Round 13, 1984 - South Fremantle FC 20.17 (137) d West Perth FC 16.12 (108), Subiaco Oval.

 Round 13, 1984 – South Fremantle v West Perth, Subiaco Oval

Some might wonder why I include this game as a “Classic WAFL Match” given that West Perth played badly against South Fremantle and lost by a convincing margin. One reason is that this website does not want to be (unduly) biased and matches involving West Perth defeats should be featured here on the site too. This match was interesting for a number of reasons. For those who were not in Perth in the 1980s it was common in this era for games to be played at the neutral venue of Subiaco Oval without Subiaco FC being involved. These games were always enjoyed by us [West Perth FC cheer squad 1984-86] as you could sit in any of the grandstands if you wanted to for just the price of general admission. Subiaco Oval was not a completely yuppified and corporate ground in the mid-1980s: it was still a “people’s ground” with a grassy bank on the city end behind the goals and English soccer style concrete terracing all along the Roberts Road or scoreboard wing. It is hard to imagine the transformation this ground has experienced in the past 25 years with the corporate set now in full control and Subiaco FC having moved its home games literally just down the road to West Perth’s old stomping ground at Leederville Oval. At Subiaco Oval there was no designated place for West Perth supporters to habitually congregate so we usually set up behind the Fremantle end goals on the ground level or the second level of the old three tier stand. On one particular occasion, retold in my book, we joined with another unofficial supporter group called “Grandstand Falcons” which used to sit at the back of the Leederville Oval grandstand and which I believe still exists in some form to this day. Our group was younger than Grandstand Falcons. We were aged 8 to 18 whereas the other group was mostly then in their twenties. We had flags whereas they did not. Both groups were about the same size and both groups enjoyed rowdy chants and songs, some G-rated and some decidedly less so. I think it was probably on this day we joined with Grandstand Falcons on the second tier of the grandstand. Our numbers were growing rapidly week by week at this stage of the 1984 season and our fifteen regulars were probably already with us by this time. We sat in front of Grandstand Falcons with our flags spread out on the empty yellow bucket seats in front of us. We had around 50 people that day combined across both groups plus hangers-on and we made a huge noise which reverberated through the grandstands due to the echoes. Although West Perth lost, as a cheer squad this was probably our greatest single day and the most enjoyable one. There were some showers this day which made the undercover Subiaco Oval grandstands an even more attractive option.

The match is also interesting as it shows the “changing of the guard” at South Fremantle with young stars such as Jon Dorotich and Nicky Winmar playing alongside hardened and experienced guys from the 1980 premiership team such as Brad Hardie, Benny Vigona, and Stephen Michael. We see by 1984 Michael no longer had the capacity to lead the ruck but the aging star played well in this game at centre-half-forward. South did very well to basically move most of the premiership stars out by 1986 but we see that the club rebuilt wisely and strategically and never did it collapse to last place on the ladder and one-win-for-the-year scenarios. (Although it finished seventh in 1986 it still won seven games.) In fact in 1984 South still had a very strong side. The great Benny Vigona played very well this day scoring seven goals and was very unlucky, it appears, not to earn Ken Casellas’ best-player award for the game. Our cheer squad had a chant for Benny: “Benny’s got a Vigona!” We thought this toilet humour was very funny. I don’t perceive this as a racist chant as we were simply playing on the sound of the surname and if a white player had had a similar name then that player would have received the chant. Obviously these were simpler and less politically correct times. We loved our Aboriginal players at West Perth (Derek Kickett and Ron Davis) and our Italian-Australian ruck-rover Peter Menaglio (our chant was “Saint Peter clap-clap-clap”) and our Chinese-Australian first rover Les “Chopsticks” Fong.

West Perth was brilliant one day, horrible the next in 1984. This poor performance against South was followed by a masterful victory at home against the reigning premiers Swan Districts FC only seven days later. Clearly the side had missed Craig Nelson against South Fremantle and it was beaten badly in the ruck on that day [by Kieran James, this revised version dated 20 November 2013].

Likely line-ups:

(Source: The West Australian, Saturday, 30 June, 1984, p. 179)

South Fremantle FC

Backs: Barrett, G Carter, Henwood

Half-backs: Mosconi, Mount, Vigona

Centres: Grljusich, Hardie, Winmar

Half-forwards: Gillies, Dorotich, Michael

Forwards: Matera, Arnold, B Collard

Ruck: Rawlinson, Vasoli, Hart

Interchange: Little, Amoroso

In: Amoroso

Out: N Carter (thigh)

West Perth FC

Backs: Dayman, Comerford, Fraser

Half-backs: Morgan, Bradmore, Campbell

Centres: Warwick, Michalczyk, Mifka

Half-forwards: D Kickett, Stephens, Davis

Forwards: Simms, Hendriks, Gastev

Ruck: Bogunovich, Menaglio, Fong

Interchange: Bonson, Alderton

In: Alderton, Stephens

Out: Nelson (knee), Crole

Selections:

GEOFF CHRISTIAN: South Fremantle

KEN CASELLAS: South Fremantle

ROBERT WAINWRIGHT: West Perth

DAVID MARSH: South Fremantle

TIM GOSSAGE: South Fremantle

(Source: The West Australian, Saturday, 30 June, 1984, p. 179)

Match results – Saturday 30 June, 1984, Subiaco Oval

South Fremantle FC 5.6 9.9 15.13 20.17 (137) d West Perth FC 6.3 7.6 9.8 16.12 (108)

Scorers: SF: Vigona 7.3, Mount 6.1, Winmar 2.4, Vasoli 2.0, Arnold, Collard 1.1, Michael 1.0, Dorotich, Grljusich 0.2, Hardie 0.1, Forced 0.2.

WP: Menaglio 4.3, Davis 3.0, Gastev 2.2, Comerford 2.0, Michalczyk, D Simms 1.1, Campbell, Hathaway, D Kickett 1.0, Mifka 0.2, Fong 0.1, Forced 0.2.

(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 2 July, 1984, p. 87)

Weather: Showers, light south-westerly breeze.

(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 2 July, 1984, p. 87)

Attendance: 10,496 (from WAFL Online)

Free kicks: SF: 4, 9, 9, 3 – 25

WP: 10, 3, 5, 3 – 21.

(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 2 July, 1984, p. 87)

Best players:

1 Jon Dorotich (South Fremantle) - Was the chief factor behind his side’s victory. Gave an outstanding performance of ruck play. Took six marks, had 10 kicks, made six effective handpasses and made 21 effective ruck knocks.

2 Benny Vigona (South Fremantle) – Was in dazzling form at right-half-forward where he simply outclassed Tony Fraser. Took seven marks, had 21 kicks (including seven goals) and made three effective handpasses.

3 Brad Hardie (South Fremantle) – Enjoyed his return to the centre where he was a strong and efficient player throughout, despite strong opposition from George Michalczyk for the first three quarters. Took eight marks, had 23 kicks and made five effective handpasses.

Team rankings: SF: J Dorotich 1, B Vigona 2, B Hardie 3, P Vasoli 4, G Gillies 5, K Cornell 6

WP: P Menaglio 1, L Fong 2, P Bradmore 3, D Warwick 4, G Michalczyk 5, G Comerford 6.

(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 2 July, 1984, p. 87)

	Rd. 13
	P	W	L	D	%	Pts
E FREM**	13	8	5	-	106.43	32
S FREM	13	7	5	1	122.00	30
S DIST*	13	7	6	-	114.64	28
E PERTH	13	7	6	-	89.76	28
W Perth	13	6	6	1	90.49	26
Subi	13	6	7	-	99.31	24
Clare	13	6	7	-	97.56	24
Perth	13	4	9	-	85.40	16

(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 2 July, 1984, p. 87)

*eventual 1984 WAFL premiers

**eventual 1984 WAFL runners-up

Match analysis:

Jon Dorotich (Carlton, 1992)

Quotes from KEN CASELLAS:

“Adversity brings out the best in talented sportsmen, and at Subiaco Oval on Saturday South Fremantle’s Jon Dorotich continued his emergence as a ruckman of quality.

“In three previous seasons in league ranks Dorotich was regarded almost purely as a centre-half-forward or centre-half-back.

“But since the crippling knee injury suffered several weeks ago by the side’s No 1 ruckman Craig Edwards, the inability of champion Stephen Michael to continue as a front-line follower and the injury to tall ruckman Lindsay Borthwick, Dorotich has been thrust into his new role.

“He was a key figure in South’s convincing triumph over a disappointing West Perth on Saturday when he and Paul Arnold took charge in the ruck from the outset.

“He and Paul Arnold made things comparatively easy for second-string rovers Brad Collard, Geoff Gillies and Nicky Winmar, who were called on in the absence of top-line rovers David Hart and Wally Matera.

“Bogunovich battled gamely and he sorely missed the assistance of the injured Craig Nelson.

“South rose to the occasion in grand style as they bounced back after two successive defeats and the upsetting loss of lively centreman Noel Carter, Hart and Matera.

“Captain Brad Hardie, unconvincing for most of the season on a half-forward and a half-back flank, took over from Carter in the centre and produced a dashing display opposed to the fiercely determined George Michalczyk.

“Michalczyk and rover Les Fong were West Perth’s hardest-working midfield players on a day when West Perth fell down badly in attack and also had problems in defence.

“In attack, Doug Simms was restricted to five kicks by a resolute Kevin Cornell, Derek Kickett had a miserable time on Tony Amoroso and Ron Davis kicked three goals in the first quarter and then managed only two more kicks for the rest of the match.

SFFC aboriginal legends - Vigona, Roe & Rioli

“With Hardie shining in the centre, Paul Vasoli being a creative ruck-rover and wingers Richard Lynch and Rod Grljusich playing solidly, South had plenty of opportunities in attack.

“Benny Vigona celebrated his move out of defence with a dazzling display at right-half-forward where he simply had too much class for Tony Fraser.

“Vigona weighed in with seven goals and Stephen Mount enjoyed a trial at full-forward, where he marked strongly and finished with six goals.

“Coach Malcolm Brown kept [Stephen] Michael at centre-half-forward throughout the game, and Michael gave the attack added zest with his robust play and deft use of the handpass.

“Judged on Saturday’s match, South are in the top four to stay, but West Perth will have to lift their rating considerably to have any chance of appearing in the semi-finals”.

(Source: Ken Casellas (1984), “Dorotich makes his mark as ruckman”, The West Australian, Monday, 2 July, p. 86) [archival research by Kieran James].