Australian Football

Terry Moriarty made his WANFL debut for Perth in 1942, the first season in which, because of the war, participation in the competition was restricted to players aged under 18. Moriarty, however, was like a man among boys; he won the Redlegs’ fairest and best trophy in his debut season, a success he repeated the following year as well as winning the Sandover Medal. Despite the age restrictions under which the league operated between 1942 and 1944, all records and achievements from those years are officially accorded equivalent status to records and achievements from the WANFL’s open age seasons. In Terry Moriarty’s case, this means that the league appearances which he made during the war are officially deemed to contribute to his club record tally of 253 games, the last of which was played in 1958.

When full scale senior football resumed in 1945, Moriarty slotted into the team like a veteran, and was a key contributor to Perth’s consistently high level of performance over the ensuing decade. Tough, relentless and assured, he was one of the premier half back flankers in Western Australia, and was chosen to represent the state on nine occasions, including games at the 1950 Brisbane carnival. When the Redlegs reached their first Grand Final in 32 years in 1949, Terry Moriarty put in a superb performance to be close to best afield, but could not prevent his side from going under to West Perth by 30 points. The following year saw him playing in another losing Grand Final as Perth succumbed by the heart-breaking margin of a single straight kick to South Fremantle.

In 1955, however, everything came right, as, with Moriarty performing with trademark dependability on his half back flank, the Redlegs finally procured that elusive premiership with a stirring, come from behind Grand Final defeat of East Fremantle in legendary ruckman ‘Big Merv’ McIntosh’s final game (reviewed here).

As one of the most noteworthy West Australian defenders of the 1940s and 1950s, Terry Moriarty might be considered a touch unlucky not to have achieved selection in Perth’s official ‘Team of the Twentieth Century’. He was undoubtedly a bona fide great of the club, however.

Author - John Devaney