1972 WANFL season

• The benefit of a tough game against Verdun Howell’s former club is seen in a win that already has Claremont viewed the “team to beat” for the 1972 premiership – Perth, in contrast, had only played intra-club practice matches and appeared soft.^[9]
• Subiaco’s lack of class at centre half-forward and centre half-back leaves its attack inefficient, and allows big 1971 improver East Fremantle a comfortable victory – Old Easts were 61 points ahead at three-quarter time with only one more scoring shot.^[10]
• West Perth gain a lucky last-minute victory over an opponent not expected to trouble them^[5] as Colin Beard’s kick-in during the last seconds is taken away and kicked to unmarked Essendon recruit Ian Anderson who goals.^[11]

• South Fremantle produce the first real upset of 1972 against an inaccurate Old Easts who consistently fumble the ball in attack.^[13]
• With an unfit Austin Robertson out of the game, West Perth, with an overweight Phil Smith kicking only two, are still able to hold off the Lions, who enter a crisis after the game.^[6]

• Champion fast bowler Dennis Lillee, himself an East Perth supporter, made the toss at Lathlain after being invited by the Demons.
• Old Easts’ finesse and fitness ensure they inflict the reigning premiers’ first defeat (after two unimpressive victories) as the blue and whites’ immaculate short game proves decisive.^[15]

• A devastating second quarter burst ensures Claremont eliminate the challenge of Old Easts to confirm their early flag favoritism and stay undefeated.^[16]
• Tactical blunders by new Swan Districts coach Jack Ensor ensure the winless Swans fade badly after being only ten points down at half-time. Ensor foolishly places his resting ruckman on the boundary and uses top half-forward Mark Foxon as a spare man in defence.^[17]

• An unorthodox shift of wingmen and half-backs gives Claremont a comeback victory after South Fremantle surprised them to be three goals up through almost all of the first half.^[18]
• East Fremantle wilt completely after being forty-two points up at half-time and become lucky to hold on as Perth’s tall men expose their lack of a specialist knock ruckman.^[2]

• Mal Brown’s ability to ward off a painful injury proves decisive as South Fremantle again fade – this time after an impressive third-quarter revival.^[20]
• A calf injury to Barry Cable, who had been in scintillating form, seemed to cause a reaction among the Perth players and Subiaco ran over them as Fitzpatrick completely dominated around the ground and in the ruck.^[21]

Perth overcome a wayward start (nine unbroken behinds in the first quarter) in slippery conditions^[24] to show they are back as a force after a poor 1971. Rookie Geoff Watt silences Mel Whinnen and the Cardinals fail completely in attack.^[25]

• West Perth equal their highest score of 30.25 (205) against Swan Districts in 1952,^[28] and beat by 62 points. their previous record in open-age competition against that team of 20.23 (143). It was the highest by any WANFL team since East Perth kicked one goal more against Claremont in 1958.^[29]
• The Cardinals’ 19.14 (128) remains their highest-ever second-half score,^[30] as South Fremantle, with only sixteen fit players, completely crumbled in defence. Phil Smith shows he is back in form with eight goals.
• A change in leaping style by ruckman Bob Beecroft allows Swan Districts to cause a major upset as rovers Derek King and veteran Bill Walker become impossible to stop.^[31]
• Subiaco’s goal of reducing reliance of Austin Robertson pays off as the club kick twelve goals in the first three quarters without “Ocker” scoring one – though he scores five in the final stanza and had missed several earlier – to gain an unexpected win.

• East Perth make league leaders Claremont look “stricken by sleeping sickness” as returning ruckman Bradley Smith hands a hiding to young Tiger Graham Moss and the Royals have over 100 more possessions.^[33]
• Barry Cable’s courage in playing with a badly injured left ankle allows Perth’s rovers to decimate Swan Districts in a tricky wind, by which many of the young Swans were baffled.^[34]
• In an ill-tempered match South Fremantle show the imperative of attitude and determination, as they rebound from the West Perth debacle with a brilliant 14.3 (87) to 5.4 (34) first half helped by several freakish goals that luckily went through.^[35]

• East Perth, with rookie Archie Duda kicking ten goals in place of state spearhead Phil Tierney, exploit the loose play of Subiaco for a crushing win.^[39]
• Claremont’s onslaught of 11.5 (71) was the best first-quarter score in the WANFL since 1958 and at the time the second-best on record.^[40]
• The 1972 Perth Carnival meant no WANFL matches were scheduled for the following two weekends.

• West Perth kick their lowest score against the Royals since the 1923 semi-final when they scored only 4.7 (31).^[42]
• East Perth’s incomparably greater team spirit compensated so well for deficiencies in their following division that West Perth kicked only 1.4 (10) after half-time whilst Tierney and Duda were able to combine well together in the rain.^[43]
• Perth take Old Easts’ place in the four via a display of spirit and skill compared by critics with their last quarter in the 1966 Grand Final. East Fremantle had taken the lead with the wind early in the last quarter before a melée seemed to put the blue and whites off their game.^[44]

• An unusual policy of playing seven “followers”^[a] allows Claremont to completely control the rucks on a violently windy afternoon. Graham Moss, Peter Hines and John Evans shared ten goals resting in attack.
• In blustery conditions, Swan Districts move away from a third straight wooden spoon by exposing East Fremantle’s lack of spirit during a scrambly match where marks were rarities and 62 free kicks awarded.^[45]
• Veteran Frank Pyke shows that five seasons away from the WANFL has not affected his skill as he combines with Cable to leave Subiaco a clear last.^[46]

• A depleted Claremont with only eighteen fit players holds out Perth into the wind in torrential last-quarter rain.^[43] 198 centimetres (6 ft 6 in) tall Keith Whyatt boots five from centre half forward. Perth played magnificently, but were handicapped by the conditions, though Ian Miller failed to get the distance with a kick on the siren that could have drawn the game.^[49]
• Astute positional changes by captain-coach Peter Steward after half-time allow West Perth to hold South Fremantle to 0.1 (1) kicking with a strong wind during a crucial third quarter, whilst the Cardinals kicked 4.4 (28) themselves after being 17 points down at the long interval.^[49]
• The heavy rain halts perennial wooden spooners Swan Districts’ charge to threaten fourth: Swans fail to goal during eight minutes of attack in the final-quarter gloom, when goals could have seen them overwhelm East Perth. Mal Brown takes an amazing seventeen marks in totally unsuitable conditions.^[50]

• Claremont settle a score from their ninth-round thrashing with a superb win where Bruce Duperouzel and Bob Greenwood show East Perth’s lack of class rovers – even when the two are injured the Royals cannot take advantage.^[52]
• East Fremantle, in an angry mood after criticism of their earlier play, score 14.5 (89) to 2.8 (20) in 45 minutes to stand a game and 9.47 percent from fourth place after their recent losses seemed to have settled the finalists.^[53]

The return of controversial coach Joyce to the playing field at full-forward revitalises East Fremantle’s attack and leaves them merely 1.87 percent shy of fourth position, whilst centre half-back Eddie Donnes decimates West Perth’s forward line.^[56]

• Perth become the third WANFL club, after South Fremantle and Swan Districts, to win a match with twelve fewer scoring shots.^[59]
• Subiaco, at the bottom for a number of weeks before the seventeenth round, gain a surprising chance of fourth position by beating a slow-paced East Perth team. The Royals were flattered by the Maroons’ goalfront inaccuracy.^[60]
• Claremont kick 6.5 (41) to nothing in the final twenty minutes after an Old East comeback has them nine points down. Wingman Vern Orr is electrifying and partner Tony Bovell less spectacular but equally effective.

• The return of ruck-rover John Hayes and return to form of Hans Verstegen allows East Perth to shut out a disappointing West Perth attack and return East Fremantle to the four for the first time since 10 June.^[62]
• With Bob Becu making a fine debut and Perth’s attack extremely wasteful, East Fremantle take the box seat for a first semi-final berth despite a strong final quarter Demon comeback.^[63]

• A rejuvenated West Perth, led by youngsters John Rainoldi, Terry Taylor, Ian Logan and Gary Smit, plays with the “exuberance” of Claremont to regain their place in the four. Between the seven-minute mark of the second quarter and the twenty-minute mark of the last the brilliant Cardinals score 9.5 (59) to 0.7 (7).^[66]
• Subiaco’s charge ends when they trail 4.15 (39) to 13.9 (87) late in the third quarter before young rovers Keith Watt and Chris Simpson reveal a lack of concentration amongst Demon players and nearly steal the game.^[67]

• East Perth reveal their big-man power to dominate an East Fremantle team with a first semi-final berth to play for. Verstegen has 33 kicks on his twenty-third birthday, and East Fremantle’s play was described as “insipid”.^[70]
• Key Tiger rover Bruce Duperouzel proves his fitness as Claremont wade off a strong challenge from a Subiaco team behind by forty or so points for most of the afternoon.^[71]

Perth overcomes a slow start – not goalling in the initial forty minutes – and West Perth’s greater pace to win well thanks to the Cardinals’ wasteful use of their greater possession.^[72]

East Perth’s ability to counter Claremont’s anticipated roving superiority ensures they come home for a surprise win in showery^[73] and windy conditions.^[74] Dick Michalczyk at centre-half-back dominates the Claremont attack and shows the move of Ken McAullay to a flank was justified.^[75]

Claremont respond to coach Howell’s overhaul due to their outplaying of the Demons’ ruck division.^[76]

Controversy over the possible replacement of Brown by Kevin Murray is overcome in a dour win in strong winds and rain^[78] based around solid teamwork and the strikepower of Gary Bygraves.