OOFFICIALFFICIAL PPUBLICATIONUBLICATION OOFF TTHEHE WWAFLAFL RROUNDOUND 1122 JJUNEUNE 88,, 22013013 $$3.003.00 FFarewellarewell ttoo ffooty’sooty’s lloyaloyal sservantervant GGameame ppreviewsreviews TTweetsweets ooff tthehe WWeekeek The Lions take top marks, so does our insurance. We’re proud to be Major Sponsor of the Subiaco Lions. And even prouder that our car and home policies are competitively priced. Better still, we’ll help you find the cover that’s right for you. To find out what we’ve made possible, call QBE today on 133 723. Call us for a PDS to decide if a product is right for you. QBE Insurance (Australia) Limited ABN 78 003 191 035, AFSL 239545. Game time 9 Previews 10-11 East Fremantle v Peel 12-13 West Perth v Claremont 14-15 Subiaco v South Fremantle 17 St Kilda v West Coast 17 Fremantle stats Every Week 7 Tipping 7 Tweets of the Week 18-20 WAFC news Features 21 Country Football 22 Amateur Football 4-5 Farewell to a loyal footy servant 23 Club calendar 6 Awards 24 WAFL stats 8 Collectables 25 Ladders & results 16 Mark McGough Q & A 26 Fixtures CONTENTS3 By Ross Lewis 4 @r_lewis_thewest FFarewellarewell Publisher This publication is proudly produced for the WA Football Commission by Media Tonic. to footy’s loyal servant Phone 9388 7844 Fax 9388 7866 Sales [email protected] Five decades of dedication to Australian Football into administration for over 30 years, it is part of your Editor will soon come to an end. DNA. Tracey Lewis Email Grant Dorrington has been asscoaited with The wonderful people, especially the passionate [email protected] the great Australian game his entire adult life, volunteers who you interact with along this footy @traceylewis5 serving as player, coach, selector, commentator and life journey make it extra special. How can you not Contributing writers administrator. have passion when that’s what the game is about? Ross Lewis, Andrea Damonse, Sean Cowan. But next month Dorrington will retire, leaving Of which achievements in your roles are you most Photography the sport in much better condition than when he proud? Andrew Ritchie, William Crabb & started at East Perth in the 1960s. Being part of various management teams that have Paul Litherland Before he packed up his desk as the Competition dared to take on the challenges of CHANGE that, Design/Typesetting and Pathways director at WA Football Commission, that at times, footy clubs at every level don’t want. Jacqueline Holland - Visible Ink Graphics Ross Lewis put Dorrington in the hot seat one last These changes have included the formation of an Printing Quality Press. time to get his reflections on the code in WA. independent WA Football Commission, our two Phone outstanding AFL clubs, the Football Development 6254 9999 Why are you so passionate about football? Trust, introduction of Peel Thunder and obtaining a Address football home for our game’s financial engine. 8 Babel Road When you grow up in a family (literally from birth) Welshpool WA 6106 that has a strong cultural connection to our great Other highlights include building the best talent Email Aussie game and then you play, coach and move pathway system in the nation, and the “never say [email protected] die” attitude of the WAFL in continually striving to Cover make this wonderful competition have a quality Aidan Parker leads Subiaco into battle. place in today’s football family. They are all changes that have made our State’s football system the envy of our nation. What have been some of your toughest decisions? The Football Budget is printed on Express Gloss 90gsm paper, which is Implementing the need for CHANGE in sport overall sourced from a sustainably managed and in particular football is always extremely difficult forest and uses manufacturing as the game’s outstanding heritage over 127 years processesof the highest environmental standards. has built a club culture of don’t change, stay as it is. The Football Budget is printed by a If there wasn’t an independent WA Football Level 2 EnvironmentalAccredited Commission to make these changes for the future, printer. The magazine is 100% recyclable. our game would not be where it is today. Engaging WAFL admission prices all passionate WAFL club supporters to see that $15 – Adult* vision and be part of its exciting outcomes has seen $12 – Concession many critics of the WAFC and me in my management 2 for 1 offer – Student Edge Member* Free – Children U16 roles. But I always have the belief that leadership is *Includes a copy of Football Budget not about popularity. Find us on Funniest characters to work/play alongside? The beauty of our game is the many different people you come across. Club land is built upon the different characters that make a footy club. Every club has its own characters and hence stories. Some Copyright © No part of this publication may you can publish and some you can’t. be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system without the permission of the publisher. Opinions There are so many great characters in my time expressed in the Football Budget are not necessarily those of the WAFC. The WAFC or that it would not do every one of them justice to affi liated clubs believe that the material produced in this publication is accurate, but gives no mention just a few. But if I had to pick one standout warranty in relation thereto and disclaims all liability for claims against the WAFC or affi liated the legendary JK Watts is most probably the funniest clubs, Media Tonic, its employees, agents, or any other person, which may rise from any footy person I have come across. He has humour but person acting on the materials contained herein. never personally denigrates anyone. Registered by Australia Post - He is a genuinely defined in footy as a “good PP642521/00112 bloke”. Sandover medallist Anthony Jones with Grant Dorrington. Best players you have seen? obtained a footy home, Subiaco Oval with a peak community competition, as it was in How do you compare our game’s earlier eras 100-year lease, it established West Coast and its inception. It has continually strived to where players didn’t have the dollars, training then Fremantle, created the FDT, introduced improve. In different eras different clubs have knowledge, full time commitment, today’s Peel Thunder and overall got our game’s success which “triggers “all other clubs to sports science, video analysis and so on? future funding and structure in place. catch them and in doing so the competition What I do know is that some of those The McKinnon/Fong, Bradshaw era re- improves. Maintaining and continually earlier times champions Polly Farmer, Denis established the new position of the WAFL building each club’s district connections is Marshall , Barry Cable, Stephen Michael, Bill competition as our State’s premier community pivotal as that’s where tomorrow’s WAFL Walker, Graham Moss, John Todd and many competition. They were involved in building followers live. others, would still be first picked in any of the integrated district footy model, investing The partnering club concept to start in today’s AFL teams. strongly in game development, establishing 2014 will only continue this constant desire In the modern era players such as Adam the Hall of Fame and overseeing our game’s to “be better “and in doing this, the WAFL’s Goodes, Wayne Carey, Darren Glass, Paul Kelly, participation growth from approximately future is as exciting as any other part of our Buddy Franklin and others are outstanding. 70,000 to 150,000 this year. This growth is game in WA. Our State has a record of producing many again the biggest in the nation. Any regrets? players of the highest levels of skill over Biggest challenge ahead for WA football? I have no regrets only appreciation for this countless years. Our WAFL pathway system Without doubt the financial security of our great Australian game. It is a national icon will continue to do this in the future. game. This security is today underpinned by that displays all the characteristics of our Is the game better now than when you started football’s ownership of Patersons Stadium. country i.e. loyalty to your club, strive to reach playing? It is the financial engine of the game in WA the top, new multicultural family members The game is different today than yesterday. along with the two AFL clubs playing at our welcome, recognition of our wonderful football home. Our game has a 100 year lease Aboriginal players and their culture, The game will always be better with the and therefore any new stadium cannot in supporters thinking they are able to umpire ever increasing technology, full time players/ any way compromise tomorrow’s financial better than the umpires, close relationships coaches, sports science and TV coverage. Life security. A new stadium is great but without with your teammates, never give up attitude is about continual improvement so football our game’s guaranteed financial benefits, and many others. must also be improving its product. better than what we have today, then the When you have grown up in this unique From time to time there will be rule question our game’s earlier leaders would ask footy culture how could you have any regrets? amendments and with the number of full is why move? time media in the AFL, they will promote Will you still go to the footy? The current commission and football Having grandchildren and most of my lifelong debate about every aspect of the game today.