Australian Football

The 1937 Perth Carnival

Just as 16 years previously only the top three football states made the journey to Perth for the 1937 carnival. South Australia, which had somehow conspired to lose to a Goldfields selection en route to the carnival, were not expected to provide the home state with much opposition in the opening game. However, not even the most ardent of Western Australians could have anticipated the ease with which the Sandgropers swept to victory, inflicting South Australia's heaviest ever interstate match loss up to that point in the process.

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Legendary East Fremantle full forward George Doig booted seven goals for the victors, while Bill Truscott (also of East Fremantle) and Perth's Bert Gook chipped in with five apiece. There may have been some who believed that this record would only last a matter of days, until the Croweaters lined up against the VFL in game two of the carnival. However, the South Australians, in a quintessential example of the sort of inconsistency which has always beset their interstate football teams, played right up to the Vics in the closest carnival encounter ever witnessed between the two sides.

In the end the Victorians escaped by the skin of their teeth after South Australia had registered behinds with the last four scoring shots of the game, following which there would have been few outside the VFL camp who would have given them any real hope of retaining their title against the rampaging Western Australians. Every game of football is different, however. Despite being hardpressed at times the VFL always had enough in reserve to keep their noses in front, eventually winning by eight points, much to the disappointment of most of the record 38,025 spectators who turned up at Subiaco Oval expecting a Victorian collapse (click here for further details).

A significant innovation at Perth 1937 was the introduction of the Eric Tassie Medal for the player adjudged best over the whole series. The inaugural winner was Western Australia's D. J. 'Mick' Cronin (pictured above left) from East Perth.

Match results

Premiership Ladder

The Carnival Climax

as described by Jack Dyer in Sporting Life¹

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Jack Dyer

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Western Australia had beaten South Australia by 116 points; we (the VFL) had beaten them by two. WA seemed the biggest certs since Phar Lap went to America. For the first time in years a carnival title looked like being left behind by Victoria. WA backed themselves and offered even money. That does not sound much of a bet from a side that won by 116 points, but the Victorians had won so often that even when they looked beaten the other states were not taking any chances with their cash.

Anyway, all the Victorians backed themselves. We scrounged together as much money as we could and hoped for the best. It was not just loyalty to each other or bravado that made us quietly confident we would win. We worked it out this way. First of all we thought we could improve at least 10 goals on our performance against South Australia; secondly, we thought that goal-kicker (George) Doig (who had booted seven goals against SA) would not be in the race against Jack Regan, the best full back I have ever seen.

The Subiaco Oval, where the game was to be played, was supposed to hold 32,000. 40,000 crowded into it that day. The crowd tore the fence down when the gates were closed and forced its way in. Thousands sat around the boundary.

There was never much in the game. I was fortunate enough to give the Vics a bit of a grip on the game by kicking three goals from a forward pocket before the umpire woke up to me. Each time the ball came down I bumped my opponent and marked a 'sitter'. The fourth time the umpire caught me and I never got away with it again during the game.

It was goal for goal in the last quarter. Les Hardiman took one of the most spectacular marks I have seen to kick one Victorian goal. I reckon he climbed half way up the goal post. Pratt and Coleman had nothing on it. With about a minute to go I hit the ball to rover Dick Harris from a centre bounce. He ran toward goal and looked dangerous and a WA half back wisely grabbed him around the neck and threw him to the ground.

It was better to stop Harris than let him run. I ran on and made position for a pass. Harris, small, cheeky and terrifically confident, laughed at me wildly signalling to him to kick it over to me. "I can kick it easily, have no worries about this one," called Dick. I had plenty of worries. He was a good sixty yards out and although he had a bit of a breeze in his favour I would not have bet on it. But I need not have worried. It sailed right through and a moment later the bell went.

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We had won the game and a lot of money. George Doig (left), the WA star, was a small forward by Victorian standards - 5ft 9ins (175cm) and 11st 2lb (71kg). He was clever, fast, and a beautiful snapshot, left or right foot, over either shoulder. But he was not in the race with Regan. Regan was 6ft 1½in (187cm), 12½st (79.5kg) and had everything Doig had and more. Regan had more height and weight, equalled his pace and could turn and baulk just as well.

Doig had nothing left and knew it. At the time Doig had kicked 116 goals in that season's club games. He got three against Regan. After our.......win we wanted to remain in Perth and celebrate. But our timetable did not allow for it. We had to catch a train home that night. We refused to go and staged a sit down strike. But the Victorian officials were just as tough as us; even tougher as it worked out. "Okay," they said, "stay behind if you like but any player not at the train when it leaves tonight will pay his own fare home."

That broke up the strike. Every player caught the train with time to spare and several lost their Victorian hats in the rush. That carnival cost Victoria three champion players - (Haydn) Bunton, (Les) Hardiman and the late Keith Shea. They all played so brilliantly that they were made, and accepted, offers to return to WA clubs the next season.

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