TOPIC:

Last. Last. Second last. Last (probably).
Perth’s recent past has a lot of lasts.
Perth’s future may have a few more.
It is a dire future.
The biggest challenge Perth now face is not whether they come last but whether they can last.
Perth will soon finish this season - most likely at the foot of the ladder for the fifth time in a decade - by extending their record WAFL finals drought to 20 years.
Peter Bosustow, their youngest surviving premiership player, will turn 60 in October.
He was a teenager when he helped the Demons win their last flag.
The Buzz may well be history by the time they challenge for their next. If they ever do.
Perth and success are two words that no longer belong in the same sentence.
Something has to give and, sadly, that might be the club itself.
If Perth Football Club were a local council, they would be suspended by the local government minister and an administrator appointed to run the operation while either a new management team was put together or an amalgamation was organised.
That type of draconian action has no league precedent but unless a fundamental shift occurs in the near future, it is possible that this 119-year-old club soon will not exist.
How much longer can the Demons survive with no success?
How much longer can the Demons survive with no success?Picture: Trevor Collens
The Demons are on track for another significant financial loss this season, their playing list is mediocre and decimated by injury, and they exist in a zone so barren that two highly successful local clubs in Maddington and Kelmscott are about to disappear.
Financial, list management and recruiting issues require long-term solutions but after 20 years of mediocrity, how much time is left?
And does the club even have the solutions or the means to achieve them?
Good and energetic people have been involved at Perth over recent years without being able to shift the various burdens weighing down the club.
Why would the incumbents or their replacements be any different?
The WAFL is stretched thin by having nine clubs and that fabric is likely to become even more threadbare should a West Coast reserves team be introduced in 2019.
That reserves team will operate from West Coast’s lavish new headquarters at Lathlain Park, home to the Demons through more than half a century of good times and bad.
Perth are also planning to build their own premises next to the Eagles but what is the point of spending millions of dollars on a new house if the owners are on their last legs and only looking at short-term occupancy before their last and final move?
Perth replaced a moribund team in Rovers when they entered the WAFL in 1899.
It would prove a bitter irony should a new Eagles team eventually do the same thing with them.
This column has plenty of questions about Perth but few answers.
Unless the club can come up with their own answers, even coming last may soon be beyond them.

By John Townsend

I like JT's articles. It is great to see a journalist who is interested and obviously cares about the Wafl.
Unlike others whom could be mentioned.
Since last weekends very insipid performance by the Perth footy club, they've certainly been a big story. Sadly they've been a huge talking point for all the wrong reasons!
However, all the Perth supporters have been asking these sought s of questions for years.
I for one am hoping that the Perth footy club have finally "drawn that line in the sand".

Those clowns running the joint need to be named and shamed and I'll do the fucken honours. Marty Atkins struts around like he's the police commissioner questioning everyone's behavior from the players to supporters and I heard recently a staff member has taken stress leave.

Darryl Mann is the Marcel Marceau of club presidents, never said boo since he inherited the presidency and I've been told these guys are laying real low lately probably avoiding eye contact with the faithful that are left still going to games.

It can be done boys and Subi is a living example. On the bone of our arse in the 70's and begging for money then enter stage left Kevin Merrified and Michael Carlisle to turn the whole thing around. It takes good people who'll make the hard decisions for the right reasons. Hopefully JT's insightful article will be the catalyst. The club has a good start with passionate supporters like the diehards on here. It's time for you blokes to stand up and be heard.

Subi did it, but their situation and the times were very different.
In the 70s the WAFL was still king in WA, there was a massive ground swell of support to prevent a club going under , the WAFL simply would not of allowed it. Not only that but you had won a premiership in the 70s.
Perths situation is just about the polar opposite, the WAFL is not on the radar for most WA Footy people any longer, there is not much interest out there anymore for broke second tier WAFL outfits (bar the diehards and there are just not enough of them)..and the WAFL is entering a period of restructure, the alignment , finances and times are changing very quickly. At this point in time Perth could not be any more vulnerable. I would be surprised if PFC are still there in 5 to 10 years in their present form.

How much $$ did they lose last year? What is the go with ground redevelopment , are they cash up for that or more debt?

The article is full of nonsense. It is based on the wrong presmise and threfore asks the wrong questions and gets the wrong answers to those questions. The one thing it might do, which, is a positive, is force the board to respond.

DD wrote: Those clowns running the joint need to be named and shamed and I'll do the fucken honours. Marty Atkins struts around like he's the police commissioner questioning everyone's behavior from the players to supporters and I heard recently a staff member has taken stress leave.

Darryl Mann is the Marcel Marceau of club presidents, never said boo since he inherited the presidency and I've been told these guys are laying real low lately probably avoiding eye contact with the faithful that are left still going to games.

Atkins needs to go,.

DD wrote: Those clowns running the joint need to be named and shamed and I'll do the fucken honours. Marty Atkins struts around like he's the police commissioner questioning everyone's behavior from the players to supporters and I heard recently a staff member has taken stress leave.

Darryl Mann is the Marcel Marceau of club presidents, never said boo since he inherited the presidency and I've been told these guys are laying real low lately probably avoiding eye contact with the faithful that are left still going to games.

And if the Prez is the person that used to post on a couple of other footy site forums under the name "Hassa" then I will tell you now he will be sitting there telling anyone that will listen that there is nothing wrong.
Him and I had many a worded stoush on these forums Re-everything PFC.
He was very much in denial back then.

ArkRoyal wrote: The article is full of nonsense. It is based on the wrong presmise and threfore asks the wrong questions and gets the wrong answers to those questions. The one thing it might do, which, is a positive, is force the board to respond.

I am sure JT like every other passionate WAFL lover is frustrated by the complete inability of the Perth Football Club to get its act together and be competitive and capable of playing finals if not winning a premiership against a side with just too many advantages.

JT has often written about Perth and if anything, apart from embarrassing those in charge at Lathlain, he is calling out the WAFC for their complete lack of action and ignorance to the incompetency of the Perth FC.

He has highlighted the problems in our zones which I and others have talked about on many occasions. We just don't grow tall KPP and ruckmen in our zones, either they don't exist or we don't notice them. Hence why year in year out we are crying out for key forwards, key backs and ruckmen.

DD wrote:

ArkRoyal wrote: The article is full of nonsense. It is based on the wrong presmise and threfore asks the wrong questions and gets the wrong answers to those questions. The one thing it might do, which, is a positive, is force the board to respond.

I am sure JT like every other passionate WAFL lover is frustrated by the complete inability of the Perth Football Club to get its act together and be competitive and capable of playing finals if not winning a premiership against a side with just too many advantages.

JT has often written about Perth and if anything, apart from embarrassing those in charge at Lathlain, he is calling out the WAFC for their complete lack of action and ignorance to the incompetency of the Perth FC.

What do you suggest the WAFC should do?