Round 16, 1984 - East Perth FC 19.15 (129) d West Perth FC 18.17 (125), Perth Oval.

Round 16, 1984 – East Perth v West Perth, Perth Oval

This was the second close and exciting finish to West Perth versus East Perth “Perth derbies” during the 1984 home-and-away season. It is often said that Fremantle derbies are usually tough contests regardless of the positions of the two teams on the league ladder. The same could be said for Perth derbies. However, East Perth was in a rebuilding stage in 1984, like South Fremantle, and it only just made the finals series. Although West Perth was in the final-four after the loss in this Round 16 clash it finished the season badly and failed to make the finals. Following West Perth in the 1980s was a disheartening experience as the club often defeated leading teams only to lose games it should have won. In this game Les Fong and Peter Menaglio, as usual, were outstanding for West Perth. Both should be regarded as legendary names across the WAFL today but sadly that does not appear to be the case. Why not a “Les Fong-Robert Wiley” trophy for Perth versus West Perth games? It might make more sense than Stephen Michael-Barry Cable Cup (for Perth versus South Fremantle games) as at least Wiley and Fong actually played against each other and played the same position!

We note in this game West Perth coach Dennis Cometti again playing players out of position. Phil Bradmore was named at centre-half-back rather than in his customary centre-half-forward position while David Marsh’s match report suggests the workmanlike but hardly charismatic ex-Swan Districts defender Graeme Comerford played at centre-half-forward! Craig Nelson was named at centre-half-forward rather than in the ruck. The 1983 Sandover Medallist John Ironmonger remained with East Perth in 1984 and he dominated West Perth’s inexperienced ruckmen Stuart Crole and Ramsay Bogunovich. Craig Nelson does not appear to have played in the ruck although he was in the starting side according to Saturday’s West Australian. The surprise success of country recruit Kim Rogers in the ruck for West Perth in 1985 is one factor which contributed to the club’s finals appearance that year.

However, in this 1984 game, it was the type of game West Perth really should have won if it wanted to play finals football. East Perth was in the rebuilding stage but the club mixed new players with the remains of the 1978 premiership side very well and the club was very competitive in 1984 and never disgraced. In this East Perth team old-hands such as Grant Campbell, Stan Magro, Peter Spencer, and Wayne Otway (the only remaining 1978 premiership player in the team that day) played alongside many exciting young players who would go on to have great careers in the VFL/AFL including Glenn Bartlett, Michael Christian, Richard Dennis (out injured for this game), and the one and only Alex Ishchenko.

The 1984 WAFL season was extremely tightly fought, few teams were uncompetitive, and few teams were far ahead of the pack. Only ten premiership points separated South Fremantle (second) from Claremont (seventh). Leader East Fremantle could hardly have claimed to have dominated the season with 11 wins and 5 losses and a percentage of 110.31% after Round 16. Only one club, South Fremantle, had a percentage exceeding 120% and only last-placed Perth had a percentage below 85% (but a still very respectable 82.16%). Claremont (seventh) had won 7 and lost 9. Even the struggling Demons had won 4 games by Round 16. It is to the credit of past and present WAFL administrators and club leaders that the competition was so evenly poised and it suggests the zoning system was working well at this point. The competition had eight strong, traditional, and well-supported clubs all playing out of their traditional home grounds. This is very unlike the present AFL where of the Victorian clubs only Geelong, Melbourne, and arguably Richmond still plays matches at the traditional home ground.

My 1984 season notes, written during the 1984 season, state:

“East Perth 19.15 d West Perth 18.17. Perth Oval. Michael [Blewett] lost lens at Claisebrook Station. Huge record cheer squad – talked to [West Perth coach Dennis] Cometti before the match. Timeclock wasn’t working – thrilling last quarter. Great games by [John] Gastev and [Derek] Kickett” [underlining in original].

There was a large group of people in the West Perth Cheer Squad that day. It was a fine day and the team was playing the traditional rivals. I think that the cheer squad had its complete contingent of around 15 dedicated members there that day, plus the many hangers-on you would get at away games. It was a happy carnival-like atmosphere as most away games for the group were. Dennis Cometti talked to the group members from across the fence before the match. The group probably had around 10 to 15 red-and-blue flags. It was a “thrilling last quarter”, I wrote in 1984, and the time clock was not working at this stage of the match. I listed John Gastev and Derek Kickett as West Perth’s best two players while David Marsh of The West Australian listed these two as third and fourth best respectively. The West Perth cheer squad members enjoyed the thrilling finish and we were not too distressed to lose the game. A large cheer squad group walked back through the old entrance (now gone) at the south-east corner of the ground and headed back to Claisebrook Station. My season notes record that the joint founder Mike B. lost his contact lens at Claisebrook Station after the match. Group members took a long time looking for it.

Ted "Square" Kilmurray, G. Farmer, Laurie Kennedy.

The whole group took up nearly one carriage on the city-bound train. At Perth station group members split up and the majority of the members went to take their various buses back to the northern suburbs. (This was before the building of the Clarkson train line.) Mike B. and I headed through the city streets to St George’s Terrace to take the Number 105 bus to Booragoon, still holding one giant red-and-blue flag each. Mike and I often met the Perth and Claremont cheer squads in the city-centre in those days and everyone from all groups would exchange friendly greetings and match results much like the Victorian cheer squads of that era used to do at Flinders Street Station. This day in 1984 was a fantastic match in the best tradition of the WAFL Golden Era, played between two traditional rivals with a good atmosphere and on a lovely fine day. Our cheer squad then was one of the largest groups we ever managed to assemble. This day was probably the first when the cheer squad existed in mature form and it was one of its best days. I remember a great atmosphere of camaraderie among the group increased by Dennis Cometti exchanging a conversation with group members before the game. The large Aboriginal pro-East Perth family groups that used to sit under the big trees behind the southern-end goals gave the cheer squad absolutely no problems nor we them. Bassendean Oval in 1985 would not be quite so welcoming.

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Likely line-ups:

(Source: The West Australian, Saturday, 21 July, 1984, p. 189)

East Perth FC

Backs: Magro, Kohlmann, Christian

Half-backs: Fullarton, Bartlett, Sheldon

Centres: Carpenter, Blakely, Solin

Half-forwards: R Sparks, Campbell, D Morgan

Forwards: Ironmonger, Scott, Papotto

Rucks: Ishchenko, Spencer, Otway

Interchange: Cocker, Walsh

In: R Sparks, Ishchenko, Magro, Walsh

Out: K Sparks, Berry, Kavanagh, Dennis (ankle)

West Perth FC

Backs: Dayman, Hendriks, Comerford

Half-backs: O’Brien, Bradmore, J Morgan

Centres: Warwick, Michalczyk, Mifka

Half-forwards: D Kickett, Nelson, Gastev

Forwards: Bogunovich, Simms, Davis

Ruck: Crole, Menaglio, Fong

Interchange: Bell, Mountain

Selections:

KEN CASELLAS: East Perth

DAVID MARSH: West Perth

GARY STOCKS: West Perth

ROBERT WAINWRIGHT: West Perth

TIM GOSSAGE: East Perth

(Source: The West Australian, Saturday, 21 July, 1984, p. 189)

Match results – Saturday 21 July, 1984, Perth Oval

East Perth FC 2.5 9.9 14.12 19.15 (129) d West Perth FC 1.5 7.9 12.12 18.17 (125)

Scorers: EP: R Sparks 4.2, Papotto 3.3, Campbell 3.0, Otway 2.1, Solin 2.0, Scott 1.4, Spencer 1.2, Blakely 1.1, Carpenter 1.0, Ironmonger 1.0, Morgan 0.1, Fullarton 0.1.

WP: D Simms 5.1, Kickett 4.3, Gastev 3.2, Fong 2.0, Hendriks 1.1, Nelson 1.1, Bradmore 1.1, Warwick 1.0, Menaglio 0.3, Comerford 0.3, Mifka 0.1, Forced 0.1.

Weather: Fine, moderate southerly breeze.

(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 23 July, 1984, p. 85)

Attendance: 8,505 (from WAFL Online)

Free kicks: EP: 9, 8, 5, 5 – 27.

WP: 11, 9, 11, 4 – 35.

(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 23 July, 1984, p. 85)

Best players:

1 John Ironmonger (EP) – Was a dominant ruckman throughout. Knocked the ball intelligently, marked strongly and used constructive handball.

2 Peter Menaglio (WP) – A strong and creative ruck-roving performance, with a particularly brilliant second half.

3 Russell Sparks (EP) – An enterprising performance on a half-forward flank where he continually set up attacking moves.

Team rankings:

EP: J Ironmonger 1, R Sparks 2, G Campbell 3, W Otway 4, M Blakely 5, D Morgan 6.

WP: P Menaglio 1, L Fong 2, J Gastev 3, D Kickett 4, P Bradmore 5, D Warwick 6.

(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 23 July, 1984, p. 85)

	P	W	L	D	%	Pts
E FREM**	16	11	5	-	110.31	44
S FREM	16	9	6	1	122.46	38
SwAN D*	16	9	7	-	115.97	36
W PERTH	16	8	7	1	96.29	34
E Perth	16	8	8	-	89.18	32
Subi	16	7	9	-	97.30	28
Clare	16	7	9	-	91.64	28
Perth	16	4	12	-	82.16	16

(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 23 July, 1984, p. 85)

*eventual 1984 WAFL premiers

**eventual 1984 WAFL runners-up

Match analysis:

Phil Bradmore

Quotes from DAVID MARSH:

“East Perth’s rush towards the 1984 final round [KJ note: echoes of 1978] gained momentum at Perth Oval on Saturday when they forced West Perth to stagger and then fall at the end of a contest that was survival of the fittest.

“East Perth, 10 points down late in the final quarter, recovered to win by four points – 19.15 to 18.17.

“It was a magnificent game in which the East Perth players, after appearing on the brink of being over-run by West Perth, showed tremendous character to fight back and snatch this thrilling victory.

“However, West Perth’s bid for success showed plenty of raw courage from a team which finished with only 15 fit men.

“West Perth lost veteran centreman George Michalczyk at the 12-minute mark of the first quarter with a dislocated shoulder, ruckman Ramsay Bogunovich at the six-minute mark of the second quarter with a knee injury, and centre-half-forward Graeme Comerford (elbow), full-back Geoff Hendriks (knee) and back-pocket player Wayne Dayman (ankle) [REST IN PEACE – the author] all carried injuries at the finish.

“Another shadow is over the club with brilliant half-forward Derek Kickett, Brian Perrin and John Morgan facing the tribunal tonight after being reported following separate incidents.

“It was not a happy day for West Perth. It was hard for them to accept the philosophy that the East Perth victory was what football needed to sustain more interest in which clubs will play in the 1984 final round.

Peter Menaglio

“East Perth led 14.12 to 12.12 at three-quarter time, which stemmed from excellent ruck work from John Ironmonger, livewire roving from Wayne Otway and a dominant half-forward line of Russell Sparks, Grant Campbell and David Morgan.

“Strongly built Mark Blakely worked hard in the centre to instigate several forward thrusts for the home side and ruck-rover Peter Spencer played well in patches.

“West Perth’s two best players were ruck-rover Peter Menaglio and rover Les Fong, who covered tremendous ground and were chief kick-getters.

“Fong finished the game with 27 kicks and Menaglio had 22 (with 14 in the second half). They provided West Perth with momentum on the ball and to a certain extent helped to nullify Ironmonger’s dominance in the ruck.

“West Perth’s half-forward flankers John Gastev and [Derek] Kickett were outstanding.

“Dean Warwick and Paul Mifka showed pace on the wings and Doug Simms kicked West Perth’s first four and their sixth goals from full-forward”.

(Source: David Marsh (1984), “East Perth’s rush picks up”, The West Australian, Monday, 23 July, 1984, p. 84)

South-west corner gates, Perth Oval, for Glasgow Celtic versus Perth Glory friendly match, 9 July 2011.

Kick-off for the first-half, Glasgow Celtic versus Perth Glory friendly match, 9 July 2011.

The south-east corner of Perth Oval, Lord Street, 9 July 2011. There used to be an entrance gate here during the 1980s and WAFL football supporters arriving from Claisebrook train station would enter the ground here.

OPINION: "Why the West Coast Eagles' initial 1987 playing squad was faulty", by Jack Frost, 13/3/2018

West Coast Eagles’ inaugural playing squad (1987)

The official WPFC historian Brian Atkinson states that West Perth sometimes did not receive its fair share of state team representatives in years when the club made the finals. Atkinson comments that: “The failure of any West Perth player to gain state selection in 1984 was a matter of great controversy within the West Perth camp”, especially as the club was in third place at the time the team was selected (only to eventually miss the finals). The West Coast Eagles’ initial 35-man squad for season 1987 was also disheartening for some West Perth supporters.

The five West Perth players chosen were: John Gastev, Sean King, Dean Laidley, Paul Mifka, and Dean Warwick with King being a later addition to the original 32-player squad which was first announced at the official launch at Perth’s Merlin (now Hyatt) Hotel. These players were bright and promising youngsters but arguably, with the exception of Laidley and perhaps Gastev, they had not yet developed the consistency or backlog of strong performances to merit selection. The five West Perth players in the initial West Coast squad were clearly chosen, if not at random, then by people largely disrespectful or apathetic towards the club.

Favourite sons of the club, such as Phil Bradmore, Les Fong, and Peter Menaglio were wilfully overlooked although their careers were still active and their playing performances were still strong. Although Brian Atkinson “did not have any strong feelings either way”[1], he states “you would have to include Fong and Menaglio” as the top two players for the club during the drought-era and prior to the formation of West Coast (i.e. 1976-86). Both Fong and Menaglio were named in the club’s “Team of the Century”, Menaglio on the left-wing and Fong as the first rover. Menaglio continued to play senior football with West Perth up until the 1989 season so he was hardly “over the hill” by late 1986. Bradmore’s birth-date is 2 April 1959; Fong’s is 24 August 1956 whilst Menaglio’s is 4 September 1958, making these three players 27, 30, and 28-years-of-age, respectively, as at October 1986. (As mentioned, Menaglio won the Breckler Medal for club fairest-and-best in 1984 whilst Bradmore won it the following year. Menaglio was also equal runner-up behind the three tied winners for the 1984 Sandover Medal. Les Fong was a close runner-up to Menaglio in the 1984 Breckler Medal count and, from 1981-84, Menaglio and Fong shared four Breckler Medals.) Fong top-scored for the club with 14 votes at the 1986 Sandover Medal count, won by Mark Bairstow of South Fremantle, although, astonishingly, there were no West Perth players in the top 24 (yes, read that again, it is not a typo).[2]

Peter Menaglio (WPFC)

Also worthy of consideration for selection by West Coast in late 1986 were Corry Bewick, Derek Kickett, and George Michalczyk. A newspaper report at the time suggested that Darren Bewick, younger brother of Corry, was not chosen because he had elected to remain in Perth for two more years to complete his teaching degree.[3] It appears that West Perth was unfashionable for the corporate set that was running West Coast, compared to players from East Fremantle and Subiaco, despite the fact that West Perth had beaten East Fremantle consistently in 1985. The disrespect shown to the club’s favourite sons, and especially to Bradmore, Fong, and Menaglio, rankled with some West Perth supporters. It would have been a mark of respect to Fong and to the club if Fong had been selected, if only for one or two seasons, in the same way that Robert Wiley of Perth Demons (formerly of Richmond) had been brought into the West Coast squad for 1987 at the twilight of that player’s esteemed career.

West Coast’s initial squad was chosen for the future and, in hindsight, we might fail to realize how young the players were then since now, looking back, we remember the distinguished VFL/AFL careers that many of that initial squad went on to have. Even Phil Narkle was allegedly only 24-years-old despite already having played at St Kilda for three seasons.[4] (In fact The West Australian of 31 October 1986 was in error: Narkle was actually 25-years-old as at 31 October 1986. The ninth 2011 edition of The Encyclopaedia of AFL Footballers at page 627 lists his birth date as being 29 January 1961.) Don Holmes (27-years-old), Glendinning (30), Turner (27), and Wiley (31) were the only inaugural West Coast players aged over 25 as at 31 October 1986 according to The West Australian.[5] It seems that the general principle which guided selection was to only select players aged over 25 if they had prior VFL/AFL experience. Bradmore’s prior VFL/AFL experience seems to have been either forgotten or discounted. In hindsight, at least, West Coast erred with its selection of the five West Perth players in 1987 or it clearly picked players that it had no real intention, in advance, of awarding game time to. King and Mifka managed only one game each for West Coast and Warwick played zero. Early Eagles squad members from Swan Districts such as Kevin Caton (1 West Coast game, 1988); Joe Cormack (10 games, 1988); Don Holmes (23 games, 1987-89); Brent Hutton (13 games, 1988-89); and Don Langsford (zero games) suffered similar fates which further soured the relationship between Swans and West Coast.

Derek Kickett, Les Fong (WP)

At the 1986 Sandover Medal count Laidley was equal second among West Perth players with 13 votes while Gastev was fourth highest with 11 votes. However, Warwick and King were way down the list, polling only two votes each and coming in at equal 15^th for the club, while Mifka polled no votes at all. West Perth supporters could be forgiven for having being somewhat mystified about the five West Perth players selected. Had they been picked with only a bare minimum of thought just to make up the numbers with the West Coast leadership having had no serious prior intention of awarding any of them serious game time? Were people like Ron Alexander and Graham Moss unduly influenced by old WAFL club rivalries which led to them give insufficient thought to the selection of West Perth players and insufficient respect to the players who had played best for West Perth in the prior three seasons? West Perth’s 1986 Sandover Medal vote-getters’ list should have been given more respect and consideration by the West Coast leaders.

Phil "Spock" Bradmore (WPFC)

Apart from Laidley, only Gastev later had anything resembling a successful VFL/AFL career and the vast majority of his games (113 out of 143) were played with the Brisbane Bears. Similarly, Laidley is better known today, as his Wikipedia page writes, for his 99 games for North Melbourne rather than for his earlier stint at West Coast. The 1994 West Coast premiership team featured zero West Perth players or ex-West Perth players. However, Craig Turley did play 115 games for West Coast between 1989 and 1995 and was a 1992 premiership player. A further reason for the my initial dislike of West Coast, which has mellowed only but slightly over the years, was the lack of West Perth players in the team. I support any club playing against West Coast as they are the temporary embodiment of my hopes and dreams.

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[1] Source: Personal conversation with the author, 8 July 2011.

[2] Source: The West Australian, 16 September 1986, pp. 87-8.

[3] Christian, “Bennett, Turner join the Eagles”, pp. 103-4.

[4] The West Australian, 31 October 1986, player profiles, p. 102.

[5] Source: Ibid., p. 102.