# West Perth Football Club

The West Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Falcons, is an Australian rules football club located in Joondalup, Western Australia. West Perth competes in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and WAFL Women's (WAFLW) and is the oldest existing Australian rules football club in Western Australia. Originally located at Leederville Oval, the team was relocated in 1994 to Arena Joondalup, a sports complex in the northern suburbs of Perth. The team's club song is "It's a Grand Old Flag" and its traditional rivals are East Perth.

## History

The Victorian Football Club was established at a meeting on 2 May 1885. The new team was to play its games at the Recreation Ground (now Esplanade Reserve) and wear the colours cardinal and navy. Two weeks after the establishment of the new club it formed the WAFA together with Rovers and Fremantle. The three clubs, along with High School (now Hale School) were to play out the 1885 season, however High School dropped out after just two rounds.
The West Australian Football Club was established in 1886 and were admitted to the competition for the 1887 season. At a meeting of the two clubs on 16 April 1889, it was unanimously decided to amalgamate the two clubs – West Australian and Victorians – into a single club known as the Metropolitan Football Club for the 1889 season. The West Australian colours of black and red were to be maintained for the new club. In 1891, a meeting of footballers was held to form a new team, to be called West Perth, which embraced the members of the then-defunct Metropolitan Football Club. The new club was immediately granted entry into the WA Football Association (later called the WA Football League) and won its first premiership in 1897.
In 1915 the team became the original tenant of the newly built Leederville Oval where it would remain based until 1993, at which time the team moved to Joondalup to play games at Arena Joondalup from the 1994 season onwards. Since relocating, the Falcons have enjoyed relative success with five premierships from nine grand finals, the most recent flag coming in 2022.
In 2022 the club became the seventh active club to participate in the WAFL Women's (WAFLW), the premier state-based competition for female footballers.
Since joining the WAFLW competition, the club celebrated real success with a Preliminary Final appearance in just their third season in the competition. Marking West Perth Football Clubs' Women's WAFLW side as the most successful expansion side since the WAFLW began.
West Perth Football Clubs' Rogers Cup side (U19s competition) is amongst some of the most successful teams in Australian sporting history. Winning the flag in an undefeated season in 2021, this was backed up by 2-undefeated seasons in 2023 and 2024, culminating in a further 2 premierships for the club. As at August 2024, the Rogers Cup team sit at 34 wins in a row - An impressive undefeated streak.

## Club song

    "It's a Grand Old Flag"
    "(Sung to the tune of "You're a Grand Old Flag")"
    It's a grand old flag it's a high flying flag,
    It's the emblem for me and for you,
    It's the emblem of the team we love,
    The team of the red and the blue,
    Every heart beats true for the red and the blue,
    And we sing this song to you,
    Should old acquaintance be forgot,
    Keep your eye on the red and the blue!

## Honours
### Club honours

Premierships :
| Competition | Level | Wins | Years won |
| WAFL | Seniors | 20 | 1897, 1899, 1901, 1905, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1941, 1942, 1949, 1951, 1960, 1969, 1971, 1975, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2013, 2022 |
| WAFL Reserves | Reserves | 7 | 1927, 1930, 1947, 1956, 1960, 2014, 2019 |
| WAFL Colts | Colts (U19) | 2 | 1968, 1990 |
| WAFLW Womens | Seniors | 0 | |
| Rogers Cup | Colts (U19) | 3 | 2021, 2023, 2024 |
| Other titles and honours ||||
| Rodriguez Shield | Multiple | 4 | 1960, 1999, 2002, 2022 |
| State Premiership (1904–1924) | Seniors | 1 | 1905 |
| Finishing positions ||||
| WAFL | Minor premiership | 10 | 1897, 1899, 1901, 1905, 1942, 1948, 1960, 1975, 1993, 2022 |
| WAFL | Runners Up | 20 | 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1898, 1903, 1906, 1911, 1922, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1952, 1953, 1973, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2015, 2018 |
| WAFL | Wooden spoons | 11 | 1895, 1918, 1919, 1930, 1938, 1939, 1964, 1974, 1990, 1991, 1992 |

### Individual honours

Sandover Medallists: (12 total)
    1922: Harold Boyd
    1924: Jim Gosnell
    1927: Jim Craig
    1930: Ted Flemming
    1940: Terence O'Keefe
    1942: Laurie Bowen
    1946: John Loughridge
    1951: Fred Buttsworth
    1959: Brian Foley
    1992: Robert West
    1993: Neil Mildenhall
    2014: Aaron Black
Simpson Medallists: (11 total)
Bernie Naylor Medalists: (20 total)
All-Australians:
    1961: Ray Gabelich
    1972: Alan Watling
300 games
    Mel Whinnen (371)
    Bill Dempsey (343)
200 games:
(*) Indicates current listed players

## Club records

Highest score:
    Round 10, 1981, 37–17 (239) vs. East Fremantle at Leederville Oval
    Round 10, 1987, 37–17 (239) vs. South Fremantle at Leederville Oval
Lowest score:
    Round 1, 1912, 0.3 (3) vs. Subiaco at WACA
Most games:
    Mel Whinnen 367 (1960–1977)
Highest goal kicker (season):
    E. Tyson 143 goals (1934)
    R. Scott 143 goals (1953)
Highest goal kicker (game):
    E. Tyson 17 goals v. Swan Districts (1934)
Highest goal kicker (career):
    E. Tyson 1196 goals
Longest serving captain:
    Les Fong, 7 Seasons (1980–1986)
Longest serving coach:
    Bill Monaghan, 10 Seasons (2009 – 2018)
Most club champion awards won:
    Mel Whinnen, 9
Record home attendance:
    Round 21, 1978, 24,567 vs. East Perth at Leederville Oval
Record finals attendance:
    1975 Grand Final, 52,322 vs. South Fremantle at Subiaco Oval

## WA Football Hall of Fame

West Perth players who have been inducted into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame:

## Premierships
### Last premiership team

2022 premiership team :
| B: | Tyson Moulton (VC) | Sam Rotham | Zac Guadagnin |
| HB: | Dean Munns (C) | Noah Pegoraro | Ben Johnson |
| C: | Tristan Hobley | Luke Meadows | Aaron Black (C) |
| HF: | Sasha Kernutt | Anton Hamp | Conal Lynch |
| F: | Mitchell Dobson | Tyler Keitel | Keegan Knott |
| Foll: | Troy Yukich | Mitchell Peirce | Shane Nelson |
| Int: | Corey Rundle | Nathan Alexandre | Aidan Lynch |
| Int: | Joseph Hinder | | |
| Coach: | Darren Harris | Darren Harris | Darren Harris |

## Current squad

As of October 2022:

## Team of the Century

Team of the Century :
| B: | Wally Price | Ray Schofield | Bill Dempsey |
| HB: | Harold Boyd | Brian France | Ted Flemming |
| C: | Peter Menaglio | Mel Whinnen | Stan Heal |
| HF: | John Loughridge | Fred Buttsworth | Don Marinko, Sr. |
| F: | Bill Valli | Ted Tyson | Brian Foley |
| Foll: | Graham Farmer | Ed O'Keefe | Les Fong |
| Int: | Ken Ashdown | Jim Craig | Jim Gosnell |
| Int: | Jack McDiarmid | Ray Scott | Max Tetley Alan Watling |
| Coach: | Stan Heal | Stan Heal | Stan Heal |

## AFL/VFL players (including rookies)

This is a list of West Perth players who have played at AFL/VFL level:
* Blake Acres (St Kilda, Fremantle and Carlton)
* Marcus Adams (Western Bulldogs and Brisbane Lions)
* Oscar Allen (West Coast)
* Ian Anderson (Essendon)
* Horrie Bant (1882–1957) (St Kilda and Essendon)
* Laurie Bellotti (West Coast)
* Bill Benton (1906–1979) (Richmond)
* Jack Beveridge (1907–1986) (Collingwood)
* Darren Bewick (Essendon)
* Rohan Bewick (Brisbane Lions)
* Aaron Black (footballer, born 1992) (West Coast)
* Ashley Blurton (West Coast and Richmond)
* Kepler Bradley (Essendon and Fremantle)
* Phil Bradmore (Footscray)
* Bruce Bridges (1917–1999) (Fitzroy)
* Steven Browne (Carlton)
* Jeff Bruce (Fitzroy)
* Bill Burns (1884–1955) (Geelong and Richmond)
* Ronnie Burns (Geelong and Adelaide)
* Fred Buttsworth (Essendon)
* Wally Buttsworth (1917–2002) (Essendon)
* Adam Campbell (Fremantle)
* Jack Cashman (1906–1982) (Fitzroy and Carlton)
* Callum Chambers (West Coast and Carlton)
* Heath Chapman (Fremantle)
* Kevin Clarke (1931–2009) (Melbourne and Carlton)
* Ernie Coward (1916–1985) (Essendon)
* Phil Cronan (St Kilda and Footscray)
* Todd Curley (Collingwood and Footscray/Western Bulldogs)
* Jack Darling (West Coast)
* Bill Davern (1883–1952) (Geelong)
* Jim Davies (1926–2010) (Carlton)
* Barry Day (Essendon)
* Ian Downsborough (West Coast, Port Adelaide and Adelaide)
* Billy Duckworth (Essendon)
* John Duckworth (Fitzroy)
* Max Duffy (Fremantle)
* Russell Ellen (Essendon)
* Neil Evans (Essendon)
* Ron Evans (1939–2007) (Essendon)
* Brian Falconer (Hawthorn)
* Graham Farmer (Geelong)
* Brendon Fewster (West Coast and Fremantle)
* Vic Fisher (1924–1999) (Essendon)
* Shane Fitzsimmons (Melbourne)
* Dan Foley (Richmond)
* Arthur Ford (1881–1953) (Carlton)
* Peter Freeman (St Kilda)
* Ray Gabelich (1933–2000) (Collingwood)
* John Gastev (West Coast and Brisbane Bears)
* Barney Grecian (1872–1919) (Essendon)
* Ralph Green (1911–1991) (Carlton)
* Chris Groom (Adelaide, Fremantle and North Melbourne)
* Brad Gwilliam (West Coast and Richmond)
* Derek Hall (West Coast and Geelong)
* Len Halley (Essendon)
* Jack Heal (1919–1988) (Melbourne)
* Stan Heal (1920–2010) (Melbourne)
* Trevor Heath (Essendon)
* Col Hebbard (Essendon)
* Bradley Hill (Hawthorn)
* Stephen Hill (Fremantle)
* Ray Holden (Melbourne)
* Mark Hutchings (West Coast)
* Jordan Jones (West Coast)
* Derek Kickett (North Melbourne, Essendon and Sydney Swans)
* Sean King (West Coast)
* Steven Koops (Fremantle and Western Bulldogs)
* Dean Laidley (West Coast and North Melbourne)
* Ken Leahy (1906–1985) (Geelong)
* Brent LeCras (North Melbourne)
* Mark LeCras (West Coast)
* Teddy Lockwood (1872–1953) (Geelong and Collingwood)
* Justin Longmuir (Fremantle)
* Troy Longmuir (Melbourne, Fremantle and Carlton)
* Ray Lucev (South Melbourne)
* Quinten Lynch (West Coast and Collingwood)
* Tom Marinko (1941–1981) (St Kilda)
* Josh Mellington (Fremantle)
* Mark Merenda (Richmond and West Coast)
* Paul Mifka (West Coast)
* Neil Mildenhall (Fremantle)
* Ray Niven (1910–1992) (Fitzroy and Melbourne)
* Darren O'Brien (Melbourne)
* Peter O'Donohue (1923–2012) (Hawthorn)
* David Palm (Richmond)
* Michael Pettigrew (Port Adelaide)
* Len Phillips (1890–1968) (St Kilda and Essendon)
* Jaxon Prior (Brisbane Lions and Essendon)
* Andrew Purser (Footscray)
* Bert Renfrey (1879–1940) (St Kilda)
* George Renwick (1886–1945) (Carlton)
* Arthur Retell (1906–1978) (St Kilda)
* Laurie Richards (Fitzroy)
* Mike Richardson (Collingwood, Essendon and Brisbane Bears)
* Jon Riggs (St Kilda)
* Austin Robertson Sr. (1907–1988) (South Melbourne)
* Nick Robertson (Brisbane Lions)
* Bob Robinson (1914–2001) (Fitzroy)
* Warren Roper (Collingwood)
* Brian Sampson (1941–2012) (Essendon)
* Don Scott (South Melbourne)
* Paul Shanahan (1948–2011) (Fitzroy)
* Josh Smith (North Melbourne)
* Phil Smith (1946–2010) (Geelong)
* Craig Smoker (Melbourne)
* Bob Spargo (Footscray)
* Darren Stanley (Footscray)
* Peter Steward (North Melbourne)
* Andrew Strijk (West Coast)
* Paul Symmons (West Coast)
* John Towner (Essendon)
* Craig Turley (West Coast and Melbourne)
* Bill Valli (Collingwood and Essendon)
* Jay van Berlo (Fremantle)
* Nathan van Berlo (Adelaide)
* Robert Warnock (Fremantle and Carlton)
* Robbie West (West Coast and Footscray)
* Martin Whitelaw (Fremantle)
* Ike Whittaker (Footscray)
* Andrew Williams (West Coast and Collingwood)
* Don Williams (1935–1995) (Melbourne)
* Frank Williams (1884–1939) (St Kilda)
* Tom Williams (1876–1938) (Essendon)
* Troy Wilson (West Coast)
* Fred Wimbridge (1893–1977) (South Melbourne)