The last Subiaco Oval derby

Sunday afternoon July 16, 2017. It was the end of an era in West Australian football. The 46^th and final derby was played at Subiaco Oval.

The Eagles jumped the Dockers 4.1 to 0.3 in the first quarter. They were always at least 14 points clear before prevailing 11.8 (74) to 5.14 (44) in a game that wasn’t exactly one for the ages.

But two Eagles will remember the round 17 game of 2017 as possibly the best game of their career. Skipper Shannon Hurn, in his 215^th game, had a career-best 34 possessions for three Brownlow Medal votes, and a 20-year-old Liam Duggan, in his 38^th game, had a career-best 31 possessions for the first and, thus far, only Brownlow votes. He polled two.

Andrew Gaff had a team-high 35 possessions and Josh Kennedy kicked a team-high three goals, but as players from both sides trudged off Subiaco it was more about a celebration of the past.

And such is the prominence of the western derby on the WA sporting calendar it is the round 17 headline story in the continuing ‘best of the Eagles’ flashback series.

Of 46 Subiaco derbies Fremantle’s Matthew Pavlich played most with 34. Dean Cox (27) topped the West Coast list from Darren Glass (24), Matt Priddis (22), Drew Banfield (21), Andrew Embley (21), David Wirrpanda (21), Hurn (20) and Ben Cousins (20).

The Eagles enjoyed a 26-20 advantage in Subiaco derbies and posted the highest score and biggest win in derby #11 in 2000 when they triumphed 28.10 (178) to 9.7 (61), with Scott Cummings kicking a derby-record 10 goals.

Who had most possessions in a derby?

It is one of the great football trivia questions, and it’s not one of the raft of prolific midfielders who most will think of. It was Matt Rosa.

In his 116^th game in derby #35, round nine, 2012, he had a career-best 43 possessions in a 48-point Eagles win. Next best was Gaff with 29.

Pavlich kicked most goals overall in Subiaco derbies with 61, while Eagles players fill the next four spots – Mark LeCras (42), Josh Kennedy (37), Phil Matera (37) and Jack Darling (24).

Daniel Kerr polled most Brownlow Medal votes in Subiaco derbies with 15 while Guy McKenna, with 13 votes in 11 derbies, and Ilija Grgic, who polled three votes two derbies, were the only players to average better than a vote a game. Chris Judd polled 11 votes in 11 derbies.

Others to top 10 votes in Subiaco derbies were Stephen Hill (12), Cousins (11), Pavlich (11), Aaron Sandilands (11), Hasleby (11) and Peter Bell (10).

It was all part of a long and proud history of Subiaco derbies which started in round seven, 1995, when West Coast won 23.13 (151) to 9.12 (66). Brett Heady kicked five goals before kicking another five in derby #2.

Heady, Craig Turley (19 possessions, two goals) and Paul Symmons (17 possessions, one goal) took the Brownlow votes, while Don Pyke topped the possession count with 28.

The West Coast side in derby #1 was:-

B: Chris Waterman, Fraser Gehrig, Paul Symmons
HB: John Worsfold, Glen Jakovich, Guy McKenna
C: Peter Matera, Dean Kemp, Daniel Metropolis
HF: Brett Heady, Mitchell White, Chris Lewis
F: Tony Evans, Jason Ball, Craig Turley
R: Ryan Turnbull, Drew Banfield, Don Pyke
INT: David Hynes, Peter Wilson, David Hart.

The Fremantle side in derby #1 was:-

B: Andrew McGovern, Stephen O’Reilly, Shane Parker
HB: Scott Chisholm, Peter Mann, Quenton Leach
C: Dale Kickett, Ben Allan, Shaun McManus
HF: Neil Mildenhall, Craig Burrows, Winston Abraham
F: Greg Madigan, John Hutton, Peter Miller
R: Matthew Burton, Scott Watters, Jason Norrish
INT: Phil Gilbert, Clinton Wolf, Leigh Wardell-Johnson.

Round 17 at a glance

The Eagles have gone 19-14 in round 17 matches over 33 years despite five losses in a row from 2010. It is built primarily on a combined 12-4 record in Perth, going 10-3 at Subiaco and 2-0 at the WACA Ground before a one-point loss in their only round 17 game at Optus Stadium. They’ve gone 6-2 in Victoria in round 17 matches – 2-1 at the MCG, 1-1 at Docklands and 1-0 at Whitten Oval, Princes Park and Victoria Park. But they have had a poor record elsewhere, going 0-3 at the SCG and Football Park and 1-2 at the Gabba.

They’ve played more than a third of all round 17 games against Collingwood and Sydney, going 5-1 against the Pies and within a kick of a perfect record and a less flattering 2-5 against the Swans. They have a positive record against Carlton (3-1), Western Bulldogs (2-0), Adelaide (2-1), Geelong (1-0) and Hawthorn (1-0), have an even split against Fremantle (1-1) and St Kilda (1-1) and are negative against Brisbane (1-2), Port Adelaide (0-1) and Fitzroy (0-1). They’ve never played Essendon, Melbourne, North Melbourne, Richmond, Gold Coast or GWS in Round 17.

They’ve also had an unusually high proportion of one-sided games, with eight wins by 50 points or more, and three losses by 70 points or more.

Glendinning the hero

West Coast had lost their first three cliff-hangers in the AFL in 1987. By five points to Essendon at Windy Hill in round two, by six points to Geelong at Kardinia Park in round 12, and by four points to Richmond at the MCG in round 14.

When they found themselves in another close finish against Carlton at the WACA Ground in round 17 they were desperately looking for someone to stand up. Especially after they’d lost by 130 points to Sydney at the SCG the week before.

Inaugural captain Ross Glendinning had been a key signing, returning ‘home’ after a stellar 190-game career at North Melbourne in which he’d won the Brownlow Medal in 1983 after being runner-up to Brian Wilson in 1982.

It was his time and he was equal to the task in a frantic finish. Much to the relief of teammates Laurie Keene, Phil Narkle and Dean Laidley.

It was an extraordinary game against the eventual premiers. West Coast led 7.5 to 2.2 at quarter-time before Carlton added 9.8 to 3.7 in the next two quarters and led by four points at three-quarter time.

There was nothing in it through a fluctuating final term. Carlton led by three points when Chris Mainwaring found an unattended Glendinning at half forward. He ran to 50m and let fly.

It was going through. All Laurie Keene had to do was put on a shepherd, but instead he tried to mark it. He didn’t and from the goal line Carlton cleared.

Moments later Keene looked like he had made amends. He thumped a huge ruck hit-out 30m to the goalmouth where Narkle gathered and was tackled immediately by Carlton’s Shane Robertson. It was a close call. Holding the ball or push in the back? The umpire gave the free kick to Narkle. He was 10m out right in front. He couldn’t miss. But he did. Carlton by two points.

Shortly after Adrian Barich raced clear at half forward and kicked long. Keene was at the back of the pack, judged it better, and pulled it in. About 25m from goal, he could have turned around and run it in, kicking on the run. Or he could have gone back to take his shot. He did neither.

He dished off a slick handpass to Dean Laidley running past. But Laidley was under pressure. Pushed onto his left he sprayed it so wide he didn’t even score. Out of bounds on the full. Carlton by two points. And then three.

Time was running out. John Annear kicked long and again it came off hands. Narkle grabbed the ball and was quickly tackled. Legally this time. Another ball-up.

An indecisive contest saw the ball spill wide to Glendinning who snapped across his body. Goal. West Coast win by three points. It was 15.17 (107) to 15.14 (104).

The skipper had 21 possessions and kicked 4.5 in their first last-kick win to pick up three Brownlow votes. Carlton’s Mark Naley (22 possessions, three goals) collected two votes and Mainwaring (26 possessions) one vote.

The win kept the Eagles’ finals hopes alive, leaving them eighth on the ladder at 8-9, one and a half wins plus percentage outside the top five.

They faced ladder leaders Hawthorn at Subiaco the following week and what happened? They won by a point. Again Keene was heavily involved. And again Glendinning was the hero. And this time it was Robert Wiley and David Hart who were relieved late in the game.

First, Wiley took a handpass from Glendinning in the pocket and missed on his left. A bad miss. It was Hawthorn by four points.

Keene, dominating solo in the ruck after the loss of Alex Ishchenko to injury, let fly from fully 80m. Glendinning was one on two about 20m from goal and somehow the ball eluded all three players and bounced through for a miracle goal. West Coast by two.

John Gastev fired a clever handpass to David Hart and he put it out on the full on his left before Keene, playing what Bob Skilton described as ‘the game of his life’ and later to receive two Brownlow votes for 22 possessions, a goal and 30 ruck hit-outs, kicked long again. Glendinning marked on the right behind post but crashed his checkside kick into the near post. West Coast by three.

Rod Lester-Smith missed from 25m for Hawthorn but John Platten didn’t. He kicked what seemed to be the match-winner on the run, and with four goals and 35 possessions had three votes locked up.

But in the dying seconds Glendinning received from Andrew Lockyer and slotted his third goal on the run and steal one of the great West Coast wins.

In nine days they’d beaten the two sides that would meet in the 1987 grand final in heart-stopping circumstances, and when a round 19 loss to fourth-placed North was followed by a round 20 win over lowly Brisbane they were eighth but only half a game out. Still a chance.

It all ended when they were badly beaten by seventh-placed Melbourne in round 21, but Glendinning had made his mark. He went on to top the club’s goal-kicking in their first year and head the club’s Brownlow Medal vote as the Eagles finished eighth with an 11-11 record.

Changing of the coach

In round 17, 1989 West Coast travelled to Whitten Oval. They were sitting at the tail of the AFL ladder but after a 142-point away loss to Essendon in Round 15 they were coming off a face-saving 42-point home win over Sydney.

Six things happened as they won by 37 points against 11^th-placed Footscray. Chris Lewis had 32 possessions, Peter Sumich kicked four goals and Guy McKenna, Lewis and Geoff Miles took the Brownlow Medal votes.

And Mick Malthouse coached against the West Coast for the last time in 10 years.

In the last five rounds the Eagles clawed their way up the ladder to finish 11^th and the Dogs slid to 13^th, ahead only of wooden-spooners Richmond.

Still, he had impressed with his dedication and professionalism and as speculation of a proposed merger between Footscray and Fitzroy grew West Coast pounced. They signed the then 36-year-old 1980 Richmond premiership player and six-year Footscray coach.

The merger never eventuated but Malthouse was gone. After Ron Alexander (1987) and John Todd (1988-89) had guided West Coast through their first three years they had the man that would steer them for the next 10 years and to their first two flags in 1992 and 1994.