Back to Subiaco Part 1
To call Subiaco's first decade or so of involvement in the WAFA inauspicious would be a tremendous understatement. In the eleven seasons between 1901 and 1911 the side finished bottom of the ladder more often than not, and managed a wretched success rate of just 18.3%. The club's cause during this time was not helped by the fact that, for much of the period, it was effectively without a home ground, for Shenton Park had deteriorated to such an extent that, for several seasons, it was unusable. In 1908, however, a new ground, Subiaco Oval, constructed on the site of the club's original paddock at Mueller Road, was opened, and both Subiaco and, in years to come, Western Australian football itself, had a new home.
At around the same time as the move the club began to recruit more ambitiously, but on field improvement was slow to arrive. In 1911, the side gave some signs of having turned the corner, but overall seemed incapable of maintaining a high level of performance for the entire four quarters of a game; ultimately, it finished second from bottom, albeit with the comparatively respectable return of 4 wins from 13 matches.
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With the recruitment of South Australian football nomad, and eventual legend of the game, Phil Matson, Subiaco would improve considerably in 1912. Strongly built, swift of foot, combative, and a spectacular aerialist, Matson also possessed a formidable football brain which he would later employ to great effect as coach of the outstanding East Perth sides which dominated Western Australian football immediately after the Great War. Matson's debut in a maroon guernsey was delayed by a clearance wrangle with his former club North Fremantle, but once this was resolved he quickly emerged as the lynch-pin of the team. As the 1912 season wore on it soon became clear that the chief protagonists in the battle for the flag were going to be perennial finalists East Fremantle and persistent under-achievers Subiaco. These two sides met on three occasions during the minor round, with Subiaco taking the honours overall with two wins to one, an achievement which effectively netted the club its first ever minor premiership. The first weekend of the 1912 finals pitted Subiaco against 3rd placed South Fremantle, a match which the Maroons won easily to set up the expected premiership play-off against Old Easts. Controversially, given the relative status of the two teams, the WAFL authorities (see footnote 10) nominated Fremantle Oval, East Fremantle's home ground, as the venue for this match. If Subiaco lost, it would be granted the opportunity to challenge, and the venue for the challenge final would be Perth Oval, but as minor premier it perhaps justifiably believed that it ought to have been granted the right to attempt to finish things off right away in front of a sympathetic audience. |
"Go Subi!" |
The audience at Fremantle Oval was far from sympathetic to Subiaco, and the fact that the Maroons went into the game minus two key players in the shape of the season's top goal kicker, Herb 'Hubba' Limb (injured), and the formidable 'Digger' Thomas (suspended) made their task even more daunting - too daunting, in fact, as East Fremantle won with consummate ease, by 81 points.
With Limb back to spearhead the forward lines the following week, and the majority of the crowd staunchly behind them, Subiaco's prospects appeared marginally better for the challenge final, but few seriously expected anything better than a defiant loss. As it was, the Subiaco team, to a man, played heroically, while Limb in particular was in resplendent form, snaring 4 of his team's goals in a resolute 5.8 (38) to 4.5 (29) victory. Victorian captain-coach Joe Scaddan, "a man with the mental toughness of a Spartan" (see footnote 11), was another to perform with great distinction, as were centre half forward Phil Matson, followers Bill Loughridge and Tom Cain, and half back flanker Ernie Nelson.
The only occurrence to sour an otherwise superlative season came a few days after the grand final when Subiaco was beaten for the state premiership by Goldfields premiers Railways, 8.12 (60) to 7.9 (51). The match was played in Kalgoorlie.
With Matson taking over from Scaddan as the club's on field leader, Subiaco continued as a force in 1913, securing another minor premiership which, as in 1912, would prove to be invaluable. In the semi final against Perth the Maroons played tiredly, losing by 15 points, but in hindsight this may have been just the jolt the players needed to enable them to overcome any subconscious complacency and approach the challenge final of three weeks later in the right frame of mind.
Somewhat surprisingly, Subiaco's opposition in that challenge final turned out to be Perth, which had scored an upset victory over raging hot favourites East Fremantle in the final. Accordingly, although most pundits expected the Maroons to turn the tables, there was an equal consensus as to it being likely to be a tough, closely fought affair. Early on, however, it was anything but, as Subiaco quickly rattled on the first 4 goals of the game, only for Perth to mount a sustained fight back which saw it edge into the lead just before the long break. In the 3rd term the Maroons appeared to have gained a stranglehold again, booting the only 2 goals of the period, but the final quarter would see the black and reds enjoying a considerable wind advantage. Realising what needed to be done, Phil Matson, who had been playing at centre half forward, positioned himself in the back lines, effectively as a loose man, and under his orchestration the Subiaco defenders withstood everything the opposition could throw at them. Neither side managed a goal in the final term, and Subiaco thereby clinched a second consecutive flag, winning in the end by 12 points, 6.7 (43) to 4.7 (31). Centreman 'Digger' Thomas, wingman Wally Short, back pocket Joe Bushell, 3 goal full forward 'Hubba' Limb, and Matson starred.
Subiaco rounded off the season in style with a 15.11 (101) to 8.6 (54) win over one of Phil Matson's former clubs, Boulder City, in the state premiership play off at the WACA.
The 1914 season brought another successful return for the Maroons, with 10 wins from 14 home and away matches comfortably securing finals qualification but not, crucially, the minor premiership, which went to Old Easts. Subiaco duly accounted for their newfound arch rival in a semi final but following defeat at the hands of South Fremantle in the final there was to be, on this occasion, no recourse to a safety net.
With all sporting activity in Australia phasing down because of the war in 1915 Subiaco was fortunate to retain the nucleus of a strong side. Just how strong quickly emerged as the side won its first 10 matches of the season to virtually clinch finals participation with more than half of its games still to play. Whether the players subconsciously relaxed at this point is difficult to prove, but the fact that only 5 of the club's final 11 matches were won suggests this may have been the case. Nevertheless, 15 wins from 21 games was sufficient to secure the minor premiership, an accomplishment which, with events from the recent past in mind, doubtless afforded a degree of psychological reassurance.
This time around, however, the right of challenge did not need to be invoked as Subiaco overcame South Fremantle and Perth in straight sets - the latter by just 2 points thanks to a goal from Limb shortly before the final bell - to comprehensively reinforce its status as Western Australia's leading club. Although, in light of events elsewhere, post match celebrations were restrained, there was undoubtedly a great deal of pride over the club's meteoric rise from anonymity to greatness. Sadly, by 1916 the depredations of war were such that any ambitions to build on this greatness had to be placed on hold, although no one associated with the club could seriously have expected the hiatus in achievement to be quite so prolonged or, at times, demeaning.
For the remaining three years of the war the WAFL competition spluttered along but the standard of football on display was poor. Subiaco, with most of its premiership players in the armed services, foundered dramatically in 1916, winning just 2 matches out of 12 to finish last; there was minimal improvement in 1917 when the side at least contested the finals, but in 1918 the Maroons were again among the also rans.
The immediate post-war period in Western Australian football was dominated by East Perth, which was now coached by Phil Matson. In 1915 Matson had been replaced as coach of Subiaco by Jack Leckie, who in turn gave way to Wally Steele two years later. Steele, like Matson, was a South Australian, with many of the same attributes of character and qualities of leadership, or at least so it seemed. The Subiaco Committee's decision to appoint Steele instead of Matson may, at the time, and without the benefits of foresight, have appeared as 'line ball'; however, it was a decision which would dramatically - and for a long time to come - alter the balance of power in Western Australian football.
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Ron Coffey, wearing the jumper that was in vogue during the early '50s. (Click to enlarge.) |
Steele was by no means a bad coach. In his five full seasons at the helm Subiaco contested the finals on three occasions, but was never able to progress beyond the first week. As the 1920s dawned, however, it was clear that Matson's Royals were providing Western Australian football with a new benchmark. Season after season they proved themselves pre-eminent, as fortunes at Subiaco began to decline alarmingly. In 1922 and '23 the Maroons failed to contest the finals, and although the 1924 season yielded slight improvement - 7 wins and a draw from 15 games being good enough for 3rd place on the ladder - there did not appear to be anyone on the horizon capable of seriously challenging the all conquering Royals. Although premierships in Australian football are more often than not won by the best team, intrinsic to the game's lore and mythology is the fact that this is by no means inevitable, for such is the structure of football's unique premiership determinant - its finals system - that ordinary teams which suddenly peak at the right time are perfectly capable of overturning both the odds, and supposedly stronger opposition. Irrespective of how a team actually achieves premiership glory, however, no qualifying footnotes are inscribed on the premiership cup underneath its name. Subiaco's 1924 premiership was won, in classic fashion, 'against the head'. This is not to suggest that the side was lacking in talent. No team possessing players of the calibre of Tom Outridge, Jack 'Snowy' Hamilton and Johnny Leonard could be described as weak. However, it would be fair to suggest that Subiaco, which went into the finals series with only a 50% winning record for the season, did not feature in many neutral observers' premiership calculations. Unknown to most, however, the team, under coach Tom Cain and skipper Hamilton, was coming nicely to the boil at just the right time. |
No one would have been more gratified by Subiaco's 1924 premiership success than Jack Hamilton. Earlier that same season he had been castigated by East Perth and state coach Matson after putting in what Matson regarded as 'an uncharacteristically inept performance' for Western Australia against the VFL at the Hobart carnival. (Despite this, he was described in many press reports as the best player afield - see, for instance, here.) Every player can be excused an occasional off day - if such indeed it was - but Hamilton must have felt he had a point to prove, and during the 1924 WAFL finals series he did so in emphatic fashion with a series of blistering displays. Nor was he alone: almost to a man, his Subiaco team mates lifted their level of performance to previously unscaled heights. In the first week of the finals the Maroons faced a supposedly indefatigable East Perth side which was chasing an unprecedented 6th consecutive flag, but even after conceding their opponents a sizeable 1st half lead Hamilton and Co. refused to admit defeat, and after the long break they gradually wrested control of proceedings to storm home to a memorable win by 8 points.
With the worst over, Subiaco then made light of successive meetings with minor premiers East Fremantle, emerging victorious by 46 points from the first encounter, played in fine conditions at Perth Oval, and then repeating the dose the following week with a 7.9 (51) to 3.6 (24) triumph at the same venue in the wet. Half forward Johnny Grigg was best afield for the victors, with centre half back Arthur Green, centreman Hamilton, ruckman Outridge and wingman Scaddan also prominent.
| Shortly after the challenge final Subiaco
headed for the goldfields to confront Boulder City for the state premiership.
It proved to be a somewhat strenuous affair, but the Maroons finally overcame a
defiant challenge from their opponents, a fine last quarter performance sealing
a 12.12 (84) to 8.13 (61) win. This proved to be the last occasion on
which the state premiership was contested.
Ruckman Tom Outridge (pictured right) was one of Subiaco's and Western Australian football's all time greats. Perhaps best remembered for his championship-clinching performances for Western Australia at the 1921 Perth carnival Outridge gave sterling service in 217 League games spread over thirteen seasons. He was also the first ever winner of the Sandover Medal, which the WAFL introduced in 1921 to reward its fairest and most brilliant player each season. Originally from Ballarat, Outridge played for a time on the Western Australian goldfields and with Perth, before joining Subiaco in 1919. The club's annual fairest and best player award is named in his honour. Western Australian football's doyen of coaches, Jerry Dolan, succinctly summarised Outridge's qualities, saying he "was a great feeder of the ball to his rover and a tireless follower. He proved his class against Australia's best ruckmen (see footnote 12)." |
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The remainder of the 1920s saw Subiaco flirting with, but never again achieving, success. Not even the advantage accruing from a minor premiership in 1925 was sufficient to precipitate them to another flag.
Subiaco was home to many outstanding players during this period, including Johnny Leonard, Len Metherell, Brighton Diggins, and 'Bill' Brophy. Leonard in particular boasted talent of the highest order, winning a remarkable five consecutive club champion awards as well as the 1926 Sandover Medal. Years later, in 1997, Leonard was awarded a second Sandover when the league authorities decided to reward players who had tied for the Medal on votes, but lost either on a countback or on the casting vote of the League President.
The Maroons continued to perform competently during the first half of the 1930s, reaching the grand finals of 1931, 1933 and 1935, only to lose narrowly on each occasion. In 1937, however, Subiaco endured a calamitous season, managing only 4 wins from 21 fixtures to finish last for the first time since the war-affected 1916 season.
Desperate measures were clearly called for, but what the Subiaco committee eventually came up with bordered on the outlandish. In August 1937, after watching the visiting VFL players in training prior to the Perth Carnival, former champion ruckman, now club secretary, Tom Outridge was vocal in his admiration of three men in particular: Fitzroy rover Haydn Bunton, Geelong utility Les Hardiman, and Carlton half forward Keith Shea. Half jokingly, he suggested to his companions that it would be nice to all three them fronting up for Subiaco at some stage.
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Realistically, landing even
one of these players would have been regarded as a noteworthy recruiting coup,
but the amazing fact was Subiaco somehow managed to lure all three of them to Perth
in time for the 1938 football season.
Of the three, New South Welshman Bunton (pictured left) came with far and away the most auspicious credentials, having won the Brownlow Medal on a then unprecedented three occasions (see footnote 13) and finished runner up once; he had also been awarded Fitzroy's best and fairest award twice, and topped the club's goal kicking list on three occasions. In seven seasons with the VFL Maroons he had played a total of 117 games and been a virtual ever present in the VFL interstate side. Quite aside from the bald statistics, however, many authoritative judges over the years have argued that Haydn Bunton senior would warrant serious consideration as the greatest individual exponent of Australian football in the code's history. Although much less well remembered these days, Keith Shea was also an exceptional talent, with 91 League games and 10 VFL interstate appearances under his belt, while the hard as nails Les 'Splinter' Hardiman was a former Geelong club champion who was a prominent member of the Cats' 1937 premiership side. With three such gifted recruits in their 1938 line up the Maroons might reasonably have been expected to leapfrog up the ladder, but although the side won twice as many games as in 1937, this was only good enough to elevate them a single place, from last to 7th. |
This continued ineptitude, though bewildering, did nothing to tarnish Haydn Bunton senior's reputation. Week after week the supremely talented Bunton produced performances which lifted him head and shoulders above his peers. In 1938, he was a runaway winner of the Sandover Medal (see footnote 14), an accomplishment he repeated the following year, and yet again in 1941. Bunton also won Subiaco's best and fairest award the same years, with the one in between being nabbed by Hardiman.
Despite Bunton and Co.'s best efforts, however, the club's on field fortunes were showing little sign of improving when global hostilities again intervened. For three seasons, the league effectively ran on auto-pilot, with the clubs being represented by under age combinations. Subiaco won a minor premiership under this format in 1943, but then lost both finals.
On the resumption of full scale league competition in 1945, Subiaco's fortunes did not improve. Indeed, for much of the next decade the WAFL premiership was effectively a four team contest, with West Perth, Perth and the two Fremantle sides consistently out-performing the other four clubs.
In 1959, however, Subiaco, which had not participated in a finals match since 1946, somewhat surprisingly re-emerged as a force. After winning 12 out of 21 minor round matches to qualify for the finals in 4th place, the side then annihilated Perth by 129 points in a boilover 1st semi final. The preliminary final two weeks later saw East Fremantle conclusively put to the sword, and so convincing had the Maroons been that many scribes gave them a realistic chance of overturning reigning premiers East Perth for the '59 flag. Alas, it was not be: in front of a then record grand final crowd of 45,245 the Royals led at every change to win an exhilarating game by 23 points, 12.19 (91) to 9.14 (68).
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As the following decade wore on, the club's 1959 grand final appearance began to stand out oasis-like in a desert of unfulfilled potential. It was not that the club no longer attracted the right kind of player. During the 1960s, many noteworthy talents donned the maroon and gold - men like prodigious goalsneak Austin Robertson Junior (pictured above), Laurie Kettlewell, Brian Sarre (pictured below, right), Wally Martin and Graham Heal (pictured below, left) - but something in the final mixture was lacking. Between 1960 and 1967 the club contested the finals just twice, reaching a woeful nadir in 1967 with just 3 wins from 21 matches and a comprehensive wooden spoon.
The following season the Subiaco committee turned to a familiar name in a bid to resurrect the club's fortunes. Nearing thirty-one years of age, Haydn Bunton junior had already accomplished much in football, but his appetite for a new challenge remained undimmed. As a player, he may have lacked his father's poise, pace, elegance and flair, but a Sandover Medal win in 1962 and regular interstate appearances for both South Australia and Western Australia proved he was a more than capable footballer. In the coaching sphere, however, and as an on field leader, the younger Bunton truly excelled, and it was chiefly because of his abilities in these areas that the Subiaco committee decided to pursue him so determinedly.
| Bunton's arrival as coach in
1968 raised anticipation among Subiaco supporters, and indeed among Western
Australian football fans in general, to fever pitch. During his previous
stint in the west he had achieved the near impossible by transforming the
perennial easy beats of the competition, Swan
Districts, into a premiership-winning combination. Not only that, he
had accomplished the feat three years in a row. Now Subiaco barrackers were
hoping for the same miraculous touch.
Haydn Bunton junior was no miracle worker, however; no coach is. His success as a coach was based on sound, readily identifiable principles, and throughout his coaching career, in both Adelaide and Perth, his teams tended to function in similar ways. Intelligent use of handball, for example, was central to the Bunton credos: "Handball is a springboard of attacks and can do more to disorganise an opposition defence than indiscriminate handball, which too often suits backmen in other clubs, who can read the game. "The trouble with hand ball is that it is an art which I consider more difficult to master and employ properly than disposal by foot." (See footnote 15) |
Click to enlarge. |
Bunton did not concoct the impossible on this occasion, but under his inspired tutelage Subiaco did improve enough in 1968 to qualify for the finals. It did so again in 1969 and 1970, but in five seasons at the helm Bunton was unable to steer the club beyond the 1st semi final.
In retrospect, former St Kilda rover Ross Smith, who replaced Bunton as coach in 1973, has tended to be regarded as the man who, in effect, manufactured a long overdue premiership for the Lions out of raw materials created and bequeathed to him by his predecessor. Such an assessment may be unfair to Smith. For one thing, after a sudden and quite dramatic upturn in fortunes under Bunton, Subiaco's performances had once again declined. In 1971 (5th - 10 wins and 11 losses) and 1972 (6th - 8-13) the Lions had failed to contest the finals, and the little master's coaching methods, once regarded as cutting edge, had been called into question.
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Given the scale of Subiaco's improvement in 1973 it is at least arguable that the lion's share of the credit for the club's eventual premiership belongs, in fact, to Smith, although even to argue the point is, in a sense, redundant, given that it is Smith's name, not Bunton's, which adorns the Subiaco honour board for that year. The tenacious and battle-hardened Smith, who had played well over 200 VFL games in twelve seasons as well as winning a Brownlow Medal, brought to the club not only an augmentation of Bunton's coaching philosophies, but also a formidable, and at times decisive, on field presence. Put simply, he led from the front, at a time when the demands associated with coaching had not burgeoned to such an extent as to render the role of captain-coach obsolete. Despite the fact that the ever increasing inroads made by VFL clubs into player stocks was having an inevitable, inimical effect on standards the WANFL competition during the early 1970s was in a vibrant and healthy state. In 1970, a total of 810,113 spectators had attended the 21 rounds of the home and away series, which represented a weekly average equivalent to 5.7% of the population of the Perth-Fremantle metropolitan area. Gradually, however, as the decade progressed, attendance figures declined. By 1980, each weekend's round of football was only attracting crowds equivalent to 4.1% of the metropolitan zone's population (see footnote 16). |
Subiaco won the minor premiership in 1973, thereby enabling it to contribute to its peculiar tradition of almost invariably losing a finals match en route to a flag (see footnote 17). Not that there was anything calculated about the Lions' 13.7 (85) to 15.13 (103) 2nd semi final loss to West Perth; it was simply a case of too many Subiaco players - most notably the captain-coach himself - being down on form.
Smith got himself, and his team, back on track for the following week's preliminary final, in which Subiaco always appeared to be in the box seat against East Perth, although the final margin of victory - 10 points - was a little close for comfort.
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Subiaco captain-coach Ross Smith breaks through the cheer squad banner prior to the commencement of the 1973 WANFL grand final. Smith was one of the best players afield in the Lions' 32 point victory over West Perth. |
With it having been so long 'between drinks' for the Lions, enormous interest was generated in the 1973 grand final. Anxious to keep the players' minds focused on the task at hand, the Subiaco management committee forbade them from speaking to the media during the run up to the big game. This was probably just as well, for the grand final rapidly developed into a tense, dour war of attrition. At quarter time the Lions, having enjoyed first use of the breeze, led narrowly, 3.4 (22) to 2.0 (12), but during the 2nd term the Cardinals responded vigorously, and at half time there was just a single point in it: West Perth 4.2 (26); Subiaco 3.7 (25).
It was at this point that Ross Smith began to tap into all his reserves of experience and skill, putting together "one of the most inspired and courageous exhibitions of roving ever seen at Subiaco Oval" (see footnote 18). Following their leader's example, Lions players all over the ground lifted, enabling them to eke out what proved to be a decisive advantage. At lemon time, Subiaco led 7.10 (52) to 5.2 (32), a margin of only 20 points admittedly, but West Perth's resistance had been broken, and the last term saw the Lions again outscore their rivals to win with deceptive ease. Centre half back Dennis Blair was awarded the Simpson Medal, although most observers rated Smith's performance as having had the most decisive impact. Keith Watt, Dick Manning and Fred Davenport were other Subiaco players to perform well.
In the ensuing Australian club championships in Adelaide the Lions gave a good account of themselves, comfortably dismissing Tasmanian champions Scottsdale from contention on the opening day, and then pushing VFL premiers Richmond all the way before going down by 13 points.
Subiaco's failure to build on its 1973 premiership success was attributable to many factors, but of these the loss to Victoria of key players in the shape of ruckman Mike Fitzpatrick (to Carlton) and centreman Peter Featherby (to Footscray), not to mention Ross Smith's return to Melbourne in 1975, arguably combined to be of greatest significance.
In the three decades since the '73 flag Subiaco has, at times, been forced to dig deep, even simply to ensure survival. However, it is a proud, resilient and forward-thinking club, and if such qualities continue to mean anything in future then it should be around, and winning premierships, for many years to come.
As far as most Subiaco supporters are concerned, the first of those premierships ought by rights to have arrived in 2003, when the Lions qualified for the grand final 'the easy way', by overcoming West Perth in the 2nd semi final, only to capitulate by 23 points against the same opponents a fortnight later when the stakes were at their height.
The 2004 season heralded one of the most significant developments in the history of the Subiaco Football Club with a move from the ground that had been its home for the better part of a century, Subiaco Oval, to West Perth's former long term headquarters at Leederville. The move, which remains something of a contentious issue among some of the club's supporters, involved the Lions entering into an historic ground-sharing arrangement with East Perth, with Leederville Oval being gradually transformed into 'a football centre of excellence'.
To the delight of Subiaco's supporters, footballing excellence was very much to the fore as the senior side topped the ladder with a 15-5 record heading into the 2004 finals. Once there, the players exhibited a single-minded determination to avoid the mistakes of 2003, resolve that was rewarded with conclusive wins over Claremont in both the 2nd semi final (by 10 goals) and grand final (by 8 goals) to wrap up a long overdue eighth premiership.
The Lions performed even better during the 2005 minor round, losing only 2 of their 20 matches, but the finals proved to be a disaster. In the 2nd semi final they were outclassed by South Fremantle to the tune of 60 points, while in the preliminary final, despite leading 5.3 to 1.1 at the first change, they went under by 24 points to a more resolute and cohesive Claremont team.
The Lions made conclusive amends in 2006, however. After again topping the ladder with an 18-2 record, they twice downed South Fremantle in the finals to secure their 9th senior flag. On grand final day they were irresistible, leading at every change by 6, 18 and 32 points en route to a resounding 83 point victory. Subi won 24.9 (153) to 10.10 (70), with Sam Larkins booting 8.3, club skipper Marc Webb winning the Simpson Medal, and ruckman Luke Newick and on-ballers Matt Priddis, Ben Keevers and Jarrad Schofield representing just the tip of the iceberg as far as fine performers for the Lions on the day was concerned.
A year later Subiaco made it two flags in a row for the first time since 1912-13, and ten senior premierships in all, thanks to a convincing 41 point grand final win over Claremont. Second after the home and away rounds, the Lions succumbed to a narrow loss at the hands of the Tigers in the 2nd semi final before recovering form and confidence with a slashing 25.14 (164) to 10.9 (69) defeat of South Fremantle in the preliminary final. The grand final was all Subi from the start as they rattled on 4.4 during the opening stanza whilst keeping Claremont scoreless. The Tigers made a semblance of a fight-back in the 2nd term, but still went into the rooms at the long break 21 points adrift. Then, in the 3rd quarter, the Lions re-assumed command to add 5.3 to 2.2 and effectively put the match out of Claremont's reach. Final scores were Subiaco 15.13 (103) defeated Claremont 9.8 (62), with full forward Brad Smith nabbing 7 majors in a Simpson Medal-winning performance. Allistair Pickett, Mark Nicoski, Luke Newick and Darren Rumble were other stand-out performers for the Lions.
The Lions remained undisputed kings of the competition in 2008 when they claimed a premiership hat trick thanks to a crushing grand final defeat of Swan Districts. The match was closely contested until half time, at which point Subi held a slim 4 point advantage, but over the final two quarters they were much too powerful, cohesive and experienced for Swans who were playing in their first grand final since 1990. Final scores were Subiaco 22.16 (148) defeated Swan Districts 14.7 (91). The 2009 season brought a fourth straight grand final appearance for the Lions but they fell short by 18 points against South Fremantle.
Haydn Bunton junior's aspirations of 'greatness' for Subiaco may not have materialised in quite the manner he anticipated, but to have survived, and still to be adapting, developing and succeeding in spite of sometimes inimical external forces, represents greatness of a different, and perhaps more enduring kind. Subiaco supporters, and indeed true football supporters of all persuasions, will certainly hope so.
Where now?
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10. The Western Australian Football Association became the Western Australian Football League in 1908. Return to Main Text
11. Diehards 1896-1945 by Ken Spillman, page 59. Return to Main Text
12. Quoted in Gravel Rash: 100 Years of Goldfields Football by Les Everett, page 67. Return to Main Text
13. Essendon's Dick Reynolds won his 3rd Brownlow in 1938. Return to Main Text
14. Bunton received 27 votes, 6 more than both Jenkins of South Fremantle, and Sinclair of Swans. Return to Main Text
15. From 'Let's Not Kid Ourselves' by Haydn Bunton, in 'The Independent Football Special', volume 1, number 22, 5/9/69. Return to Main Text
16. Source: Football Times Yearbook 1983, page 63. Per capita weekly average figures for the other major state Leagues in 1970 were: VFL - 5.1%; SANFL - 5.0%; TFL - 6.4%. By 1980, these totals had declined to 4.4% in the SANFL, and 3.0% in the TFL, while remaining steady at 5.1% in the VFL. Return to Main Text
17. All told, Subiaco has done this on half a dozen occasions: 1912, 1913, 1973, 1986, 1988 and 2007. Only the flags of 1915, 1924 and 2006 were won 'clean'. Return to Main Text
18. 'Weekend News', 29/9/73. Return to Main Text
