1986 WA Footballer of the Year Award - full listing of top 41 vote-getters (many great players on this list escaped The Eagles' grasp and many missed VFL/AFL altogether)

A great place to watch football and the traditional WAFL ground which is perhaps closest to how it was in the 1980s: Lathlain Park for Perth v Swan Districts, 2/7/2011. The picture was taken from the concrete terracing in front of the can bar where there is a good atmosphere at PFC home games. You can almost see the ghostly figure of Murray Couper in the forward pocket (or Mick Rea depending how old you are!) leading out in the direction of a pinpoint Robert Wiley pass. Wiley came fifth in the 1986 WA Footballer of the Year Award.

1986 WA Footballer of the Year Award

Laurie Keene (WCE jersey), 10/10/09 

Final Results: Laurie Keene (S) – 45 votes; Paul Harding (EF) – 37 votes; Peter Sartori (37 votes); Mark Bairstow (SF) – 34 votes; R Wiley (P) – 33 votes; P Featherby (S) – 32 votes; B Peake (EF) – 31 votes; Steve Malaxos (C) – 29 votes; B Taylor (S) – 28 votes; S Goulding (C) – 24 votes; C Bewick (WP) – 24 votes; W Matera (SF) – 23 votes; C Starcevich (EP) – 22 votes; P Wilson (EF) – 22 votes; D Panizza (C) – 20 votes; N Taylor (S) – 19 votes; P Bradmore (WP) – 18 votes; M O’Connell (C) – 17 votes; W Dean (S) – 17 votes; A Montgomery (P) – 17 votes; A Ischenko (EP) – 16 votes; M Watson (P) – 16 votes; D Laidley (WP) – 16 votes; L Fong (WP) – 25 votes; S Da Rui (EP) – 14 votes; G Neesham (EF) – 14 votes; D Rankin (EF) – 14 votes; M Mitchell (C) – 13 votes; C Mainwaring (EF) – 13 votes; M Wrensted (EF) – 13 votes; J Santostefano (P) – 13 votes; D Holmes (SD) – 13 votes; J Worsfold (SF) – 13 votes; B Cousins (P) – 12 votes; D Langsford (SD) – 12 votes; D Lamb (S) – 12 votes; B Yorgey (P) – 11 votes; P Mifka (WP) – 11 votes; R Dennis (EP) – 10 votes; C Edwards (SF) – 10 votes; K Taylor (SD) – 10 votes.

Mark Bairstow - Sandover Medal but fourth here

All West Perth FC vote getters: D Foley – 9 votes; P Menaglio – 8 votes; S King, C Barnes 6 votes; B Bell, D Warwick – 5 votes; J Gastev – 4 votes; C Nelson, D Bewick 3 votes; D Martin 1 vote.

Source: The West Australian, Monday, 28 August, 1986 [picture caption and archival research by Jack Frost].

1986 Sandover Medal Count - full results from the last count of the WAFL Golden Era before the VFL/AFL Invasion - congratulations to Mark Bairstow (SFFC)

Mark Bairstow (SFFC) - 1986 Sandover Medallist and last of the Golden Era

1986 Sandover Medal Count, Golden Ballroom at Sheraton Perth Hotel

Final Results: Mark Bairstow (South Fremantle) – 39 votes; Brian Taylor (Subiaco) – 36 votes; Paul Harding (East Fremantle) – 34 votes; Laurie Keene (Subiaco) – 32 votes; Robert Wiley (Perth) – 32 votes; Peter Wilson (East Fremantle) – 30 votes.

Mark Bairstow (SF / Geelong)

All West Perth FC vote getters (unbelievably no WP player was in the Top 24 places): Les Fong – 14 votes; Dean Laidley, Dan Foley – 13 votes; John Gastev – 11 votes; Peter Menaglio, Ross Munns, Brendon Bell – 8 votes; Phil Bradmore, Craig Nelson – 7 votes; Corry Bewick – 6 votes; Peter Murnane – 4 votes; Kim Rogers, Simon Lill, Darren Bewick 3 votes; Dean Warwick, Sean King – 2 votes.

Team totals (5-4-3-2-1 voting system): Subiaco 212; East Fremantle 202; Perth 173; Claremont 158; East Perth 143; South Fremantle 129; West Perth 128; Swan Districts 115.

(Source: Geoff Christian (1986b), “Bairstow’s Sandover in a count thriller”, Tuesday, 16 September, pp. 87-8.)

Laurie Keene (S) - fourth

FOOTNOTES: 1. The Count Night was held in 1986 in the week prior to the Grand Final rather than in the week prior to the first semi-final.

2. Although Swan Districts finished eighth out of the then eight WAFL clubs in 1986, two SD players scored more votes than WP’s top vote getter Les Fong. These two players were: Peter Sartori with 25 votes and Kevin Taylor with 15 votes. Geoff Christian did not comment about the low number of votes polled by WP players [picture captions, footnotes, and archival research by Jack Frost].