with people wearing their team colours.

KJ10: Have you got any comments about WAFL Golden Era website?

10) What I enjoy most about this page is that the information researched and topics discussed are unique. Chris Egan's article about the eastern suburbs and sport is a prime example.

KJ11: Thanks so much for the interview and your very insightful responses.

11) Thanks once again for the opportunity.

Another picture of West Perth cheer squad @ Moss Street northern end goals, 8 August 1981.

This picture shows supporters in the famous can bar at Lathlain Park during the last quarter of a Perth versus Swan Districts match, 2 July 2011. The fact that only the guy with the black hair and black-and-grey hoodie in the exact middle of this picture is probably an under-35 points to a problem with the demographic mix of WAFL supporters. What will happen to the WAFL in the future if it cannot attract the Under-35s to the grounds on a regular basis?

PICTURE GALLERY: Eagles Puppets Football Club banner displayed at East Fremantle Oval

The picture shows East Fremantle supporters on the scoreboard bank at East Fremantle Oval protesting the alignment of East Perth with West Coast Eagles prior to East Perth's visit to their ground for a WAFL match in May 2014. This scoreboard bank is a familiar sight to all WAFL fans and even those who do not love the club are forced to respect it. Although only AFL clubs get the lion's share of media coverage today historically the two most successful league-standard clubs in Australia are East Fremantle and Port Adelaide Magpies. We should respect these great clubs for what they have given to our game. You can almost smell and bottle that culture of respect and success once you walk inside the gates at East Fremantle Oval, a truly hallowed ground for WAFL fans. The way that winning culture is passed on through the generations is truly remarkable. This is a ground feared and respected by all opposition fans. For a West Perth fan the chilly ocean winds, the transport difficulties (no train station), and the bleak grey tin sheds at each end were the physical backdrops to regular depressing defeats at the hands of the home team. I like what David Edmondson has posted on Facebook: "East Fremantle, no-one's bitch since 1898". I remember standing on this screboard bank with my late grandfather Herbert Acott to watch Fremantle Dockers play Essendon in a practice match prior to the 1995 season [by Kieran James]. [These pictures were first posted by Ian Ross on the "Say No to AFL clubs in the WAFL" Facebook page on 4 May 2014 and are used here with Ian's kind permission.]

PICTURE GALLERY: Fat Pam's West Perth cheer squad, northern end, East Fremantle Oval, 8 August 1981

This cheer squad stopped operations at the end of the 1983 season but continued to make the banners for players to run through in 1984 and following years. Although I never met her, the leader of this group was allegedly a legendary figure known as "Fat Pam".

OPINION: "Why not hold WAFL Grand Finals at the Suburban Grounds?", by Jack Frost

Fremantle Oval: my first preference for an alternative WAFL Grand Final venue

Bassendean Oval: My second preference

I would like to suggest that the WAFL considers shifting the WAFL Grand Final to suburban traditional grounds in the future and away from the AFL corporate megastadium of Subaco Oval. (I refuse to use any sponsor's names in naming grounds unless the sponsor pays me personally.) Nothing is sacred in the WAFL these days and the move should be considered. Playing the Grand Final at Subiaco Oval made sense when the three minor finals were played there and it was the home ground of Subiaco Football Club. Now the ground is firmly within the AFL corporate sphere and has no logical or necessary connection with second-tier football. Whatever Subiaco Oval may have meant to the WAFL and to WAFL supporters in the past I believe is now forever lost.

Last week West Perth played East Perth in front of 20,000 people in the 2013 WAFL Grand Final. Perhaps the crowd was reduced somewhat by bad weather. Not living in Western Australia anymore I have no first-hand knowledge of this. However, WP v EP is a major traditional clash and I doubt that any other match is as important in WAFL football other than the Fremantle derby. If WP v EP can only attract 20,000 people then it is unlikely a WAFL Grand Final crowd in the future will reasonably exceed (say) 23,000 or 25,000 people even in fine weather. The largest of the traditional suburban grounds, such as Bassendean Oval, Fremantle Oval, East Fremantle Oval, and Lathlain Park have accommodated crowds of 20,000 people at home-and-away games before and could do so again. I accept that Claremont Oval and Leederville Oval are much smaller grounds now than they were 20 years ago and perhaps they could not accommodate 20,000 mostly standing-room patrons. I would appreciate if anyone could give me full capacity figures for those two grounds at the moment. I was at Claremont Oval for the 4 May 2013 clash with Perth Demons and much of the old north-east corner of the ground (the bank to the left of the scoreboard if viewed from the members' stand) seemed to have been removed or was in the process of being removed.

Lathlain Park: My fourth preference

The atmosphere at Fremantle Oval or Bassendean Oval with 20,000 mostly standing patrons would be amazing and give younger people an insight into what big home-and-away games were like in the WAFL in the 1960s, 1970s, and early-1980s. We would need a rule like the ground used for the Grand Final could not be the home ground for either of the two competing clubs. My preferred grounds (in order of preference) would be: 1 Fremantle, 2 Bassendean, 3 East Fremantle, 4 Lathlain, 5 Claremont, 6 Rushton Park, 7 Leederville, 8 Joondalup (Joondalup is last because part of my aim here is re-creating the old WAFL big-match atmosphere at a traditional WAFL ground). Please leave me your comments below.

[By Jack Frost, 24 September 2013.]