OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WAFL ROUND 10 JUNE 9, 2018 $3.00 » Pickering keeps Swans on the rise 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 Pickering settles into Steel Blue Oval 6 Collectables Game time 9 Game previews 10-11 Claremont v Swan Districts 12-13 Peel Thunder v West Perth 14-15 Perth v South Fremantle 16-17 Subiaco v East Fremantle 3 Pickering keeps Swans flying a winning course Adam Pickering was but believed the delay in rising to league coaching happy to bide his team ranks made him a better fit for Swans. awaiting a WAFL league “I was coaching for seven years before I got a senior gig, but I needed a bit of time to find my feet coaching opportunity. and try to draw on other people, picking the good As soon as his playing and bad stuff out,” Pickering said. Publisher career ended at East Perth in “By the end of last year I felt I was ready to take This publication is proudly produced 2010, Pickering stepped into the job on.” for the WA Football Commission by an assistant coaching role. The Swan Districts league squad has a strong Media Tonic. And he also spent time at blend of youth, league experience and former AFL Phone 9388 7844 Perth honing his mentoring players returning to WAFL ranks. Fax 9388 7866 By Ross Lewis skills. However, Pickering still rates his unit as “really Sales: [email protected] He had been linked young”. Editor to several vacancies over the past few years but Ross Lewis admitted this week he only felt truly ready for the “What we have is the top eight to 10 guys [email protected] responsibilities of guiding a league team last year, who are very experienced. Guys like (Corey) Gault, following a stint at the helm of East Perth’s colts. (Tony) Notte, (Rhys) Palmer, (Todd) Banfield, (Kirk) Photography Ugle, plus Alex Howard, even throw in Jarrad Blight Andrew Ritchie Pickering has taken over Swan Districts in 2018 although he has been injured,” Pickering said. with gusto and continued the strong work of his Design/Typesetting predecessor Greg Harding in making the boys from “Most of these guys have been in AFL systems Jacqueline Holland Bassendean a competition force. and/or also played 100-plus WAFL games. Direction Design and Print “There is a good mix of youth and experience. I Naturally, Pickering has added his own touches think it is showing in the way the guys are playing. Printing to the team and they have enabled the black and Senior guys are staying younger with the younger Data Documents whites to sit in fourth spot on the premiership table www.datadocuments.com.au coming through and the younger guys are after eight matches. growing up quickly because they are playing with Cover “We actually said at our meeting after the Perth experienced players.” Nathan Blakely has had a big game that if you’d offered us 5-3 at the start of the One boost for Swans this year was the return impact on Swan Districts in 2018. season, we’d take it,” Pickering said. of Nathan Blakely after two years out of the game “But we’ve certainly got the ability to grow and because of a knee injury and work as a doctor in The Football Budget is printed on still have some improvement in us.” Gloss 90gsm paper, which is sourced WA’s north. from a sustainably managed forest and The former Carlton AFL and East Perth player was Blakely’s strong ruck work has freed Gault to play uses manufacturing processes of the in line for the East Fremantle job several years ago more as a key forward and when partnered with 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 WAFC or affiliated clubs believe that the material produced in this publication is accurate, but gives no warranty in relation thereto and disclaims all liability for claims against the WAFC or affiliated clubs, Media Tonic, its employees, agents, or any other person, which may rise from any person acting on the materials contained herein. Registered by Australia Post - PP642521/00112 » Swan Districts team runs out on to Steel Blue Oval. 4 Pickering keeps Swans flying a winning course another tall, Notte, in defence, the black and whites have been able to stretch opposition resources. “Doc (Blakely) coming back has really freed up Corey, If you stand next to Corey you realise that he is man mountain and not too many defenders in the competition that match him for size and athleticism,” Pickering said. “It has also taken a bit of pressure off Tony because he doesn’t have to swing both ends. He has found his niche as a key defender. And you just want to let him play. » Swan Districts coach Adam Pickering “I knew he (Notte) was a good player from the outside looking in. Working with him and watching him week in week out I think he is “They had that epic grand final in 2010 and Swan Districts chief executive Jeff Dennis very underrated. His ability to win a hard- when I was playing they were always in the confirmed to the Football Budget the club one-on-one contest as a key defender is finals. would soon receive a report that would outstanding.” “Even though Claremont have only won recommend a course of action, whether that While content with his team’s progress, two games for the year they are in pretty good be to refurbish existing infrastructure or seek Pickering views the Round 10 clash with form. They had more inside 50s than Peel (in funds for a rebuild. Claremont as a danger game for his team. the loss) last week and beat South Fremantle a But as Dennis highlighted, the decision Swans lost to the Tigers at Claremont Oval fortnight ago. to improve Swans’ headquarters affirmed the last year. Indeed, the black and whites have “It is not like they are going at half-rat club’s determination to continue its tenure to been victorious just twice in their past 10 power. They’ve been playing pretty good Steel Blue Oval for the long term. appearances at Tigerland. footy without the results.” “We see the ground as the heart of the And Pickering said he was wary of the The black-and-whites will also be keen to club and the centre of our district,” Dennis Tigers’ ability to get the ball into their attacking notch another mark in the win column going said. zone this season. into the next round bye – the second of the *A list of WAFL coaches’ records in last “The two clubs have always had a very team’s three breaks of the season. week’s Football Budget understated Tony good rivalry – at least since I have been in Meanwhile, there could soon be big Micale’s games tally. Micale coached WA,” said Pickering, a native Victorian who developments off the field at Steel Blue Oval 257 games with East Fremantle, South joined the Royals after his two-year AFL stint with a working group looking at a possible Fremantle and East Perth. with the Blues. overhaul of the club’s facilities. THE OFFICIAL BEER OF FOOTBALL IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA 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. I’m not sure why, but (aside from the Football Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in WA. The sales this week yielded a few results that Budget), ephemera is probably my favourite Sadly, I’ve not seen one from Claremont’s are worthy of mention, perhaps the most type of WAFL collectable. 1940 premiership ball, which was held in interesting being the sale of an East Fremantle For those who have never come across the October of that year at the Embassy Ballroom. playing jumper from the 1977-1981 period. word “ephemera” before, it is a catch-all term But I have recently seen a report that a It sold on the private market for an that refers to any item that was expected to 1938-39-40 premiership blazer sold on the undisclosed amount, but it continues the have only a short-term or even one-off use. private market for $800. recent trend of WAFL jumpers being hot items. For instance, an invitation to a function, The programs from the ball, meanwhile, Perhaps my personal favourite for the a ticket or even a bag with some sort of logo could well fetch $70 to $120 apiece, despite week, though, was a set of blue plastic West on it. being just one small piece of card, folded in Perth stackable cups from around 1980. As you can imagine, the clubs and the half. The lid that holds the cups together was league have all produced plenty of this type of Some of the most popular WAFL Collectables marked “In support of Autistic Children in material over the years.