Round 1, 1986 - Swan Districts FC 21.20 (146) d East Perth FC 22.12 (144), Perth Oval

Laurie James with Ted "Square" Kilmurray picture, EPFC office, Leederville Oval, 12/7/2011

Round 1, 1986 – East Perth v Swan Districts, Perth Oval

EPFC modern-day office, Leederville Oval, 6/7/2011

This thrilling game was played on the Monday of the split round on the opening weekend of the 1986 WAFL season. On the Saturday Subiaco had defeated reigning premiers East Fremantle (pointing to Subiaco’s dominance over Old Easts which continued throughout the season) and Perth drew West Perth at Lathlain Park (see posting on this website “Round 1, 1986 – Perth 13.15 (93) drew West Perth 13.15 (93)”). I was not at either one of the Monday games. If anyone was at this Swans versus East Perth match please add a comment to this post. Nonetheless, if you were a dedicated WAFL supporter in this era if you were told the two teams, the venue, and the weather, you could pretty much imagine what it would have been like there at the ground. Round 1 of the new football season is always full of hope and excitement as everybody starts the season on equal footing and it is always possible that your team might have a fantastic year. Richmond fans have been happy and optimistic every April since the club’s last premiership year of 1980!

The 10,405 fans that were there at Perth Oval for Round 1 of the 1986 season in beautiful fine autumn weather (maximum 23.0 degrees) were treated to one of the truly great games of WAFL football, a golden game from the golden era. As Gary Stocks retold the story in the Tuesday edition of The West Australian, SDFC trailed by 58 points late in the second quarter. Clearly a wipe-out was on the cards. However, the always gallant Bassendean crew staged a miraculous comeback with a ten-goal third quarter and by kicking 18 of the last 28 goals. SDFC took the lead at the ten-minute mark of the last quarter. However, the excitement had not yet finished. EPFC then regained control of the game and kicked five of the last seven goals. The home team’s late rush fell agonizingly short as the Bassendean crew held on to win by the meagre margin of two points.

The miraculous Kevin Taylor continued on his fine form from the 1985 first-semi final defeat of West Perth to dominate the match with his courage and aerial brilliance. As Gary Stocks reported, Taylor ended the game with 13 marks, 25 kicks, and five goals. One of Taylor's greatest achievements was his Simpson Medal win in the 1979 Fremantle derby grand final, when playing for East Fremantle. He kicked seven goals in that grand final and finished the season with 102 goals (including goals kicked during the final round). However, Taylor’s inconsistency and his susceptibility to injury sadly have denied him a place among the legends of the game. Nonetheless, those who have seen him in top form, myself included, will consider themselves fortunate to have been there at the ground.

EPFC merchandise for sale, Leederville Oval

The Best Players’ lists are interesting and they show the incredible depth and strength of the WAFL in 1986 even after a decade of plundering by VFL and SANFL clubs. Ultimately neither of these two clubs played in the 1986 final series which reveals again how deep the talent pool of the WAFL was in this era. I will cite the Best Players’ lists here to illustrate my point about depth of talent. Top players for SDFC were: K Taylor, P Vasoli, J Cormack, P Sartori, P Ware, and I Williams. Top players for EPFC were: C Starcevich, D Bain, G Hawkins, A Ishchenko, L Kelly, and P Peos. Of the SDFC group, Joe Cormack and Peter Sartori had VFL / AFL careers while Peter Ware and Ian Williams were sturdy, reliable, and consistent remnants of the club’s premiership era of 1982-84. Vasoli was the type of guy that you often saw in the WAFL in that era: a journeyman then with his third club and while he was not a superstar he was a truly capable footballer nonetheless. Vasoli had played in a premiership with South Fremantle, had not played well for SFFC in the 1985 season, and now recreated himself afresh leading the young talent at Swan Districts. (In his 1997 autobiography From the Hart the West Perth, South Fremantle, and West Coast rover David Hart states on page 8 that he did not gel well with the 1985 SFFC coach Don Haddow and this affected his on-field performance. Perhaps Vasoli had been similarly affected in 1985.) Of the EPFC Best Players’ list cited above we can see the zoning system was producing some talented young players with Craig Starcevich, David Bain, Alex Ishchenko, and Paul Peos of course eventually going on to fine VFL / AFL careers. 

PO, SE corner gates were here in 1986

Sadly the as then unnamed VFL expansion club was casting a spectral shadow over the WAFL throughout 1986. (The “West Coast Ghosts” – now that would have been a fine name!) People were aware that the old way of life was on its last legs and a football revolution was approaching. By today’s standards the official crowd of 10,405 seems wonderful but had this game been played ten years earlier (i.e. 1976) you might have got a crowd of 14-16,000 given that these two clubs have strong followings, it was the Monday of the split round, and the early Autumn weather was magnificent. WAFL crowds fell significantly in 1986 and in fact they had been falling since the high water mark of the 1979 Fremantle derby grand final year.

SW corner gates, Celtic V Perth Glory, 9/7/11

The League Table is unrevealing as you might expect after Round 1. It does show Perth and West Perth both with won nil, lost nil, drawn one. I don’t know exactly how Perth managed to be placed above West Perth as both teams had scored 13.15 in their Round 1 contest. Perhaps it was the home ground venue for the drawn game? A true home ground advantage if that was the case. The strong Claremont and Subiaco teams had opened up a percentage and two premiership point lead at the top of the table. Claremont thrashed South Fremantle in Round 1. However, by the end of the year, South Fremantle (won seven, lost fourteen, seventh place) had regained some respectability by producing a plucky and fearless side featuring such classy young players as Mark Bairstow, Wally Matera, Peter Sumich, Neil "Nicky" Winmar, and John Worsfold. Subiaco went on to win the 1986 WAFL premiership, East Perth missed the finals (won seven, lost fourteen, sixth place), and Swan Districts slumped to last (won five, lost sixteen) during this rebuilding phase two years on from the last flag of Swans' premiership era. However, the Bassendean-based club was rarely disgraced (as its respectable 1986 final percentage of 83.02% suggests) and it did not hit the woefully uncompetitive lows of 1977-78. Peter Sartori polled well in the 1986 Sandover Medal Count with 25 votes and Kevin Taylor polled 15 votes. [Sartori left SDFC at the end of the 1986 season. He played 54 games for Carlton from 1987-91 and 23 games for Fitzroy from 1992-94.] Returning to Bassendean Oval after his two years at West Coast, John Todd performed yet another coaching miracle by taking SDFC to the 1990 WAFL premiership in a by then vastly different competition [by Jack Frost, 5 September 2012].

Match results – Monday 31 March, 1984, Perth Oval

Swan Districts FC 1.5 4.10 14.14 21.20 (146) d East Perth FC 3.4 13.8 17.9 22.12 (144)

Scorers: SD: Taylor 5.4, Hutton 4.2, Ahmat 2.3, Williams 2.3, Cormack 2.1, Richardson 2.1,

Vasoli 2.0, Johns 1.2, Holmes 1.0, Langsford 0.1, Renfrey 0.1, Forced 0.2.

EP: Dunn 3.1, Dennis 3.0, Kelly 3.0, Del Borrello 2.2, Ishchenko 2.1, Bain 2.1, Wynne 2.0,

Starcevich 1.2, Otway 1.1, Hawkins 1.1, Stephens 1.1, Blakely 1.1, Campbell 0.1.

Weather: Fine, light westerly breeze, minimum 17.8 at 4.50am, maximum 23.0 at 2.05pm.

(Source: The West Australian, Tuesday, 1 April, 1986, pp. 74, 107)

Attendance: 10,405 (from WAFL Online).

Free kicks: SD: 12, 1, 7, 2 – 22.

EP: 6, 4, 7, 2 – 19.

(Source: The West Australian, Tuesday, 1 April, 1986, p. 107)

Best players:

WA Footballer of the Year Award:

5 votes (Best on Ground) Kevin Taylor (SD) – A scintillating performance in the centre and in attack. Finished off his work with five goals.

4 votes Craig Starcevich (EP) – Showed great maturity in a four-quarter effort in the ruck and when resting in attack.

3 votes David Bain (EP) – Characteristically dogged display on a wing. Had 23 kicks and made five effective handpasses.

2 votes Paul Vasoli (SD) – Started on the interchange bench but wielded a tremendous influence on the match when given an opportunity.

1 vote Gavin Hawkins (EP) – Was noticeable from the outset and gave an encouraging display.

Team rankings: SD: K Taylor 1, P Vasoli 2, J Cormack 3, P Sartori 4, P Ware 5, I Williams 6.

EP: C Starcevich 1, D Bain 2, G Hawkins 3, A Ishchenko 4, L Kelly 5, P Peos 6.

(Source: The West Australian, Tuesday, 1 April, 1986, p. 107)

	Round 1	Table	WAFL	1986
	Played	Won	Lost	Drawn	%	Points
CLAREMONT	1	1	-	-	313.04	4
SUBIACO*	1	1	-	-	141.96	4
SWAN DIST	1	1	-	-	101.39	4
PERTH	1	-	-	1	100.00	2
West Perth	1	-	-	1	100.00	2
East Perth	1	-	1	-	98.63	-
East Frem**	1	-	1	-	71.94	-
South Frem	1	-	1	-	31.94	-

(Source: The West Australian, Tuesday, 1 April, 1986, p. 107)

*eventual 1986 WAFL premiers

**eventual 1986 WAFL runners-up

David Bain, great talent (EP / BB)

Match analysis:

Quotes from GARY STOCKS:

“The brilliant skills of Swan Districts centreman Kevin Taylor helped his side stage a remarkable second-half fightback to beat East Perth by two points in a thrilling football match at Perth Oval yesterday.

“Sean Districts trailed by 58 points late in the second quarter, but the performance of Taylor and veteran ruck-rover Paul Vasoli saw Swans take the points in a major form reversal.

“In the first half, East Perth dominated play, kicking 10 goals in the second quarter.

“At that stage of the game the Royals dominated in almost every position on the ground, but things changed dramatically after the halftime break.

“Swan Districts, mainly because of Taylor, Vasoli, newcomer Joe Cormack and ruckman Peter Sartori, changed the course of the match.

“Swans fought their way back with a 10-goal third quarter and won the match by kicking 18 of the last 28 goals.

“Taylor stood out as Swan Districts’ best player even when his side was struggling early in the match.

“In a superb display, he took 13 marks, had 25 kicks and finished with five goals.

“East Perth also showed tremendous grit by scoring five of the last seven goals after being headed by Swans at the 10-minute mark of the last quarter.

“But that was not enough for them to win.

Craig Starcevich (EP), Collingwood 1990 flag

“Vasoli, who struggled to find form with South Fremantle last year, seems to have been rejuvenated at his third league club.

“Young ruckmen Craig Starcevich and Alex Ishchenko, wingman David Bain and ruck-rover Gavin Hawkins were all solid [East Perth] contributors.

“Starcevich, yet another Teal Cup product, showed he is ready to enjoy his best season in league football when he dominated in the ruck and while resting in attack”.

(Source: Gary Stocks (1986), “Taylor-made victory for Swan Districts”, The West Australian, Tuesday, 1 April, 1986, p. 107) [archival research by Jack Frost].