OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WAFL $3.00 ROUND 3 AUGUST 1, 2020 becomes WAFL Premiership prize Australia’s oldest football trophy has integrating it into the WAFL Grand Final day returned to the WAFL. presentations.” The Dixson Cup will become the “I would like to thank the former official WAFL Premiership Cup from WAFL Council of Presidents Chairman this year onwards, celebrating the rich Ric Gloede for coordinating the history and past of football in Western fundraising effort with WA football Australia. stakeholders including the WAFL Inaugurated in 1885, the cup was Clubs, West Coast Eagles, Fremantle awarded to the Premiers of the West Football Club and the West Australian Australian Football Associated (now Football Commission to secure the the WAFL) for the first five years before Dixson Cup at auction.” spending more than 100 years in The Dixson Cup private ownership. Introduction The storied piece of history was u Hugh Dixson named after Sir Hugh Robert Dixson, the Inaugurated in 1885, the Dixson Cup man responsible for Aussie rules becoming is the oldest premiership cup in Australian the first organised code in Western Australia. Rules history. After a century in the wilderness, the WAFL & WA It is also the centrepiece in an intriguing WA football Football stakeholders purchased the trophy back in story, having been presented to the Premiers of the early 2020. West Australian Football Association for the first five West Australian Football Commission Heritage years of the competition, before spending more than Committee Chairman Grant Dorrington couldn’t be 100 years in private ownership and only returning to more thrilled to have the piece of WA Football history the hands of WAFL officials in 2020. back on the map. 1885 - The cup was created by and named after Sir Hugh “The Dixson Cup is one of WA Football’s greatest Robert Dixson – the man responsible for Aussie rules treasures and a symbol of the rich history of the WAFL, becoming the first organised code in Western Australia. so we are delighted that it has been returned to the Before the end of June 1885, Dixson promised to competition where it all began more than a century organise a premiership trophy for the competition and ago,” he said. had the cup made in America to his specifications, to “It is important that we preserve and showcase be kept by the first club to win it three times. the Dixson Cup for all WA football fans to enjoy, by Rovers won the first premiership in 1885 and displaying it at clubs over the course of the season and Fremantle the second in 1886. 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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, its employees, agents, or any other person, which may rise from any person acting on the materials contained herein. 2 by Elliot Raiter 1889 - Unions claimed the Cup outright after three consecutive premierships from 1887 to 1889. Unions awarded the cup to the club’s premiership captain of 1889 – F.T (Paddy) Knox, who was the league’s leading goalkicker in 1893. Knox lived in East Fremantle and ran a local business for many years, becoming a life member of the WA Football Association, but the Cup’s whereabouts from the time it was handed to Knox in 1889 to when East Fremantle man Milton Baxter bought it at auction in the 1960s remains unknown. 1961 - Milton Baxter became the owner of the Cup after spotting it in a shoebox at a Fremantle auction house. “I went into Tom Newbold’s in Fremantle and saw the Cup in a shoebox with some other items that looked like they were from someone’s garage,” Mr Baxter said. “I asked how much it was and he told me it would be auctioned so I put in a bid. I got a phone call a couple of weeks later to say I was the only bidder and to come and collect it. If I hadn’t bought it, he said it probably would have ended up at the tip.” 1985 - WAFL officials attempted to buy the Cup from Mr Baxter but could not agree on a price and a dispute ended in legal proceedings. Mr Baxter had set the price at $10,000 and wouldn’t budge after the WAFL had its lawyers write him a series of letters threatening court action to reclaim the cup. The premise of the court action was that the League believed the cup was still its property and that a club had, at some stage, probably failed to return it the year after winning it. But historians found this to be untrue, and confirmed that the Cup was, in fact, awarded to the first club to win it three times – Unions in 1889, making Mr Baxter the rightful owner and the saviour of the Cup. 2000 - The Cup was eventually auctioned by Mr Baxter and purchased by WA sports store owner Jim Kidd for $20,000, after he made a winning bid for it at the West Coast Eagles’ annual banquet auction. After spirited bidding, Mr Kidd secured the cup at on from generation to generation, but when he saw twice the reserve price. the destruction caused by the deadly bushfires, he “I would have bid a lot more because I’ve never seen knew he had to give it up to help. anything like it, I mean you can get autographs and The WAFL Clubs, WA Football Commission, West those kinds of things — but this is a piece of history,” Coast Eagles and Fremantle Football Club combined to he said. raise a bid to secure the Cup. The trophy remained the property of Mr Kidd and This final attempt was sufficient to secure the Cup, was displayed at The West Australian Newspaper seeing it returned to football after more than a century offices for the next 20 years. in private hands. 2020 - Mr Kidd auctioned the Cup as part of a Bushire The Dixson Cup is now presented to the WAFL Relief charity fundraiser. Premiers on Grand Final day alongside the traditional Speaking at the time, Mr Kidd said he would have WAFL perpetual trophy and is an irreplaceable piece of loved to have kept the trophy in the family, passing it West Australian football history. 2 3 WAFL MATCH PREVIEWS brought to you by waflfootyfacts.net Steel Blue Oval - 1st August @ 12.40pm #SDvS Tip 9th 0-2 64.96% 6th 0-1 78.95% Subiaco by 33 L11, L37 Form Guide L20 Fact: Subiaco have won the last 10 games against Swan Districts by an average of 55 points. The Lions longest win streak against Swans is 13 games from 2001-2006. P: 245 W: 106 L: 138 D: 1 Head to Head P: 245 W: 138 L: 106 D: 1 40.11 (251) in round 19, 1979 Highest Score 27.22 (184) in round 8, 1995 4.4 (28) in round 18, 2018 Lowest Score 3.6 (24) in round 1, 1949 140 points in round 19, 1983 Biggest Winning Margin 116 points in round 21, 1998 Leederville Oval - 1st August @ 2.30pm #EPvEF Tip 7th 0-1 76.14% 5th 1-1 67.08% East Perth by 12 L21 Form Guide L95, W42 Fact: East Fremantle have won the last 2 games against East Perth. The Sharks have not won 3 in a row against the Royals since 2012. P: 340 W: 153 L: 185 D: 2 Head to Head P: 340 W: 185 L: 153 D: 2 31.18 (204) in round 7, 1983 Highest Score 31.13 (199) in Round 4, 1985 0.6 (6) in round 13, 1909 Lowest Score 2.3 (15) in Round 13, 1910 114 points in Round 19, 2018 Biggest Winning Margin 123 points in Round 4, 1985 David Grays Arena - 1st August @ 2.30pm #PTvWP Tip 8th 0-2 66.88% 4th 1-1 103.75% West Perth by 15 L10,L42 Form Guide W11, L8 Fact: West Perth’s total combined scores for (83) and against (80) after round 2 of 163 points is the lowest any team has had for their first 2 games in a season since 1921 (East Perth 148) P: 52 W: 10 L: 42 D: 0 Head to Head P: 52 W: 42 L: 10 D: 0 17.11 (115) in round 13, 2001 Highest Score 28.22 (190) in round 11, 1998 1.5 (11) in round 16, 2016 Lowest Score 7.3 (45) in 1SF, 2016 60 points in 1SF, 2016 Biggest Winning Margin 144 points in round 11, 1998 Fremantle Community Bank Oval - 1st August @ 3.05pm #SFvC Tip 1st 2-0 298.08% 2nd 2-0 146.34% South Fremantle by 8 W95,W8 Form Guide W20,W37 Fact: This will be the 4th consecutive time these teams have met at Fremantle Oval – these teams have never previously met 4 times in a row at the same venue.