# 1928 WAFL season

The 1928 WAFL season was the 44th season of the West Australian Football League. The most notable event of the season occurred off the field on Monday, 11 June, when champion East Perth coach Phil Matson was killed in a truck crash at Nedlands after being thrown into a telegraph post. The Royals under the coaching of Paddy Hebbard did manage to reach a challenge final against minor premiers East Fremantle, but were beaten and suffered an abrupt fall to a clear last the following season.
Old Easts, who were given consecutive byes in the second half of July to permit a tour of Tasmania and Victoria, were fourth upon returning to Perth but claimed top place two weeks later and after four losses to the Royals, beat them in the challenge final for the first of their second series of four successive premierships.
Fledgling club Claremont-Cottesloe (at this stage frequently called "the combine") failed to move from the bottom in its third season but nonetheless improved greatly from one win to five, in the process discovering their first great players in George Moloney and Keith Hough. A prelude to the future for the Tigers and indeed the entire WAFL was the first Aboriginal player in the league, Maley Hayward from Tambellup, who played with his two brothers for South Fremantle as late as 1937.

## Home-and-Away season
### Round 1

| | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | |
| Saturday, 28 April (2:45 pm) | West Perth 8.9 (57) | def. by | Perth 14.17 (101) | Leederville Oval |
| Saturday, 28 April (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 8.20 (68) | def. | Subiaco 8.12 (60) | Fremantle Oval |
| Saturday, 28 April (2:45 pm) | East Perth 13.14 (92) | def. | Claremont-Cottesloe 9.9 (63) | Perth Oval |
| | Bye South Fremantle | Bye South Fremantle | Bye South Fremantle | |

### Round 2

| | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | |
| Saturday, 5 May (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 12.18 (90) | def. | Perth 11.14 (80) | Fremantle Oval |
| Saturday, 5 May (2:45 pm) | Claremont-Cottesloe 10.14 (74) | def. by | East Fremantle 14.12 (96) | Claremont Oval |
| Saturday, 5 May (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 15.15 (105) | def. | West Perth 8.14 (62) | Subiaco Oval |
| | Bye East Perth | Bye East Perth | Bye East Perth | |

### Round 3

| | Round 3 | Round 3 | Round 3 | |
| Saturday, 12 May (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 14.22 (106) | def. | South Fremantle 10.11 (71) | Fremantle Oval |
| Saturday, 12 May (2:45 pm) | East Perth 8.7 (55) | def. | West Perth 7.4 (46) | Perth Oval |
| Saturday, 12 May (2:45 pm) | Perth 12.14 (86) | def. | Claremont-Cottesloe 11.10 (76) | WACA |
| | Bye Subiaco | Bye Subiaco | Bye Subiaco | |
| During the last quarter, umpire Collins takes the rare step of temporarily suspending the Perth versus Claremont-Cottesloe game to cool tempers after numerous fights. ||||||

### Round 4

| | Round 4 | Round 4 | Round 4 | |
| Saturday, 19 May (2:45 pm) | Claremont-Cottesloe 7.5 (47) | def. by | Subiaco 14.12 (96) | Claremont Oval |
| Saturday, 19 May (2:45 pm) | West Perth 8.9 (57) | def. | East Fremantle 7.12 (54) | Leederville Oval |
| Saturday, 19 May (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 8.9 (57) | def. | East Perth 6.10 (46) | Fremantle Oval |
| | Bye Perth | Bye Perth | Bye Perth | |
| On the first rainy day of what became an exceptionally wet season, South Fremantle reverse the 1927 Grand Final result with a 5.5 (35) to 0.3 (3) first quarter. West Perth hold on for their first win after East Fremantle's Brown fails to hold a difficult mark. ||||||

### Round 5

| | Round 5 | Round 5 | Round 5 | |
| Saturday, 26 May (2:45 pm) | East Perth 10.5 (65) | def. | East Fremantle 6.11 (47) | Perth Oval |
| Saturday, 26 May (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 8.15 (63) | def. | West Perth 7.13 (55) | Fremantle Oval |
| Saturday, 26 May (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 13.10 (88) | def. | Perth 10.11 (71) | Subiaco Oval |
| | Bye Claremont-Cottesloe | Bye Claremont-Cottesloe | Bye Claremont-Cottesloe | |
| An extremely windy afternoon sees East Perth inflict a second defeat on Old Easts, whilst Subiaco moves to second by kicking three goals into a gale against Perth. ||||||

### Round 6

| | Round 6 | Round 6 | Round 6 | |
| Saturday, 2 June (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 10.14 (74) | def. by | Subiaco 11.10 (76) | Fremantle Oval |
| Saturday, 2 June (2:45 pm) | Perth 14.3 (87) | def. | East Perth 11.14 (80) | WACA |
| Saturday, 2 June (2:45 pm) | West Perth 13.17 (95) | def. by | Claremont-Cottesloe 15.16 (106) | Leederville Oval |
| | Bye East Fremantle | Bye East Fremantle | Bye East Fremantle | |
| Subiaco move to top of the ladder with a thrilling win at Fremantle Oval. Perth kick the most accurate score in WANFL history since West Perth kicked 13.2 (80) against the Demons in 1902. ||||||

### Round 7 (Foundation Day)

| | Round 7 | Round 7 | Round 7 | |
| Monday, 4 June (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 14.11 (95) | def. | East Perth 13.8 (86) | Subiaco Oval |
| Monday, 4 June (2:45 pm) | Claremont-Cottesloe 13.10 (88) | def. | South Fremantle 11.12 (78) | Claremont Oval |
| Monday, 4 June (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 15.15 (105) | def. | Perth 8.11 (59) | Fremantle Oval |
| | Bye West Perth | Bye West Perth | Bye West Perth | |
| George Moloney, with eight goals, stamps himself as a future star as Claremont-Cottesloe take three days to double their League win tally of their initial two seasons. ||||||

### Round 8

| | Round 8 | Round 8 | Round 8 | |
| Saturday, 9 June (2:45 pm) | Claremont-Cottesloe 6.18 (54) | def. by | East Perth 10.9 (69) | Claremont Oval |
| Saturday, 9 June (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 9.9 (63) | def. by | East Fremantle 14.7 (91) | Subiaco Oval |
| Saturday, 9 June (2:45 pm) | Perth 10.13 (73) | def. | West Perth 9.11 (65) | WACA |
| | Bye South Fremantle | Bye South Fremantle | Bye South Fremantle | |
| A brilliant third quarter where they kicked 7.3 (45) to a behind allowed East Fremantle to weaken Subiaco's position at the top. ||||||

### Round 9

| | Round 9 | Round 9 | Round 9 | |
| Saturday, 16 June (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 14.22 (106) | def. | Claremont-Cottesloe 12.3 (75) | Fremantle Oval |
| Saturday, 16 June (2:45 pm) | West Perth 9.14 (68) | def. | Subiaco 8.9 (57) | Leederville Oval |
| Saturday, 16 June (2:45 pm) | Perth 23.14 (152) | def. | South Fremantle 9.13 (67) | WACA |
| | Bye East Perth | Bye East Perth | Bye East Perth | |
| Perth kick the highest WAFL score since 1917 and their highest since 1904 to crush an injury-ravaged South Fremantle. West Perth move off the bottom by knocking early pacesetters Subiaco from top place. ||||||

### Round 10

| | Round 10 | Round 10 | Round 10 | |
| Saturday, 23 June (2:45 pm) | West Perth 16.8 (104) | def. | East Perth 12.8 (80) | Leederville Oval |
| Saturday, 23 June (2:45 pm) | Claremont-Cottesloe 16.15 (111) | def. | Perth 13.14 (92) | Claremont Oval |
| Saturday, 23 June (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 7.12 (54) | def. by | East Fremantle 13.18 (96) | Fremantle Oval |
| | Bye Subiaco | Bye Subiaco | Bye Subiaco | |
| After kicking only two goals from quarter-time, East Fremantle kick seven goals in the final ten minutes to go from 6.12 (48) apiece to a seven-goal win. Frank Hopkins, formerly a defender, kicks eight goals for the Cardinals as East Perth lose their first match after Matson's death. ||||||

### Round 11

| | Round 11 | Round 11 | Round 11 | |
| Saturday, 30 June (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 6.10 (46) | def. by | West Perth 7.16 (58) | Fremantle Oval |
| Saturday, 30 June (2:45 pm) | East Perth 13.12 (90) | def. | South Fremantle 11.7 (73) | Perth Oval |
| Saturday, 30 June (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 9.13 (67) | def. | Claremont-Cottesloe 9.12 (66) | Subiaco Oval |
| | Bye Perth | Bye Perth | Bye Perth | |
| With the start of an exceptionally wet period that sees Perth record 613.5 millimetres (24.15 in) in two months, West Perth adapt better and despite being two games out are considered a strong chance for the final four. ||||||

### Round 12

| | Round 12 | Round 12 | Round 12 | |
| Saturday, 7 July (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 7.10 (52) | def. by | East Perth 9.14 (68) | Fremantle Oval |
| Saturday, 7 July (2:45 pm) | Perth 3.8 (26) | def. by | Subiaco 11.12 (78) | WACA |
| Saturday, 7 July (2:45 pm) | West Perth 6.9 (45) | def. by | South Fremantle 9.10 (64) | Leederville Oval |
| | Bye Claremont-Cottesloe | Bye Claremont-Cottesloe | Bye Claremont-Cottesloe | |
| Subiaco take the lead with a superb display of ball-handling in blinding rain. Donoghue of Perth escapes serious injury despite being accidentally kicked in the head. East Perth record their third win over Old Easts for the season in an excellent match with fine wet-weather skills. ||||||

### Round 13

| | Round 13 | Round 13 | Round 13 | |
| Saturday, 14 July (2:45 pm) | Perth 7.6 (48) | def. | East Fremantle 3.13 (31) | WACA |
| Saturday, 14 July (2:45 pm) | East Perth 13.7 (85) | def. | Subiaco 9.12 (66) | Perth Oval |
| Saturday, 14 July (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 12.4 (76) | def. | Claremont-Cottesloe 9.19 (73) | Fremantle Oval |
| | Bye West Perth | Bye West Perth | Bye West Perth | |
| South Fremantle's win with twelve fewer scoring shots established a WAFL record unbroken until 2008 when Peel beat East Fremantle with fourteen fewer shots. ||||||

### Round 14

| | Round 14 | Round 14 | Round 14 | |
| Saturday, 21 July (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 7.10 (52) | def. by | South Fremantle 8.10 (58) | Subiaco Oval |
| Saturday, 21 July (2:45 pm) | East Perth 4.9 (33) | drew with | Perth 4.9 (33) | Perth Oval |
| Saturday, 21 July (2:45 pm) | Claremont-Cottesloe 9.13 (67) | def. | West Perth 8.9 (57) | Claremont Oval |
| | Bye East Fremantle | Bye East Fremantle | Bye East Fremantle | |
| An error by scoreboard attendants leaves Claremont-Cottesloe credited with one fewer goal than they actually kicked, but fortunately does not affect the result. East Fremantle play their first tour match against Northern Tasmania, winning 14.13 (97) to 9.4 (58) after the home team kicked only 1.0 (6) to half-time. ||||||

### Round 15

| | Round 15 | Round 15 | Round 15 | |
| Saturday, 28 July (2:45 pm) | West Perth 6.13 (49) | def. | Perth 7.5 (47) | Leederville Oval |
| Saturday, 28 July (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 11.9 (75) | def. by | Claremont-Cottesloe 19.13 (127) | Subiaco Oval |
| Saturday, 28 July (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 8.12 (60) | def. | East Perth 8.7 (55) | Fremantle Oval |
| | Bye East Fremantle | Bye East Fremantle | Bye East Fremantle | |
| Despite Bert Nissen's eight goals, Claremont-Cottesloe produce the best display and highest score of their short WAFL career, the result leaving East Perth one and a half games clear on top. East Fremantle lose 7.13 (55) to 8.14 (62) against a southern Tasmania team at Hobart. ||||||

### Round 16

| | Round 16 | Round 16 | Round 16 | |
| Saturday, 21 April (2:45 pm) | East Perth 10.11 (71) | def. | East Fremantle 8.14 (62) | Perth Oval |
| Saturday, 4 August (2:45 pm) | Claremont-Cottesloe 5.5 (35) | def. by | West Perth 11.13 (79) | Claremont Oval |
| Saturday, 4 August (2:45 pm) | Perth 4.9 (33) | def. by | Subiaco 6.6 (42) | WACA |
| | Bye South Fremantle | Bye South Fremantle | Bye South Fremantle | |
| The East Perth v East Fremantle game was played before the start of the season to allow East Fremantle to tour Tasmania. Perth's fade-out on a ground covered in water on one wing deprives them of a chance to enter the four. ||||||

### Round 17

| | Round 17 | Round 17 | Round 17 | |
| Saturday, 11 August (2:45 pm) | Claremont-Cottesloe 9.10 (64) | def. by | East Fremantle 17.19 (121) | Claremont Oval |
| Saturday, 11 August (2:45 pm) | East Perth 8.5 (53) | def. by | West Perth 13.15 (93) | Perth Oval |
| Saturday, 11 August (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 14.11 (95) | def. | Perth 10.12 (72) | Fremantle Oval |
| | Bye Subiaco | Bye Subiaco | Bye Subiaco | |

### Round 18

| | Round 18 | Round 18 | Round 18 | |
| Saturday, 18 August (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 8.14 (62) | def. | East Perth 7.15 (57) | Subiaco Oval |
| Saturday, 18 August (2:45 pm) | Perth 4.8 (32) | def. by | East Fremantle 8.10 (58) | WACA |
| Saturday, 18 August (2:45 pm) | South Fremantle 12.15 (87) | def. | Claremont-Cottesloe 10.11 (71) | Fremantle Oval |
| Umpire Trotter was attacked as he went to the dressing room after the Subiaco versus East Perth game, which left three teams clear on top. Sol Lawn moves to equal first on the goalkicking with his seven goals against Claremont-Cottesloe. Johnston kicks all of Perth's goals against East Fremantle, a feat unrepeated since in the WAFL for four or more goals. ||||||

### Round 19

| | Round 19 | Round 19 | Round 19 | |
| Saturday, 25 August (2:45 pm) | West Perth 13.9 (87) | def. | Subiaco 12.10 (82) | Leederville Oval |
| Saturday, 25 August (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 11.18 (84) | def. by | South Fremantle 13.9 (87) | Fremantle Oval |
| Saturday, 25 August (2:45 pm) | Perth 12.13 (85) | def. | Claremont-Cottesloe 11.10 (76) | WACA |
| | Bye West Perth | Bye West Perth | Bye West Perth | |
| South Fremantle move to the top in a thrilling local derby despite kicking only 1.4 (10) in the second half, but their second half fadeout proved ominous for the finals. ||||||

### Round 20

| | Round 20 | Round 20 | Round 20 | |
| Saturday, 1 September (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 11.15 (81) | def. | Subiaco 8.10 (58) | Fremantle Oval |
| Saturday, 1 September (2:45 pm) | East Perth 23.25 (163) | def. | Perth 5.8 (38) | Perth Oval |
| Saturday, 1 September (2:45 pm) | West Perth 9.17 (71) | def. | South Fremantle 8.9 (57) | Leederville Oval |
| | Bye Claremont-Cottesloe | Bye Claremont-Cottesloe | Bye Claremont-Cottesloe | |
| East Perth, with veteran Campbell kicking thirteen goals, kick the highest WAFL score and greatest winning margin since 1917 (though at the time records were kept only from 1920). West Perth with Ted Flemming brilliant at centre half-back win a fifth successive match, but must defeat an in-form East Fremantle to make the finals. ||||||

### Round 21

| | Round 21 | Round 21 | Round 21 | |
| Saturday, 8 September (2:45 pm) | Claremont-Cottesloe 4.14 (38) | def. by | East Perth 8.11 (59) | Claremont Oval |
| Saturday, 8 September (2:45 pm) | Subiaco 8.16 (64) | def. | South Fremantle 7.10 (52) | Subiaco Oval |
| Saturday, 8 September (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 16.15 (111) | def. | West Perth 3.5 (23) | Fremantle Oval |
| | Bye Perth | Bye Perth | Bye Perth | |
| West Perth, appearing exhausted after striving for the four during the past five round, produce a feeble display, scoring only 1.3 (9) after the first ten minutes. ||||||

## Ladder

1928 ladder :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts |
| 1 | East Fremantle (P) | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 1415 | 1087 | 130.2 | 44 |
| 2 | East Perth | 18 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 1307 | 1130 | 115.7 | 42 |
| 3 | Subiaco | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1286 | 1239 | 103.8 | 40 |
| 4 | South Fremantle | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1263 | 1376 | 91.8 | 40 |
| 5 | West Perth | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1171 | 1256 | 93.2 | 36 |
| 6 | Perth | 18 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 1215 | 1364 | 89.1 | 30 |
| 7 | Claremont-Cottesloe | 18 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 1311 | 1516 | 86.5 | 20 |

## Finals
### First semi-final

| | First semi-final | First semi-final | First semi-final | |
| Saturday, 15 September (2:45 pm) | East Perth 20.18 (138) | def. | South Fremantle 8.2 (50) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 11,496) |
| In an exceedingly vicious game in wet weather, East Perth produce a brilliant display to kick 19.18 (132) in the last three quarters. Campbell kicks eight goals and Owens five for the Royals. ||||||

### Second semi-final

| | Second semi-final | Second semi-final | Second semi-final | |
| Saturday, 22 September (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 9.12 (66) | def. | Subiaco 8.8 (56) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 13,789) |
| In complete contrast to the previous week, this is a clean game where East Fremantle are always well ahead and a late Maroon rally does not threaten them. ||||||

### Final

| | Final | Final | Final | |
| Saturday, 29 September (2:45 pm) | East Fremantle 7.12 (54) | def. by | East Perth 8.12 (60) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 15,991) |
| East Perth record their fourth win over Old Easts after Bee runs on after taking a mark and the bell rings. ||||||

### Grand Final

| | 1928 WAFL Grand Final | 1928 WAFL Grand Final | 1928 WAFL Grand Final | | |
| Saturday, 6 October | East Fremantle | def. | East Perth | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 15,599) | |
| | 2.4 (16) 7.5 (47) 10.10 (70) 10.13 (73) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 1.1 (7) 4.4 (28) 4.4 (28) 8.8 (56) | Umpires: Frank O‘Connor | Umpires: Frank O‘Connor |
| Lethridge 5, Woods 3, Reynolds, Coffey | Lethridge 5, Woods 3, Reynolds, Coffey | Goals | Thomas 2, Campbell 2, Western 2, Owens, Armstrong | Thomas 2, Campbell 2, Western 2, Owens, Armstrong |
| Coffey, Woods, Laffin, Lethridge, Telfer, Gabrielson, Pearce | Coffey, Woods, Laffin, Lethridge, Telfer, Gabrielson, Pearce | Best | Duffy (best on ground), Mitchell, Owens, Guhl, Fletcher, Glew | Duffy (best on ground), Mitchell, Owens, Guhl, Fletcher, Glew |
| East Fremantle begin a sequence of four premierships with a brilliant second quarter into a strong breeze. ||||||