OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WAFL ROUND 18 AUGUST 4, 2018 $3.00 » Dual double ton celebration » Collectables CONTENTS Every Week 7 Tipping 8 AFL Teams 18-19 WAFC 20 Club Notes 21 Stats 22 Scoreboards and ladders 23 Fixtures Features 4-5 Keunen, Hams join elite WAFL group 17 Falcons to fight on Game time 9 Game previews 10-11 South Fremantle v West Perth 12-13 Peel Thunder v East Perth 14-15 Subiaco v Swan Districts 3 Loyal servants go head---to--head over milestone One is the not-so-little Aussie battler. The Hams is a hard-edged midfielder whose other just loves a battle. willingness to fight for the ball at ground level And through a twist of fixtures each will notch a made him one of the competition’s best players this key honour at Fremantle Community Bank Oval this decade. It also earned him 39 AFL appearances with weekend. West Coast. Publisher South Fremantle’s Ashton Hams and Chris Keunen is a lanky ruckman whose reach at This publication is proudly produced Keunen from West Perth are something of a WAFL stoppages often helped Falcons such as Jason for the WA Football Commission by milestone odd couple. You couldn’t get two players Salecic, Aaron Black and Shane Nelson do so many Media Tonic. more different in style. Yet they will share Round 18 damaging things with the ball. Phone 9388 7844 to celebrate their 200th WAFL match. But it is not an understatement to claim Keunen Fax 9388 7866 had to fight hard over 13 seasons to claim the West Sales: [email protected] Perth No.1 ruck spot – and duel just as valiantly to Editor keep it. Ross Lewis Former Falcons coach and current Claremont [email protected] mentor Darren Harris lured Keunen west from St Photography Bernard’s in Melbourne on the premise that the Andrew Ritchie WAFL club was short on big men. Design/Typesetting When Keunen arrived, he had future West Coast Jacqueline Holland premiership follower Mark Seaby, Fremantle squad Direction Design and Print member Rob Warnock and another WAFL ruck stalwart Mitch Andrews in front of him. Printing Data Documents www.datadocuments.com.au Cover South Fremantle’s Ashton Hams and Chris Keunen from West Perth to celebrate their 200th games. The Football Budget is printed on Gloss 90gsm paper, which is sourced from a sustainably managed forest and uses manufacturing processes of the highest environmental standards. Bouncedown is printed by an Environmental Accredited printer. The magazine is 100% recyclable. WAFL admission prices $15 – Adult* $12 – Concession* Free – Children 15 and under *Includes a copy of Football Budget Find us on Copyright © No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system without the permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed in the Football Budget are not necessarily those of the WAFC. The ASHTON HAMS (South Fremantle) WAFC or affiliated clubs believe that the Position: Midfield/forward. material produced in this publication is accurate, but gives no warranty in relation From: Busselton. thereto and disclaims all liability for claims against the WAFC or affiliated clubs, Media Age: 31. Tonic, its employees, agents, or any other Games: 199. person, which may rise from any person acting on the materials contained herein. Debut: Round 20, 2004 v Perth. Registered by Australia Post - PP642521/00112 4 Loyal servants go head---to--head over milestone By Ross Lewis “Harro actually courted me for a couple of years,” Keunen said. “I said no the first year but my girlfriend (now wife) Anna and I decided to come for a couple of years to see how it would work with homesickness, etc. “It has become a long ride. When I got here there were a few blokes ahead of me and I had to battle my way to get my spot. And the injuries over the last couple of years have been a struggle. “I said to Anna after I broke my finger last year (after recovering from a broken toe) that that was it. But in the end I wanted to play on. I didn’t want to go out that way.” Keunen fought on. He has also battled CHRIS KEUNEN (West Perth) migraines throughout his career and missed Position: Ruck. his scheduled 150th match after being struck From: St Bernards, Melbourne. down a couple of hours before the match. It Age: 34. meant he would ironically reach the 200-game Games: 199 mark in a clash with South Fremantle. Debut: Round 1, 2006 v East Perth At 34 (he turns 35 in October) Keunen is the oldest player in the WAFL. He believes that at 199cm and 86kg he has never been able to play the robust ruck role and his lithe frame has helped him show more of a running game – something he quickly had to adapt to in WA after learning his craft on the small Melbourne grounds. The 2013 premiership is a highlight for Keunen, who has also played three Foxtel Cup games for the club, but one of the reasons he wanted to play on in 2018 was his belief that West Perth was still grand final-winning material and he didn’t want to miss the achievement. The 2005 and 2009 premierships also mean a great deal to Hams, who is already relishing the pending excitement of the flag reunions. While his 150th appearance for the Bulldogs was a great personal achievement because it came with life membership, he wanted this round’s 200th match to be a big family celebration. “I played on this year because I thought it would be great for the family and to have the chance to take my daughter (two-and-a-half-year-old Emmi) on the ground before the match,” Hams said. “And there are a few family members coming from Katanning for the day so it will be great to celebrate the occasion with the people who have been around me during my career.” Hams has been a tireless working at ground level in congestion but has equally been adept at creating space deep in the forward line. The 31-year-old admits 2018 will be his 15th and last WAFL season and is determined to snatch a final trophy. His 177cm body has gone about as far as it can at league level. His toil includes the four seasons with West Coast. “Knowing it’s my last I’m giving it all I’ve got and hopefully we can go out with a bang. Unfortunately, I’m getting too old, mate,” Hams said with his customary laugh. Hams has played another five seasons with South Fremantle since leaving the AFL, showing his love for the Bulldogs guernsey. When the Eagles aligned with East Perth for 2014 Hams left the AFL. He said at the time he would feel uncomfortable playing in the WAFL without wearing a South Fremantle jumper. “I wouldn’t have had it any other way,” Hams said about his tenure at the port. “I’ve been very lucky to get to go to two premiership reunions every five to 10 years with a good couple of bunches of boys and have life membership. “I couldn’t ask for too much more. It might be rude to ask for another flag – that would be nice.” 5 by Sean Cowan Collectables During 2018, the Football Budget will again feature a section on WAFL memorabilia and invites you to write or email if you want more information about the football collectables you have tucked away at home. These days, the AFL is everywhere and WA footy fans under the age of about 40 could be forgiven for thinking it had always been so. But before 1987 the WAFL was an extremely strong competition and the best WAFL teams could match it with the best from the VFL (now the AFL). A case in point is the South Fremantle team of 1947-1954. The Southerners (they weren’t called the Bulldogs until 1959) had a strong claim to being the best football team in Australia during that period. Not only did they win six WAFL trip, including the high premierships in eight seasons, but South also tea for the players and the had an enviable record against clubs and civic reception. leagues from other states and from country Itineraries like these are very collectable, WA. though you’ll find the interest is usually only In 1948, they beat a combined Goldfields from that club’s supporters. league team in Kalgoorlie, the Canberra WAFL collector George has built up a great league in Canberra, the NSW league in Sydney collection of East Perth memorabilia over and a combined Fitzroy-Collingwood team in many years. Melbourne. And while most of the items in his collection In the following years, South thrashed have already appeared in WAFL Collectables at to welcome Fitzroy to WA in 1922, one to West the Great Southern league in Albany, beat some point during this column’s eight years of Perth’s annual meeting in 1927 and one to the Collingwood at Fremantle Oval, defeated existence, I noticed something a little different opening ceremony for the national carnival in the Victoria Plains Association at Toodyay, on my last visit. Perth in 1937. squeaked past South Australia’s 2nd XVIII in In a small frame, George had an invitation They’re probably not overly valuable, but Adelaide and beat Collingwood again, this to an East Perth Football Club function. to the right collector they are gold. time in Melbourne. The card read: “The President and Finally for this week, I’ve got a question about Their sole loss came in Bunbury.