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WESTERN SUBURBS
Affiliated: NSWA(N)FL 1926-9, 1948-73; NSWAFL 1974-80; SFL 1981-86; NSWAFL State League 1987-9; SFL 1990-98; SAFL 1999-present
Club Address: P.O. Box 98, Croydon Park 2133, New South Wales
Home Ground: Wagener Oval, Whitfield Avenue, Ashbury
Formed: 1926, through the merger of Strathfield and Ashfield Australian Football Clubs; disbanded 1929; reformed 1947
Colours: Black and white
Emblem: Magpies
Premierships: 1951, 1963, 1965-6, 1969, 1972, 1974-5, 1977, 1996 (10 total)
Phelan Medallists: Ken Champion 1948; Ray Sharrock 1963; George Allen 1973 & 1975; Graham Jones 1984; Joe Cormack 1996 (5 Medallists/6 Medals)
S(A)FL Top Goalkickers: R.Hall (89) 1952; T.Ingersoll (115) 1956; P.Ryder (60) 1967; J.Jarrett (113) 1970; L.Hetherington (123) 1972; C.Bradley (109) 1973; P.Cavanagh (84) 1975 & (74) 1976; W.Preston (101) 1978; M.Sanson (95) 1994; L.Campbell (62) 2003 (11 total)
Highest Score: 57.28 (370) vs. Balmain 3.7 (25) in 1973
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ABOVE: Greg Stafford, pictured during his time with Sydney. |
The original incarnation of the Western Suburbs
participated in the top tier of organised football in Sydney between 1926 and 1929.
This club reached the
grand final in its debut year, losing to Eastern
Suburbs. However, it was forced to disband at the end of the
1929 season when it was unable to meet its running costs.
The club was reformed in November 1947 and took its bows in the NSWANFL the following year, when it finished sixth in an eight team competition, as well as providing the Phelan Medallist in the shape of its captain-coach Keith Champion, who had won the same award the previous year with North Shore. Western Suburbs' improvement in the 'big time' was gradual. The side finished 5th in 1949 and, in 1950, reached the major round for the first time before going out in the 1st semi final. In 1951, however, the Magpies came of age with a 12 point grand final defeat of an Eastern Suburbs side that would go on to dominate most of the remainder of the decade. Western Suburbs reached four further grand finals during the 1950s, losing them all. |
During the 1960s and 1970s Western Suburbs was far and away the strongest club in Sydney. Between 1963 and 1969 it was an ever present in the NSWANFL grand final, winning four times and losing three. After dropping to 3rd in 1970 the Magpies eked out a similar tale of supremacy in the '70s, missing only one further grand final for the decade (that of 1976) to annex another four flags. However, since the last of these, in 1977, the club's fortunes have declined alarmingly, with an isolated premiership in 1996 the only cause for celebration.
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Action from Western Suburbs' 1972 grand final victory over East Sydney: Bob Perrin is the meat in the sandwich as team mate Peter Freidlieb and the Bulldogs' Trevor Rockliff contest the mark. |
Over the years Western Suburbs has fielded a large number of high quality players, with AFL star Greg Stafford (pictured above, left) arguably the cream of its recent products. It reached the finals in 2002, giving cause for tentative optimism about the immediate future, but then slipped back into the field the following year, finishing second from last, a result that was repeated in 2004.
The 2005 season brought a marked improvement as the Magpies lost only 1 of 16 minor round matches to secure the minor premiership. This was followed by a comfortable 43 point 2nd semi final defeat of Pennant Hills, earning the side warm favouritism going into its grand final clash with North Shore. Inexplicably, however, when the pressure intensified during the second half, the Magpies found themselves unable to cope, and ended up slumping to a humiliating 41 point loss, thereby completely undoing almost an entire season's good work.
The side again qualified for the finals in 2006, but hopes of a flag were dashed at the preliminary final stage by Pennant Hills, who won with disconcerting comfort by 86 points. The 2007 season was even more disappointing for the Magpies who managed just 6 wins and a draw from their 18 matches to finish 7th (of 10).
Where now?
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