The 1938 WANFL season was the 54th season of the Western Australian National Football League, and saw Claremont, under champion coach Johnny Leonard who had transferred from West Perth,[1] win its first premiership after losing two Grand Finals and drawing the first one this season. The blue and golds were to win the following two premierships before a long period near the foot of the ladder after Claremont Oval was gutted by a fire in 1944.
1938 also saw triple Brownlow Medallist Haydn Bunton senior, enticed by the offer of employment, move to Subiaco and win the first of three Sandovers in only four seasons in Perth; however his presence overshadowed the rest of the team and the Maroons were to advance only one place compared to 1937, being handicapped by the loss of champion defender Lou Daily to the Goldfields where he led Mines Rovers to several premierships. West Perth, who under Leonard and Jack Cashman had won three premierships earlier in the decade, had a disastrous time and finished the season with twelve consecutive losses despite the brilliant form of goalsneak Ted Tyson, who set numerous records in the final round and finished as leading goalkicker.
Swan Districts, in a last promising season before descending for two decades to the status of perennial easybeats,[2] achieved a notable feat in becoming the first club to hold George Doig and then Ted Tyson goalless during a match.
A number of notable club tours took place during July, with mid-table VFL clubSt. Kilda touring Albany, Kalgoorlie and Perth, whilst East Fremantle embarked on a lengthy tour of the Eastern States[3] and Perth made a shorter tour of rural Western Australia. Old Easts’ tour saw them lose narrowly to a team from Broken Hill[4] but convincingly defeat a local team from Sydney the following week[5] and a combined St. Kilda/Melbourne team by forty-three points in Victoria on the last Saturday of July.[6]
George Doig is goalless for the only time in 202 games for East Fremantle,[19] whilst rival Holdsworth kicks eight of Swans’ nine, yet East Fremantle’s superior on-ball division wins.
South Fremantle kick their highest score to that point[20] with Chandler kicking 13.7 (85) against the dual grand finalists. The score remains the highest against an eventual premier club in major Australian Rules leagues.
Bunton kicks six in his first appearance for Subiaco, who become the solitary undefeated club after three weeks.
For the first time in WANFL history, both teams score twenty goals in a match, and East Perth’s first quarter of 10.5 (65) is enough to rebound from a poor start to the season.[a]
East Fremantle kick one point against three misses from deadly rival South Fremantle in their second consecutive thriller.
West Perth win their last match before losing twenty-seven consecutively, the equal longest losing streak in WA(N)FL history and at the time beating Subiaco’s 24 straight losses in 1902 and 1903.[41]
Swan Districts kick its highest score until 1961,[46] with Holdsworth kicking eleven goals and Park seven. In the last three quarters Swans kicked 23.22 (160) to 9.12 (66).
With the return of Gook, Perth jump East Perth and rebound to challenge for only their third finals berth in eighteen seasons.
A comeback win from Swan Districts effectively places them on top of the table, with Old Easts having played two more matches due to their forthcoming tour interstate.
With 8.1 (49) from captain-coach Robertson in a tricky wind, Perth consolidate their place in the four.
Handicapped by injury, St. Kilda are no match for a West Australian Second Eleven, for whom Bunton and Shea of Subiaco shows their best form and Swans’ Zilko keeps Mohr quiet.
East Fremantle’s match with East Perth is moved forward to Labour Day to allow a tour of the Eastern States.
Tyson is kept goalless for the first time in his 167th match for West Perth[68] by Andrew Zilko of Swan Districts.[19]
Former Sandover winner Ted Flemming makes a comeback for the Cardinals, handicapped by injuries to key players Rainoldi, Anderson, Marinko, McDiarmid and Braun.
A new grandstand was opened at Bassendean Oval during the half-time interval.[69]
South Fremantle press for their first finals appearance since 1932 by beating Swan Districts at Fremantle for the first time since Swans entered the WANFL.
Bert Chandler becomes the first South Fremantle player to kick 100 goals and the sixth different player in two seasons, beating Holdsworth and Tyson who finish the round with tallies of 98 and 97 respectively.
An accurate Subiaco inflict Perth’s first loss on the WACA ground to push that latter club to fifth with three rounds remaining.
On Saturday 20 August there was a rest from WANFL football as a schoolboys’ carnival used Subiaco Oval.[82]
South Fremantle crush Perth for a sixth straight win and suddenly have a chance of second position, being a game and three percent behind Claremont with two games to play.
East Perth, with Lockyer holding Holdsworth goalless, record a crushing win to leave Swan Districts out of the four.
Ted Tyson kicks his hundredth goal for the fifth straight season with seven in a valiant effort by the undermanned Cardinals, who lose their tenth game in succession.
In an extraordinary match at Leederville, Swan Districts, after being outplayed for three quarters, kick 11.4 (70) to 7.1 (43) in a last quarter described as “lacking in zest” to take South Fremantle’s place in the four. At the time it was the second highest-scoring quarter in WANFL history,[95] and it remains the highest for any quarter at Leederville.
Ted Tyson, who displaced Chandler at the head of the goalkicking, set numerous records with his 17.5 (107):
The most goals for a losing side in any senior Australian Rules league, beating Frank Hopkins’ record of 14 in 1930.[96]
The most goals by a player who kicked all but one of his team’s goals, beating Allan Evans’ thirteen for Perth in 1921 against East Fremantle.
The most goals for West Perth in any match, beating his own record of fifteen against Claremont-Cottesloe in 1934.[97]
Subiaco’s surprise win over South Fremantle ensures East Perth remain in the four despite just failing to catch East Fremantle.
In an extremely spiteful game with numerous clashes, East Fremantle kick 11.1 (67) to 1.8 (14) after half-time for a second successive showdown against Claremont.[100]
Hutchinson (best on ground), McGlinn, George Doig, Briggs, Daniell, Gabrielson, Charlie Doig
East Fremantle come back from nineteen points down midway through the last quarter to force a replay. It was the league’s second Grand Final draw, but the last senior WA(N)FL finals draw until 1989.[102]
Reeves, George Moloney, Lovegrove, Reid, Syd Moloney, Headon, Hooper
Best
N. Doig, Charles Doig, Hutchinson, George Doig, Donegan
Compton (leg)
Injuries
Kingsbury (leg)
O‘Reilly for fighting with Daniell
Reports
Daniell for fighting with O‘Reilly
Claremont’s dominance in the ruck and its greater pace and stamina allow it to win its first premiership at its fourth attempt.
Notes
a Until the end of July, East Fremantle had played two extra games and East Perth and Perth one extra game to allow Old Easts to tour the eastern states that month.
References
^Devaney, John; Full Points Footy’s WA Football Companion; p. 173. ISBN9780955689710
^Devaney; Full Points Footy’s WA Football Companion; p. 292.
^‘Football Stars Begin Tour’; The Daily News, 9 July 1938, p. 1
^‘Old Easts Win’; The Sunday Times, 24 July 1938, p. 17
^‘Football – East Fremantle’s Tour – Easy Victory in Melbourne’; The West Australian, 28 July 1938, p. 10
^‘One-Sided Match: Perth Overwhelms West Perth’; The West Australian, 25 April 1938, p. 9
^‘East Fremantle’s Success – Centre Line Works Smoothly’; The West Australian, 25 April 1938, p. 9
^‘Claremont Wins Hard Game: Team-Work Beats Swan Districts’; The West Australian, 25 April 1938, p. 9
^‘Subiaco Does Well: Victory over East Perth’; The West Australian, 25 April 1938, p. 9
^‘Subiaco Successful – Hard-Pressed by West Perth’; The West Australian, 3 May 1938, p. 23
^‘East Perth Wins: Injured Players Handicap Perth’; The West Australian, 3 May 1938, p. 23
^‘Saturday’s Games – Claremont’s Strong Finish: East Fremantle Badly Beaten’; The West Australian, 3 May 1938, p. 23
^‘A Keen Struggle – Swan Districts’ Good Effort’; The West Australian, 3 May 1938, p. 23
^‘Leader’s Success – East Fremantle Finishes Well’; The West Australian, 9 May 1938, p. 16
^‘Claremont Beaten: South Fremantle Impressive’; The West Australian, 9 May 1938, p. 16
^‘West Perth’s First Win – Close Game at Leederville’; The West Australian, 9 May 1938, p. 16
^‘Devastating Last Quarter – Subiaco Overwhelms Perth’; The West Australian, 9 May 1938, p. 16
^ abAtkinson, Graeme and Hanlon, Michael; 3AW Book of Footy Records: All the Great Players, Matches, Goals, Kicks, Brawls and Sensations from More Than 100 Years of Aussie Rules in Australia; p. 147. ISBN1863210091
