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| West Perth 1985 team (photo courtesy Lost WAFL Facebook page) |
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| Brian Peake in younger days c. 1977 |
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
GEOFF CHRISTIAN comments on the umpiring:
Rd. 13
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P
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W
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L
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%
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Pts
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E FREM*
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13
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12
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1
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166.84
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48
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SUBI**
|
13
|
8
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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
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97.96
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24
|
Perth
|
13
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3
|
10
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84.42
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12
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E Perth
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13
|
3
|
10
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71.00
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12
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(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 1 July, 1985, p. 93)
*eventual 1985 WAFL premiers
**eventual 1985 WAFL runners-up
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| The late Chris Mainwaring (EF) |
“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 150th 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 17th 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].
I was at that game and the East Freo supporters were yelling at the ump that the guy was walking up on the mark. It was a disgrace. We was robbed :)
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