Cardies Hang On - West Perth v E. Fremantle
The 1971 WANFL Season
Western Australian football witnessed a 'changing of the guard' in 1971 with three 1970 finals contenders, including both grand finalists, falling from grace, and three clubs experiencing markedly improved fortunes. The three improvers were Claremont, which qualified for the finals for the first time since 1965; East Fremantle, which emerged from an unprecedented four seasons of mediocrity to reach the preliminary final; and 1969 premier West Perth which, having slumped to sixth in 1970, recovered to acquire the double chance in 1971. Meanwhile, reigning premier South Fremantle endured a horrendous year with injuries and managed just nine wins from 21 games to finish sixth, while the losing grand finalist of 1970, Perth, did even worse (8-12-1), and plummeted to 7th, failing in the process to contest the finals for the first time since 1965. The other 1970 finalist to experience a decline in fortunes was Subiaco, which dropped to fifth, having finished fourth in each of the previous three seasons.
Some things did remain the same, however. At the bottom of the ladder, Swan Districts continued to struggle, finishing last for the second time in succession, and the third time in four years. At the other end of the ladder, East Perth qualified for the finals for the sixth time in a row, and did so in such convincing fashion that the club was popularly favoured to procure a long overdue flag. Sadly for the Royals, it was not to be, but the club's frustrated legion of fans would not have long to wait.
×
Right ▼
The 1971 Sandover Medal was won by East Fremantle's Dave Hollins, a 20-year-old centreman who had played just 31 league games. His win was one of the most convincing in the Medal's history, with his final tally of 26 votes being 10 more than were gained by runner-up, Mel Whinnen of West Perth. The unfortunate Whinnen had also finished runner-up in 1964, although on that occasion he had only been a single vote adrift of the winner, Barry Cable.
Subiaco's Austin Robertson junior booted 111 goals during the 1971 home and away series to top the WANFL goal kicking ladder for the 7th time. Phil Smith (West Perth) was second with 104 goals, while East Perth's Phil Tierney managed 99 and South Fremantle's Gary Scott 97. During the finals series Smith and Tierney added 12 and six goals respectively to their tallies.
The 1971 minor round attracted an aggregate of 771,526 spectators at a per game average of 9,184, slightly down on the record figures of 810,113 and 9,644 established the previous year. The highest attendance for the year was the 16,478 who turned up at Leederville in round 20 to see East Perth beat West Perth 15.10 (100) to 12.13 (85), while the lowest was 3,480 for Claremont's 14.7 (91) to 10.9 (69) win over Swan Districts at Bassendean in round 20.
It was a disappointing year for Western Australia on the interstate front. At the Adelaide Oval on 3rd July, in front of a crowd of 33,930, Western Australia trailed all day in losing to South Australia by 27 points. It was Western Australia's tenth consecutive loss against the South Australians in Adelaide, stretching back to 1938.
The game against the VFL at Subiaco a fortnight later was just as disappointing, as once again Western Australia was never really in the game, and ended up going down by 38 points. As in Adelaide, straight kicking by the sandgropers helped add a touch of respectability to the scores. The VFL match is still widely remembered today for a fearsome clash of bodies between the VFL's Leigh Matthews and Western Australia's Barry Cable which left the latter player lying stunned and motionless on the ground. Heavily concussed, Cable was helped from the field, and took no further part in the game.
×
Left ▼
Club fairest and best awards in 1971 went to Bruce Duperouzel (Claremont), Dave Hollins (East Fremantle), Ken McAullay (East Perth), Barry Cable (Perth), Rowley Daw (South Fremantle), Keith Watt (Subiaco), Peter Manning (Swan Districts) and Mel Whinnen (West Perth). Cable (five times), Manning (once) and Whinnen (five times) had all won their respective awards previously.
Prior to the preliminary final, the Cardinals and Old Easts had met one another on three occasions in 1971. In round seven at East Fremantle Oval, on a day of lashing rain and biting winds, the home side had carved out a match-winning 37 point lead by three quarter time. West Perth posted 3.8 to 1.1 in the final term to give some respectability to the final scoreline, but still went down by two straight kicks. The miserly attendance of 6,657 bore testimony to the abject weather conditions in which the match was played.
In round 14 at Leederville East Fremantle again proved superior. On a fine but cool day, scores were deadlocked at half time, but thereafter Old Easts pulled away to win comfortably by 28 points, 13.14 (92) to 9.10 (64). The match was watched by a crowd of 10,774.
The Cardinals managed to turn the tables in round 21 at East Fremantle Oval with a 16.14 (110) to 9.11 (65) triumph that was even more convincing than the scoreline suggests. By half time they led 11.8 to 1.5, and the game was as good as over. Graham Farmer gave a masterful performance both when rucking and around the ground, and although Old Easts tried a variety of measures, and deployed a number of different opposing ruckmen, they could do nothing to undermine his impact. Fine, warm weather, and the realisation that the match was effectively a qualifying final for the double chance, helped attract the round's biggest crowd of 12,229.
The Ladder
×
Center ▼
Old Easts In '71
In a bid to turn things around after their disastrous four season sequence of 'outs', Old Easts decided that it was time to go back to basics. To that end they appointed as senior coach former Hawthorn player and, more recently, Preston captain-coach Alan Joyce, a renowned disciplinarian with an avowedly 'no frills' philosophy about how the game should be played. Along with him, Joyce brought two rugged ex-Hawthorn footballers in the shape of Neil Ferguson and Richard 'Buster' Browne, and he wasted no time in implementing an intense and physically gruelling pre-season training regime designed to make East Fremantle the fittest team in the league.
As the 1971 season got underway, there were initially no real indications that the corner had been turned. A scratchy 4 point win over Claremont in round 1 was gratifying but scarcely impressive, and there then followed three successive losses against South Fremantle, Swan Districts and Subiaco, all of whom were destined to miss the finals.
×
Right ▼
Thereafter there was steady rather than spectacular improvement, although the team could still be frustratingly inconsistent. Its most protracted sequence of success came with four consecutive wins between rounds 17 and 20, a run which effectively sealed finals participation. As for Alan Joyce's much vaunted pre-season fitness campaign, it is difficult to gauge its success. One possible means of assessment is to look at how strongly the team finished games, and in this connection it is perhaps relevant to note that, during the minor round, Old Easts outscored the opposition in the last quarter in 11 of their 21 games, which hardly suggests markedly superior fitness. However, such a means of assessment takes no account of the importance of the last quarter in terms of deciding the result of the match, and it perhaps deserves to be mentioned that there were three occasions when the side overcame significant three quarter time deficits in order to emerge with a win. The most noteworthy of these fightbacks came in the home game against Perth in round 13 when Old Easts kicked 6.6 to 1.1 in the final term to win by 2 points, having trailed by 33 points at the last change. Perhaps significantly, there were no converse examples of opposition teams fighting back from ostensibly hopeless positions at three quarter time to down Old Easts. Peter Stephen
The 1st semi final pitted East Fremantle against Claremont, which had won two of the three encounters between the sides during the home and away rounds. On a fine, balmy afternoon with very little breeze, Old Easts became gradually more impressive and effective the longer the game went on, and eventually overcame a disappointingly lethargic Tigers combination by 47 points, 18.21 (129) to 11.16 (82). Claremont had managed to keep in touch on the scoreboard until half time, but during the second half Old Easts precisely doubled their opponents' score, adding 10.14 to 5.7.
A key factor in East Fremantle's win was the supremacy of its goal to goal line. Regular full back Neil Dedman, asked to stand in at full forward in place of the out of form Rick Vidovich, adapted to the position as if born to it, kicking 7 goals without a miss, while centre half forward Paul Nicholls provided his team with a reliable route to goal all afternoon. In the centre, Dave Hollins comprehensively outpointed first Colin Tully, and then, after Tully had been forced to leave the field because of an ankle injury during the 3rd term, his replacement, Tony Bovell. Meanwhile, Dedman's replacement at full back, Eddie Donnes, kept his opponent Bob Melville to just a single goal for the match, while centre half back Doug Green was arguably the game's most impressive and influential player, completely blanketing his talented opponent in Lindsay Carroll, and consistently providing his team with authoritative and purposeful rebound and drive.
Other Old Easts players to catch the eye included rover Keith Shorthill, who booted 4.2, and dashing half back flankers Allan Prosser and Phil Stephen. Shorthill, who had begun with Old Easts in 1965, but who had spent the 1967 and 1968 seasons with SANFL club Central District, had been playing Sunday Association football only a few weeks prior to the 1st semi final.
Given the accomplished all round nature of their performance, there could be little doubt that Old Easts would enter the preliminary final in confident frame of mind. However, they would be under no illusions that the task confronting them would be immeasurably harder than it had been against the Tigers.
The Cardinals In '71
Just as in 1969, the Cardinals qualified for the finals in 2nd place behind East Perth. However, although this represented a considerable improvement over their 1970 showing, there were still quite a few people who felt that the corner had not quite been turned. In particular, it was suggested that the side was prone to wilting when real pressure was applied, as exemplified by the three encounters with East Perth during the minor round. In round 6 at Leederville, the Cardinals kept in touch on the scoreboard until quarter time, but as soon as Mal Brown began to impose himself physically on the game during the second term they began to flounder. Inspired by Brown, the Royals attacked both ball and contest with great venom and vigour, and West Perth's normally fluent, handball-orientated style of play was comprehensively derailed. In the end, East Perth precisely doubled the Cardinals' score to win by 64 points, 19.14 (128) to 9.10 (64).
Things were even worse for West Perth in round 13 at Perth Oval, although it could be argued that little ought to be read into the result given that both sides had been deprived of four of their best players, who were away representing Western Australia in Adelaide. For the record, however, the Royals controlled affairs from start to finish in winning by 98 points, 27.16 (178) to 12.8 (80).
The final minor round meeting of the teams took place in round 20 at Leederville, as noted above. 'Polly' Farmer played heroically for the Cardinals, but after half time he lacked support, and the Royals' eventual 15 point win was wholly warranted. Nevertheless, West Perth's supporters would have derived at least a modicum of satisfaction from the fact that, on this occasion, the match was a bona fide contest rather than a one-sided debacle. Moreover, when the Cardinals impressively overcame the challenge of another physically formidable team in the shape of East Fremantle the following week it implied, at least to some, that allegations of the side's being vulnerable under pressure were wide of the mark.
×
Left ▼
There were arguably two main reasons for West Perth's improvement in 1971. One was that the club had recruited well during the preceding summer, addressing in the process several key perceived deficiencies. Most noteworthy among the new arrivals was Peter Steward, a former North Melbourne defender who had played interstate football for the VFL half a dozen times, and who had earned All Australian selection at Adelaide in 1969. Owing to a clearance wrangle, he did not front up until midway through the year, but he was soon being hailed as "the best Victorian import in years"¹, a status he was to enhance during the finals. Another key addition to the ranks in 1971 was full forward Phil Smith from Geelong, who had spent three seasons as understudy to the great Doug Wade; like Steward, Smith would go on to enjoy a fine career at Leederville. Leon O'Dwyer (a Victorian who had been playing in the Northern Territory), Peter Hamilton (ex-Geelong West) and Russell Aitken completed the list of newcomers, and all would end up making worthy contributions to the Cardinals' cause over several seasons.
The second reason for West Perth's improvement in 1971 was purely psychological. Prior to the start of the year, the club's captain-coach, Graham Farmer, an indisputable legend of the game, announced that 1971 would be his final season as a player. As a result, everybody connected with West Perth became wholeheartedly - and publicly - committed to the goal of sending the great man off with a premiership, and as anyone connected with football, or indeed sport of any kind, will tell you, publicly declared commitments like this often have a direct and positive impact on performance. Prior to the start of the 1971 season the 36-year-old Farmer had enjoyed an 18-year top level playing career which had seen him amass a total of 335 league games, just three short of Jack Sheedy's Australian record. However, milestones of that nature were of little interest to Farmer; what he wanted above all was to erase the memory of the bitterly disappointing 1970 season with a premiership.
The Cardinals commenced their finals campaign against their 1971 bête noire East Perth on Saturday 18th September. It was a cool, wet day with a squally westerly wind, conditions that most pundits agreed favoured the Royals. Because of the inclement weather the attendance of 25,667 was perhaps 10,000 short of what might otherwise have been expected². The official records for the game will tell you that Farmer won the toss for West Perth and chose to kick to the western end of the ground, thereby conceding the wind advantage in the opening term to the Royals. However, the truth was not quite so simple. When the coin was tossed, East Perth captain-coach Malcolm Brown tried the old ruse of moving away before it had settled and pointing in the direction that he wished to kick, which was with the breeze. Farmer, though, was having none of it. Once it became clear that coin toss had actually been in his favour, he grabbed Brown, and forced him to return and inspect the evidence where, with a boundary umpire as a witness, the matter was speedily, if not perhaps too amicably, resolved. Once justice had been done, Farmer rubbed salt in Brown's wound by mischievously announcing that he wanted to kick into the breeze in the opening term anyway!
×
Right ▼
The game itself was dour, untidy and intensely physical. Aided by the breeze, East Perth edged to a seven-point lead at quarter time, only for the Cardinals to add 3.5 in the second term while keeping their opponents scoreless. During the third quarter the Royals moved half forward flanker Gary Bygraves to the goalfront, and brought 19th man Eddie Pitter on to replace Ron Alexander in the ruck. Both moves proved decisive. Bygraves was too quick and elusive for West Perth full back David Dyson, and soon had three goals on the board, while Pitter managed to stymie the impact of Farmer and Bill Dempsey, who had been comprehensively winning the rucks for the Cardinals.
After having been forced onto the defensive during the second quarter, the Royals began to play like front-runners, with centreman John Burns, ruckrover Mal Brown, wingman Carl Fragomeni and half back flanker Ken Deards among many prominent contributors. At three quarter time, East Perth led by 11 points, and the match seemed poised for an exhilarating finish. However, the Royals approached the last quarter with immense determination, and succeeded in bottling play up for long periods. It may not have been pleasing to the eye, but it was effective, and again raised questions about the Cardinals' ability to cope when the pressure was intensified. West Perth managed to add just 1.3 for the term, while the Royals managed 1.2 themselves, leaving them victorious in the end by 10 points, 9.8 (62) to 7.10 (52). The result consigned the Cardinals to a sudden death tussle against East Fremantle, a side that was certain to be very bit as determinedly physical as the Royals. The 'Let's do it for Polly' steamroller seemed to be in very real danger of grinding to a halt.
The Teams
West Perth
B: | L O'Dwyer | G Astbury | B Pleitner |
HB: | B McAuliffe | P Steward | R Howat |
C: | P Panegyres | M Whinnen | A Watling |
HF: | K Miller | D Dyson | S Smeath |
F: | N Knell | P Smith | C Baker |
R: | G Farmer (c) | W Dempsey | S Sheridan |
19th/20th: | P Curley | K Spencer |
East Fremantle
B: | A August | E Donnes | N Ferguson |
HB: | A Prosser | D Green | P Stephen |
C: | M Van Helden | D Hollins | T South |
HF: | G Saunders | P Nicholls | F Lewis (c) |
F: | G Fenner | N Dedman | K Shorthill |
R: | R Browne | R Townsend | C Farmer |
19th/20th: | G Gibellini | L Holt |
Pre-Match Build-Up
Heavy, persistent rain on the Thursday and Friday leading up to the match had left the playing surface in a much heavier condition than usual. However, the day of the match itself dawned fine, if cloudy, with the temperature rising to a high of 58.9°F during the early afternoon. The wind, which was strong, but which would fade appreciably during the second half of the game, was blowing from the south-west.
×
Left ▼
On balance, the Cardinals were narrowly favoured to advance to their second grand final in three years. However, the adverse weather conditions were widely expected to prove of greater advantage to East Fremantle, in that they would be likely to inhibit the Cardinals from producing their favoured brand of fast, open, handball orientated football³. This view may have been somewhat too routine and simplistic, though, for while it is true that West Perth, when on song, was capable of producing "football as it never before been played"⁴, the catalyst for this was the relentless but controlled physicality of players like Farmer, Dempsey and Steward, whose primary function in the team was to get hold of the ball, irrespective of hardship or duress, and then feed it off to a passing runner. (Given that the Cardinals of the time were often described as a team 'in perpetual motion', the ball getter was usually presented with a choice of several prospective receivers.) Farmer, of course, was the acknowledged master of this procedure, often grovelling for the ball on hands and knees and then, while still in a kneeling position, spearing a fifteen or twenty metre handpass right into the path of an unmarked, fast moving team mate.
As far as Old Easts were concerned then, the key to their chances lay not so much in closing down West Perth's much fêted running brigade, as in cutting off their line of supply. This was something they had signally failed to do in the sides' previous meeting in the final minor round match of the season. On that occasion, Farmer had seemed to have things more or less all his own way, with a result that Smeath, Watling and Whinnen had proved uncontainable, and the Cardinals had won at a canter.
However, according to East Fremantle coach Alan Joyce, "That's forgotten history as far as we're concerned...... We've beaten West Perth twice this season and we feel that we can do it again. I've never before had anything to do with a band of players so committed to fitness ideals and demands as these at East Fremantle. What they must do is to use their skills in kicking and position play under the pressure that is inevitable."⁵
As things turned out, the East Fremantle players did their coach proud, adhering to his stipulations to the letter, and playing hard, focused, energetic football all day. Sometimes, however, in football as in life, it is possible to do everything needed to succeed, and still end up having one's hopes sabotaged by events impossible to legislate for or anticipate.
The Match
The coin toss, which took place without any of the previous week's shenanigans, was won by West Perth's captain-coach Graham Farmer who, in keeping with his usual policy, elected to kick against the breeze in the opening term. The unsavoury weather conditions had kept the crowd to just over 23,000⁶, the lowest since 1965, and some 8,000 short of the record for a Preliminary Final.
Despite the sodden ground conditions, both sides produced plenty of crisp, cohesive football during a highly entertaining first quarter. The duel across centre was especially engrossing, with Mel Whinnen and Dave Hollins playing wide of one another, and both seeing plenty of the ball, and Alan Watling on top for West Perth on one wing, and Max Van Helden for East Fremantle on the other. In the ruck, Graham Farmer was performing with his usual authority and drive, but Garry Fenner for Old Easts was also prominent, particularly around the ground. Scores remained close throughout the quarter, with East Fremantle enjoying rather more of the possession, but West Perth's superior use of the ball giving them the edge on the scoreboard. At quarter time, the Cardinals were ahead by four points, 5.1 (31) to 4.3 (27), which, given the strength of the wind into which they had been kicking, was arguably tantamount to a lead of three or four goals.
During the second term, in a bid to maximise his team's wind advantage, Farmer shifted strong marking centre half back Peter Steward to centre half forward, a move which began to reap dividends almost straight away. Even when Steward proved unable to mark the ball he invariably created a contest out of which the Cardinals more often than not managed to gain an advantage. The former North Melbourne star's ascendancy helped give his team a reliable direct route to goal, and this was exploited to the full by Phil Smith, who was proving too elusive for his bigger, heavier opponent in Eddie Donnes. To add to East Fremantle's headaches, talented half back flanker Allan Prosser went to ground after a heavy clash of bodies, and proved too groggy and sore to continue. He was replaced by Gary Gibilleni. By the long break the Cardinals had extended their lead to 22 points, 10.3 (63) to 6.5 (41), and looked to have one foot in the grand final.
×
Right ▼
The third term was played in light drizzle which potentially made Old Easts' task all the harder. They did at least manage to outscore West Perth during the quarter, but only by a goal, and with 16 points still separating the sides at the last change, and the Cardinals set to have the wind advantage in the final term, Joyce's men faced a gargantuan challenge to get back into the game. Not that there was even the remotest chance of them throwing in the towel, of course, and they could at least derive modicums of comfort and impetus from the fact that the strength of the wind appeared to be declining. At three quarter time the scoreboard read West Perth 11.5 (71); East Fremantle 8.7 (55). During the lemon time break West Perth's back pocket Bryan Pleitner⁷ was replaced by Ken Spencer, who like Pleitner had played most of his football as a defender. Pleitner, a former Footscray and Hawthorn player, was later described as suffering from 'exhaustion'. Old Easts meanwhile replaced their young, inexperienced wingman Terry South, who had been badly beaten by Alan Watling, with Les Holt, who had also played most of his football on the wing.
The final quarter would elevate the match to the status of a classic, not so much because of the standard of the football - which was seldom better than mediocre - but because of the absorbing nature of the tussle between two thoroughly committed teams straining every muscle and sinew in a bid to claim the tantalising prize of a grand final berth. By the end of the match, many of the fans in the outer would be as exhausted as the players on the field, drained of their energy through a process of screaming themselves hoarse while in a state of acute, unrelenting nervous tension.
The Cardinals made their intentions clear early on when Peter Steward was again moved from centre half back into the forward lines. However, it was Old Easts who made the early running, and when half forward flanker Greg Saunders scored a fine left foot goal on the run the crowd began to rouse itself. East Fremantle attacked again, and both sides threw their bodies in desperately. It was frantic, ugly, almost maniacal finals football, played in light rain, with a heavy, greasy ball that the players were finding almost impossible to handle cleanly. The pressure on the Cardinals' defence was enormous though, and the expected East Fremantle breakthrough was not long in arriving. From a surging scrimmage near the Old East goal the ball popped out to rugged rover Keith Shorthill who instinctively threw it onto his boot and watched in delight as it sailed through for full points. It was now a five-point ball game, and all the initiative appeared to be with the men in blue and white.
As East Fremantle continued to attack incessantly, West Perth took measures to stem the tide. Steward returned to centre half back, Whinnen was deployed as a loose man in defence, and Farmer stationed himself in the hole between centre half back and full back. All three proved major stumbling blocks to Old Easts. Farmer further reinforced the Cardinals backline by taking off rover Shane Sheridan, who was uninjured, and replacing him with 19th man Peter Curley, a defender.
×
Left ▼
Still East Fremantle continued to force the ball forward. A snapshot from Shorthill went agonisingly close, and then a long kick from Garry Fenner looked to be sailing through for a goal, only to veer away at the last moment. The Cardinals' lead was now just 3 points, and it seemed only a matter of time before their defence would buckle.
Suddenly, though, events were turned on their head, as West Perth mounted a quick breakaway that culminated in rover Craige Baker screwing back a kick on the run to push the margin out to nine points. With les than ten minutes left, and goals at a premium, the smart money was now back with the Cardinals.
Old Easts refused to relent, however, and although their progress towards goal was often slow and untidy, they seemed to have the edge in both fitness and desire, so that it was all West Perth's players could do to contain them. Then, as time-on approached, a moment of inspiration from the 1971 Sandover Medallist consigned the outcome of the match to the melting pot once more. Collecting the ball in the midst of a heaving mass of players just in front of goal, Dave Hollins crashed his way through several attempted tackles and out into the clear before firing home. As Lou Richards would undoubtedly have put it, the game was now "on for young and old".
The last five minutes saw Old Easts continuing to batter their way forward, with Cardinals defenders such as Steward, Farmer, Dempsey and Whinnen resisting heroically. With a couple of minutes to go, and the crowd roaring frantically, East Fremantle ruckman Garry Fenner marked within easy goal kicking range, although on a tight angle. In hindsight, it is almost possible to suggest that this was the moment when the destiny of the 1971 WANFL premiership was decided. Lining up carefully, Fenner sank his boot into a high punt kick that wobbled towards goal - and then across the face, into the opposite forward pocket, missing everything. A swarm of West Perth defenders then converged on the ball, and the danger was relieved.
During the last ninety seconds or so, the Cardinals successfully managed to bottle play up, and Old Easts were never again able to threaten. The final siren sounded with the scoreboard showing West Perth still three points to the good, after a match that, it would probably be fair to suggest, neither side had deserved to lose⁸. Final scores were West Perth 12.7 (79) defeated East Fremantle 11.10 (76).
Match Summary
1st | 2nd | 3rd | FULL TIME | |
West Perth | 5.1 | 10.3 | 11.5 | 12.7.79 |
East Fremantle | 4.3 | 6.5 | 8.7 | 11.10.76 |
BEST
West Perth: Smith, Farmer, Miller, Watling, Whinnen, Dempsey
East
Fremantle: Saunders, Fenner, Shorthill, Van Helden, Hollins, Stephen
SCORERS
West Perth: Smith 8.1; Baker, Miller, Sheridan 1.1; Farmer 1.0; Smeath 0.2;
Watling 0.1
East Fremantle: Lewis 2.2; Farmer 2.0; Fenner 1.3; Nicholls 1.2; Dedman,
Hollins 1.1; Saunders, Shorthill, South 1.0; forced 0.1
ATTENDANCE: 23,534 at Subiaco Oval
Postscript
×
Right ▼
The Cardinals went on to produce arguably their best football for two years in beating East Perth 14.17 (101) to 9.15 (69) in the following week's Grand Final. They led at every change by 29, 41, and 40 points, and were best served by Simpson Medallist Shane Sheridan, the inimitable Graham Farmer, Peter Steward, Barry McAuliffe, Bill Dempsey and Alan Watling. The crowd of 50,975 was the second highest to attend a Grand Final up to that point.
A week after the Grand Final an interstate club carnival, in Farmer's honour, was held at Subiaco Oval. The carnival involved a total of eight clubs - four from Western Australia, and two each from South Australia and Victoria. It was ultimately won by Hawthorn.
Since 1971 the game has, of course, altered considerably and irrevocably. Football of the early 1970s can seem almost ponderous by today's standards, and yet it would be churlish to deny that champions of the calibre of 'Polly ' Farmer would have succeeded in whatever era they had played. Moreover, there is almost always something discernible in the style or approach of a truly great player which provides a foretaste of things to come - and, indeed, this is arguably a fundamental facet of genuine greatness, that it anticipates, and therefore in a sense, helps create, future developments and trends. Put simply, the football we enjoy today would probably not exist had not men like Farmer unwittingly laid its foundations by stretching themselves beyond accepted norms and intuitively pushing beyond the game's acknowledged boundaries. In this respect, football is no different from any other aspect of human endeavour, and just as worthy of analysis and delineation.
The 1971 WANFL Preliminary Final was arguably one of those games which transcended the ostensible sum of its parts, not least because it graphically demonstrated just how flimsy and arbitrary the barrier between failure and success can be. So spare a thought for Garry Fenner, who will probably have nightmares about that fateful, 11th-hour kick for goal until his dying day.
Footnotes
1. Ross Elliott's West Australian Football Register 1971, page 71.
2. When the same two teams had met in fine weather in the 1969 2nd semi final the crowd
had been 35,740.
3. West Perth under Farmer frequently produced in excess of 100 handballs a game, which
was a considerably higher average than any other major team in Australia, and bears
favourable comparison with today's averages.
4. 'The Independent', 28/9/69.
5. 'The Football Budget', 25/9/71, page 2.
6. Different sources give the attendance figure as 23,447 and 23,534. The record Preliminary Final crowd at this time was either 31,323 or 31,373 - again, sources differ - established in
1966.
7. Some sources incorrectly give the player's forename as Barry.
8. In an article in 'The Football Budget', East Perth captain-coach Malcolm Brown had actually
declared that he thought the Cardinals and Old Easts were so evenly matched that he would
not have been surprised if the game ended in a draw.
Comments
This article does not contain any comments.
Login to leave a comment.