The 1930 WAFL season was the 46th season of the West Australian Football League in its various incarnations, and the last before it changed its name to the ‘Western Australian National Football League’. The season saw East Fremantle win the premiership for the third consecutive season, marking the second time that the club had achieved the feat; the club was never seriously challenged as the best team except during the interstate break and achieved the unusual feat of being the only club with a percentage of over 100.[a]Jerry Dolan said in retrospect that East Fremantle's 1930 team was the greatest he had ever played in or coached – including even the unbeaten team of 1946.[1]
As with the VFL, the 1930 WAFL season saw a major innovation with the introduction of a ‘nineteenth man’ who could replace players either injured or out of form.[2] This was changed to a nineteenth and twentieth man in 1946 and to the current interchange system in 1978. A controversial new holding the ball rule, which required the ball to be kicked or punched when tackled,[3] was introduced for this season, but was regarded as unsatisfactory[4] and replaced by the old rule, where a player could kick or drop the ball when tackled, in Victoria from 14 June[5] and throughout Australia from 5 July, with the rule being officially re-amended two weeks later[6]
For 1930 the WAFL reconstituted the seconds competition, which had been inaugurated five seasons beforehand, as the ‘Western Australian National Football Association’ (W.A.N.F.A) and required the teams in this competition to play league players when dropped through loss of form or return of top players.[2]
Claremont-Cottesloe played its first drawn match,[10] and as of 2014 its only one with Perth.[b]
Subiaco's win over the 1929 runners-up is marred by the controversy of their playing WANFA team captain Snashall in their league team as well as their seconds (who played on the Saturday), which was deemed to be legal at the Tuesday secretaries meeting.[11]
Subiaco's 15.22 (112) was a new record for highest losing score in WAFL history; the record stood only until the following round.[29] Despite the weather being mainly fine,[30] the match ended in semi-darkness.[c]
A wayward second quarter of 2.12 (24) with a strong wind by Perth leaves them insecure in second position, as Subiaco manage to hold them off and enter attack at the finish.
East Fremantle kick 15.5 (95) to 1.7 (13) in a brilliant second half, which not only avenges their only defeat to this point but also drives Perth – second two rounds ago – out of the top four.
West Perth moved into second spot, but it was the club's last win for the season. Frank Hopkins and George Moloney kicked six goals each.
South Fremantle lose their place in the four after kicking what remains their lowest open-age score against Perth since 1918[50] in extremely wet and muddy conditions.[51]
An inaccurate 2.8 (20) with a strong wind in the final quarter denies East Perth a fine win against the competition leaders, who win their eighth consecutive match to stand fourteen points clear on top.
George Moloney becomes the first Claremont player to kick ten goals in a match, as Perth lose their place in the four and Claremont stand half a game from advancing off bottom place. It was Claremont's first win at the W.A.C.A. and moved Moloney to the head of the goalkicking.[58]
Subiaco toured the Eastern States during the interstate carnival,[62] and East Fremantle lost a match to combined Goldfields eighteen by the score of 15.13 (103) to 16.15 (111) at Kalgoorlie in rainy weather.[66]
Claremont-Cottesloe, unbeaten since 28 June, have their finals hopes ended by a resurgent Maroon combination led by six goals from Leonard.
East Fremantle, in their first competition match for a month, return to top form and leave East Perth's finals position in jeopardy with a crushing victory, despite the absence of key players Rowland and Pearce.
As a result of Subiaco's fighting win over an improved Cardinal outfit in wet conditions,[76] the final round match will directly decide the fourth finals place should Perth defeat the Cardinals.
After East Fremantle had established a winning advantage, a shootout in the last quarter saw Claremont kick 10.4 (64) (of which George Moloney kicked eight) and East Fremantle 11.5 (71). As of 2022, the aggregate score of 21.9 (135) remains the record for a quarter in elite Australian rules football.[80]
Frank Hopkins (West Perth) kicked twelve goals for the second half to finish with fourteen, the second highest[d] for a player on the losing side in elite Australian rules football.[81]
A record crowd[77] (whose exact number was not quantified) sees Subiaco take the final place in the four with an impressive victory that leave critics seeing the Maroons as East Fremantle's most likely challenger.
Sol Lawn 3, McGuinness 2, Smith 2, Clatworthy, E. Lawn
Reynolds (best on ground), Jarvis, Richards, Gabrielson, Laffin, Bee, Jones
Best
Holt, Loveridge, Hicks, Sol Lawn, E. Lawn, Clatworthy
On a very windy day, East Fremantle won with nine goals to none in the second quarter, after South Fremantle had established a five-goal lead in the first quarter, but failed to use the wind well in the third term.[84]
During the final quarter, East Fremantle became the first WAFL to score 2,000 points in one season.[1]
Notes
a The unbeatenPort Adelaide team of 1914 is the only other club to equal this. b Since this match, Perth has drawn only with West Perth (in 1944, 1960, 1986 and 2008) and Swan Districts (in 1961, 1971 and 2009) c In wet weather before the advent of lights, it was not uncommon for matches to finish in complete darkness, as happened between Perth and East Perth in May 1956. dGary Ablett senior equalled Hopkins for Geelong against Essendon in the sixth round of 1993.
References
^ abLee, Jack; Celebrating 100 Years of Tradition: East Fremantle Football Club 1898-1997; pp. 154-159 ISBN0646358812
^ abCasey, Kevin; The Tigers’ tale: the origins and history of the Claremont Football Club; p. 24; ISBN0-646-26498-2
^‘New Holding Law: Instruction to Umpires’; The Daily News, 11 April 1930, p. 2
^‘Laws of the Game – Victorian Activity: Move to Amend’; The Daily News, 27 June 1930, p. 8
^Atkinson, 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. 138. ISBN1863210091
^’First Semi-Final – A Tame Finish: South Easily Beats Subiaco’; The West Australian; 22 September 1930; p. 12
^"Pivot (anonymous author); ‘Football: Second Semi-Final – Another Tame Finish: East Fremantle's Easy Win’; The West Australian; 29 September 1930; p. 10
^‘Old Easts Premiers: A Decisive Victory’; in The West Australian; 6 October 1930; p. 18