Australian Football

Although he tended to be overshadowed for much of his career by Subiaco’s Austin Robertson junior, Phil Tierney was, by any standards, a highly proficient full forward. He booted 621 goals in 190 games for East Perth between 1962 and 1969 and in 1971-2, heading the club’s list in 1965 (55 goals), 1967 (119), 1968 (98), 1969 (74) and 1971 (105). He also kicked 65 goals in 16 games to top West Torrens’ list during a brief sojourn with that club in 1970. Perhaps surprisingly, given these impressive totals, only once, in 1967, was he the leading goalkicker in the competition in which he was playing.

Phil Tierney’s only interstate appearances came at the 1972 Perth carnival when he booted 11 goals in three games for a Western Australian side that ran second to the VFL. His final league game was the 1972 Grand Final in which East Perth met Claremont; lining up on a half forward flank, Tierney was kept goalless for one of the few times in his career, but nevertheless had the satisfaction of heading into retirement with a premiership under his belt.

In June 2006 Phil Tierney was named as full forward in East Perth’s official ‘Team of the Century 1945 to 2005’, ahead one imagines of names like Archie Duda, Jack Smith, Neil Hawke, and Bill Mose.

Author - John Devaney