As the West Coast Eagles prepared for the 1994 season it was against the backdrop of knowing that a second team, Fremantle, would be playing in the AFL the following season.
While that was clearly a focus for the off-field administration, Mick Malthouse, Trevor Nisbett and the rest of the football staff focussed on preparing the team. The impending presence of Fremantle had attracted a lot of attention and there was strong speculation they would target a number of experienced Eagles players for their inaugural squad.
Good news for West Cost came early when South Fremantle products Peter Sumich, Peter Matera and John Worsfold all re-signed along with the club with East Fremantle stalwart Chris Waterman. Much deeper into the season another Shark, Chris Mainwaring signed.
In further good news for the Eagles, Craig Turley returned after a hiatus to rediscover his passion for the game.
The season was also significant with some of the changes implemented by the AFL, including the addition of a third umpire to control games, the introduction of a final eight and extending the interchange bench to 21 players.
But for the Eagles, looking to return to the pinnacle of the game, it started in familiar fashion against Essendon, the reigning premier, and with a familiar tormentor. Towering Bombers forward Paul Salmon, who had denied the Eagles in the 1993 season, surfaced again to kick a late goal which sank them.
He took a chest mark in the goal square, converted and secured a three-point win for his club, who had recovered from a 33-point deficit in the second term to snatch victory. The Eagles were well served by full-forward Peter Sumich who kicked five goals and David Hart, who blanketed dangerous Essendon star Darren Bewick.
In what was a challenging draw, the Eagles confronted Adelaide in round two at Subiaco Oval. It was a tough, uncompromising clash, best illustrated by a contest in the third quarter when Crows star Tony Modra was leading strongly up the half-forward flank.
In close pursuit was Ashley McIntosh, coming the other way was Eagles skipper John Worsfold. As Worsfold hit Modra down the middle, he also landed a destructive fist on the ball. Modra left the field and although he returned he had no impact.
The confrontation earned the ire of Crows coach Graham Cornes who berated Worsfold on his way to the three-quarter time huddle. The Eagles won the game by 19 points to earn their first win of the season and mobile their campaign.
They won seven of their next eight games, including a decisive 66-point victory over Carlton in round seven. The Blues, however, were at some disadvantage because the game was played after a State match between SA and Victoria and the Blues had six players involved.
There was no State match scheduled for WA, so that ensured the Eagles were fresh.
When West Coast defeated Footscray comprehensively a week later – on the back of sizzling four-goal performance from Matera – the club was sitting atop the premiership table.
A further seven days on and 1992 premiership utility player Dwayne Lamb became the first West Coast player to reach 150 games and it was celebrated by a sound 26-point victory against Sydney. Lamb, who had also been first to the 50 and 100 game marks, never again played for the club.
But it was the sign of the club growing in maturity.
In the back end of the season defensive stalwart Michael Brennan, star wingman Chris Mainwaring, captain John Worsfold and forward Chris Lewis – all members of the inaugural squad and central to the remarkable platform the club had built – also earned life membership by playing 150 games. And centreman Dean Kemp achieved the 100 game mark.
Significantly each of those personal achievements was celebrated appropriately, with West Coast winning against Brisbane (Brennan), Geelong (Mainwaring), St Kilda (Kemp), Essendon (Worsfold) and Footscray (Lewis).
The only glitches came in the second half of the year against Hawthorn and Carlton, in a return top-of-the-table bout at Princes Park in round 21.
But the spectacular climax to the qualifying rounds came in round 22 against Footscray, the day Lewis joined the club’s elite. The Eagles had the game in hand approaching half-time and leading by 37 points before Bulldogs Steve Wallis shirt-fronted popular Eagles forward Brett Heady on the stroke of half-time.
An initial protest from a couple of Eagles players, Peter Sumich and Jason Ball, snowballed out of control and a huge melee erupted in front of the Eagles player’s race. When the body of players dispersed, Sumich was lying motionless on the ground.
Footscray defender Danny Southern had put Sumich in a headlock and the Eagle champ blacked out. He was still out to it when taken into the rooms and revived amid concerned teammates and family.
The 71-point victory took a secondary position to the brawl and as a consequence eight players were cited by the AFL tribunal after a review of the video tape. Five Eagles – Sumich, Ball, Lewis, Glen Jakovich and Tony Evans were charged. Southern was among the Footscray players on the mat.
With finals looming the two clubs took vastly different paths. Footscray took out a Supreme Court injunction while West Coast, after considering its legal options for a couple of days, decided to front the tribunal.
After a marathon four-hour hearing two days before qualifying final against Collingwood, all of the Eagles players were acquitted and were free to tackle the Magpies under the final eight system that saw the minor premiers taking on the club that finished eighth.
Southern went to the tribunal after the first week of finals action and was fined $10,000.
What role the distraction that episode had on the preparation of the Eagles going into the game against the Pies is difficult to quantify, but after leading by 24 points at three-quarter time they were lucky to escape.
The game was played at the WACA Ground because Subiaco Oval was undergoing a facelift, with the southern stand under construction.
Twice in the last quarter Collingwood edged within two goals, the last time with about a minute to play. The Pies were pushing forward when chirpy Pies midfielder Mick McGuane dropped a chest mark about 40 metres from goal.
The Eagles managed to slow things down from there and as the siren sounded Worsfold delivered a verbal burst at McGuane, with the pair needing to be separated by teammates as Eagles fans celebrated in the stands.
After a week off, the Eagles hosted Melbourne at cricket headquarters and proved far too strong – their 65-point victory carrying them into their third Grand Final in four years. Again Geelong, who scored a last gasp preliminary final win over North Melbourne, would be the Eagles opponents.
While West Coast had to claw their way back into the decider two years earlier, they were in control for virtually the entire game. They led by only a point at quarter time, but with a dominant midfield led by Kemp, Don Pyke and Tony Evans, the Eagles charged to a comprehensive 80-point win – 20.23 (143) to 8.15 (63).
One of the great motivators for this triumph was the presence of ruckman David Hynes and defender David Hart, both of whom missed the ecstasy of the 1992 premiership.
Kemp won the Norm Smith Medal for his sublime performance.
1994 Premiership Team
| B | Ashley McIntosh | Michael Brennan | David Hart |
| HB | Guy McKenna | Glen Jakovich | John Worsfold |
| C | Peter Matera | Dean Kemp | Chris Mainwaring |
| HF | Brett Heady | Jason Ball | Peter Wilson |
| F | Chris Lewis | Peter Sumich | Shane Bond |
| R | David Hynes | Dean Kemp | Tony Evans |
| I | Chris Waterman | Drew Banfield | Ryan Turnbull |
