Round 13, 1985 - West Perth FC 18.17 (125) d East Fremantle FC 18.15 (123), Subiaco Oval.

West Perth 1985 team (photo courtesy Lost WAFL Facebook page)

Round 13, 1985 – West Perth v East Fremantle, Subiaco Oval

Brian Peake in younger days c. 1977

This match showed West Perth had a very strong line-up in the 1985 WAFL season. In this game we defeated the eventual premiers East Fremantle and ended that team’s twelve-match winning streak. We believed at the time we were unlucky to lose to Swan Districts in the first semi-final as, on our day, we think we could have beaten East Fremantle and possibly also Subiaco had we progressed further. WP beat EF in two out of the three qualifying matches in 1985 (including once at EF Oval) and Subiaco in one out of the three qualifying matches. This is how finals series often pan out, and especially so during the WAFL Golden Era. In other words, you had the “paper-scissors-rock” scenario where: A can beat B, B can beat C, C can beat D, but D can beat A. This is probably the situation which existed in the WAFL finals series of 1985. West Perth fans view 1982 and 1985 as years of wasted opportunities [by Jack Frost, 5 February 2012].

Likely line-ups:

(Source: The West Australian, Saturday, 29 June, 1985, p. 183)

West Perth FC

Backs: N Fong, Comerford, Mugavin

Half-backs: Laidley, Cutler, Dayman

Centres: D Bewick, Bell, Warwick

Half-forwards: L Fong, Bradmore, Mifka

Forwards: Martin, Stephens, Chaplin

Ruck: Rogers, Menaglio, Gastev

Interchange: Binder, Duckworth

In: Martin

Out: D Simms

East Fremantle FC

Backs: Christie, Forman, O’Sullivan

Half-backs: Wake, Browning, Wilson

Centres: Rankin, Wrensted, W Jones

Half-forwards: Lester-Smith, Lockyer, Neesham

Forwards: Alexander, Waterson, Bushell

Ruck: Harding, Peake, Mainwaring

Interchange: Hoult, Green

In: Neesham, Bushell

Out: Brennan (thigh), Regan (groin).

Selections:

GEOFF CHRISTIAN: East Fremantle

KEN CASELLAS: East Fremantle

GARY STOCKS: East Fremantle

DAVID MARSH: West Perth

(Source: The West Australian, Saturday, 29 June, 1985, p. 183)

Match results – Saturday 29 June, 1985, Subiaco Oval

West Perth FC 4.3 7.7 14.10 18.17 (125) d East Fremantle FC 4.4 9.11 13.12 18.15 (123)

Scorers: WP: Menaglio 4.2, Chaplin 4.1, Martin 3.1, Stephens 3.0, Gastev 2.2, L Fong 1.4, Mugavin 1.0, Warwick 0.2, Rogers, Bell, N Fong 0.1, Forced 0.2.

EF: Waterson 4.5, Lockyer 3.1, Mainwaring 2.1, Lester-Smith 1.2, Peake, Bushell 1.1, Wake, Wrensted 1.0, Harding, Neesham 0.1, Forced 0.1.

Official attendance: 8,358 (from WAFL Online)

Weather: Fine with light north-westerly breeze.

Free kicks: WP: 10, 8, 8, 3 – 29.

EF: 12, 7, 4, 2 – 25.

(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 1 July, 1985, p. 93)

Best players:

1 Peter Menaglio (WP) - A superb performance as a ruck-rover. Kicked four goals and was an inspiring influence.

2 Phil Bradmore (WP) – Strong, determined and effective at centre-half-forward where he was a focal point in attack. [He was ] at his best under pressure in the last quarter.

3 Gerard Neesham (EF) – Another creative performance in the midfield from where he organised many of the team’s best moves.

Team rankings:

WP: P Menaglio 1, P Bradmore 2, B Bell 3, N Mugavin 4, M Stephens 5, P Mifka 6.

EF: G Neesham 1, G Hoult 2, P Wilson 3, D Rankin 4, C Waterson 5, M Wrensted 6.

(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 1 July, 1985, p. 93)

Watch the last three minutes of this WP v EF (1985) match on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZukmvEPuzs

	Rd. 13
	P	W	L	%	Pts
E FREM*	13	12	1	166.84	48
SUBI**	13	8	5	112.04	32
W PERTH	13	7	6	96.10	28
S DIST	13	7	6	88.32	28
S Frem	13	6	7	105.87	24
Clare	13	6	7	97.96	24
Perth	13	3	10	84.42	12
E Perth	13	3	10	71.00	12

(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 1 July, 1985, p. 93)

*eventual 1985 WAFL premiers

**eventual 1985 WAFL runners-up

The late Chris Mainwaring (EF)

GEOFF CHRISTIAN comments on the umpiring:

“The performances of umpires David Johnson and Ken O’Driscoll in the West Perth-East Fremantle match on Saturday warrants close examination by the WAFL Umpires’ Board tonight.

“Close attention should be paid to the circumstances involving kicks for goal by East Fremantle pair Colin Waterson at the end of the second quarter and Chris Mainwaring [27 December 1965 - 1 October 2007, REST IN PEACE - JF] at the end of the game.

“The decision by Johnson not to allow a goal kicked by Waterson as the siren sounded to end the first half was controversial.

“His action in running back to consult the goal umpire after his original decision had been challenged by East Fremantle captain-coach Ron Alexander smacked of indecision. That would not be viewed favourably by the board.

“There was a lack of overall control at the end of the game [Geoff-Christianise for “it was a bloody shambles” – JF] when Mainwaring was awarded a free-kick by O’Driscoll as the final siren sounded.

“Mainwaring was 30 metres from goal when given the free-kick. When he took the kick about 2min. later he was 35m from goal.

“In no circumstances should Kim Rogers, the West Perth player on the mark, been allowed to move up a conservative 5m and make the shot for goal that much more difficult”.

(Source: Geoff Christian (1985), “Umpires under fire”, The West Australian, Monday, 1 July, p. 93)

“Winter of the Seventeenth Goal”

Match analysis

Quotes from the late GEOFF CHRISTIAN:

“West Perth re-polished their reputation as a team for the special occasion with a stylish and dramatic flourish on Saturday when they turned Peter Menaglio’s 150^th game into a bonanza by beating East Fremantle by two points at Subiaco Oval.

“The quality of the victory on Saturday reflected the esteem in which Menaglio is held at West Perth. It also proved that East Fremantle, 128-point winners over the Falcons on May 4, are not invincible and that sheer persistence in the face of impending defeat is frequently a recipe for victory.

“East Fremantle had West Perth on the canvas twice on Saturday – when they led 11.11 to 7.8 at the 10min. mark of the third quarter and 18.14 to 15.12 at the 20min. mark of the last term.

“They [EF] had played well enough when it counted to blunt the West Perth challenge to a point where victory appeared almost a formality.

“But that was to seriously underestimate the spirit that has developed at Leederville Oval this year and the commitment the players have developed for days of significance for one of their own.

“Menaglio did his part. He was man of the match, providing the cause for victory with a magnificent start-to-finish contribution which included four first-half goals and a string of second-half opportunities.

“Centre-half-forward Phil Bradmore came to the party with an outstanding display in attack which was complimented by a four-goal effort from rover Gavin Chaplin, three goals from ruckman-forward Mark Stephens (who appears to improve at each outing) and a further three from David Martin, who had the honour of kicking the final goal of the game which brought victory.

“Many of these scoring chances were directed through centreman Brendon Bell and wingman Paul Mifka and one through key defender Noel Mugavin, whose dash down the right flank in the last term ended up with him kicking the 17^th goal which provided the final burst of inspiration required to win.

“It was expected pre-match that East Fremantle’s high-polished attack, led by Colin Waterson and Andrew Lockyer, would prove too productive for a West Perth defence which is not the most stable in league football.

“And it looked that way in the first half and for the first 15min. of the third term. In the first half, Lockyer, who kicked three goals, was one of East Fremantle’s best players.

“East Fremantle’s well-organised midfield play provided more than enough chances in attack and the defence was sound enough, despite the absence of Bryce Forman and Michael Brennan to limit West Perth to 7.7 for the half.

“West Perth coach John Wynne’s move of bringing John Duckworth on to the field after half-time was a master-stroke. Duckworth blotted Lockyer out of the game.”

(Source: Geoff Christian (1985), “Falcons celebrate big occasion in style”, The West Australian, Monday, 1 July, p. 92) [archival research by Jack Frost].

The late GEOFF CHRISTIAN was a remarkable sports-writer who wrote in an excellent, masterful, and charming prose style that few could duplicate today. He could make a Round 13 match between the two bottom-placed clubs played in pouring rain in front of 4,000 people sound as important, exciting, and earth-shattering as the Russian Revolution or the Arab Spring! His genuine enthusiasm for the WAFL and later for West Coast Eagles was authentic, genuine, and infectious. I love the descriptions, still in place in 1984, of the VFL, SANFL, and WAFL all as “league football” and, by implication, worthy to be called tier-one status [brief bio 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