When the West Coast Eagles became the first team to take the AFL premiership cup out of Victoria in 1992, it was a watershed moment in the history of Australian football.
The enormity of the achievement, just six years into the life of the club, was evident when the Eagles scored a pulsating 28-point victory over Geelong at the MCG.
Thirty years later, captain John Worsfold and champion forward Peter Sumich are still reconciling in their own minds the magnitude of what a bunch of mates who enjoyed playing footy together actually achieved at that time.
As they attended a media launch at Boola Bardip to open a display featuring the 1992 Grand Final, the pride of their history making feats came flooding back.
“This is quite amazing,” said Worsfold. “For us as Fremantle boys growing up just loving playing footy to see that something we were part of 30 years ago to now being in the WA museum and acknowledged in this way is pretty special.
“It’s something we never expected or thought would be that big, but we also do know how much hard work we put in, from the early days of learning how to travel and to play sport from this side of the country.
“We were extremely proud at that stage to be only team representing WA in the national competition and to be the first team to take the premiership cup outside of Victoria was a massive occasion.
“For us it was a group of mates winning the premiership together; to see what we have today in the WA Museum is pretty special.”
Leading into the game, Worsfold and Sumich were roommates at the Hilton on the Park (now the Pullman) with a view onto the MCG parkland and the stadium’s massive light towers.
While Worsfold followed his routine of going to sleep around 9.30pm on the eve of the game, Sumich sat up until the early hours of the morning watching the Grand Final marathon on Channel 7. It was 3am before he nodded of, but it did not impede his performance as he snared six goals.
“I think it has got bigger for us,” Sumich said of the passage of time. “A lot more people are engaging in that first win by a non-Victorian side.
“Through social media, younger people say they weren’t born back then but they know what has gone on.
“It is something at the time as players and mates, we never thought of anything like this and it is just an honour. It was an honour to play for the club, which is one of the most powerful clubs in Australia, if not the most powerful on and off the field.
“To start up and get a result and to continue on from there was great for us.”
The display, featuring some unique 1992 memorabilia including the bronzed boots and Norm Smith Medal won by Peter Matera, as well as a display centred on the performance of Sumich, the Jock McHale Medal (presented to coach Michael Malthouse) and Worsfold’s match day guernsey and premiership medal are all part of the exhibition.
Aptly launched on the eve of this year’s Grand Final the exhibition will run for the next three months and is expected to be particularly popular during the school holidays.
