The 1971 State Schoolboys side was a strong outfit, undefeated in the Hobart Championships. Coached by Perth and Subiaco WANFL mentor, Jack Ensor, it included vice captain Les Fong(later to become a long serving West Perth skipper), Stephen Skulley and Jeff Sartori (Swan Districts), Stephen and Mark Franklyn(Perth), David Parry (Subiaco), Geoff Gillies and Neil Bienvenue(East Perth), Mario Turco and Alan Reid(East Fremantle), and Alan Walker, who later played with Claremont.   One of the stars of the Western Australian contingent in those championships was full back Neil Fotheringhame, who gave notice of his potential with a series of consistent displays, conceding only nine goals in six games, including a solitary six pointer from a young Victorian, Kelvin Templeton. It was therefore understandable, in view of  impending changes to the WAFL recruiting zones, which would change Fotheringhame's residential qualification from Perth to South Fremantle, that a trip to Lathlain Park to represent the Demons in a fourths match was hastily organised, registering him as a Perth player.     A Kondinin boy, Neil played his junior football at Narrogin, where he attended the Narrogin High School.  Moving to Perth in 1972, Fotheringhame renewed acquaintances with Ensor, who was in charge of the fourths, before moving to the thirds the following year, graduating to reserves in 1974. He played his first league match in 1975, lining up at centre half forward on East Fremantle and State centre half back, Doug Green, kicking four goals. “I don't think Doug had a lot of respect for me, and I got away from him a bit,” he reflected.  The euphoria of the promising debut disappeared  quickly, however, when, after having cortisone treatment for an injured ankle, he resumed only to hurt the other one, putting him out of action for the rest of the year.  It was a significent setback for the young Fotheringhame, with vacancies in the strong Perth league team at a premium, and it wasn't until the 1978 season that he was able to find a permanent berth in the side, after being an emergency, along with Paul Vasoli, for the winning 1977 grand final side. He soon became an integral part of the Demons, playing at full back, and was custodian in the quagmire of grand final day, 1978, in a two point loss to East Perth.   Fotheringhame continued in the same vein in 1979, with the occasional foray up the ground, his ability to handle midfield roles displaying his versatility. At five foot eleven and a half, he was at a decided disadvantage when playing on some of the tall high leaping forwards of the day, but he more than made up for that with close checking tactics, backed up by solid judgement. His reflexes and pace off the mark enabled him to outmanouvre and run off bigger opponents, while providing the ability to fill other positions if needed.  Runner up in fairest and best voting to Gary Gibellini and looking forward to 1980 with the anticipation and confidence of a player who had cemented himself in the league side after several years of hard slog, Fotheringhame and several others at the club became embroiled in a new pay policy, which significantly reduced players money across the board.  There were several departures, and, after sixty four games with the Demons, Fotheringhame went to West Perth, who traded Ross Prunster for him, which was a case of Perth's fairest and best runner up for 1979 being swapped for West Perth's fairest and best for 1979.  In another irony, both players began life at their respective new clubs disastrously, Prunster breaking a leg and Fotheringhame tearing a cartilage.  Resuming at West Perth in 1981, Fotheringhame settled in well, playing at both full back and in the midfield, but,with the club in the doldrums in 1984, his name was rumoured to have appeared on a list of players the club was looking at replacing. A call from Subiaco football manager Trevor Nisbett saw him transfer there in 1985. Unfortunately, hip problems prevented Neil from making a mark at the Lions, and he retired from league football after struggling through pre season in 1986, with a three year stint as playing coach at Hyden-Karlgarin, during which they made a preliminary final in 1989. A sales manager at Burley-Sekem, Neil Fotheringhame is enjoying life after football. He has a small farm at Kondinin to account for weekends with wife Tania, has a few racehorses to keep him poor, has an interest in their son Brent's career at East Perth. “At 178cm(five foot eight) he will never make a full back,” and keeping tabs on two daughters.  He had no hesitation in naming his toughest opponent: “With his six foot four against my “Collingwood six foot”, Simon Beasley got me one day at Lathlain, booting seven by half time. It was the year before he got a ton in Victoria,” he said ruefully. “No doubt about the best I played with. Rob Wiley.” He had a couple of quick quips about two coaches, Dennis Commetti and Haydn Bunton. “One day after we'd suffered a bad loss, Commetti was feeling the heat, and informed the assembled group of players: “If I go down you b........... are coming with me.” Bunton loved it when his players suffered at training, and the only time I saw him grin from ear to ear was when he had us doing man to man as hail the size of golf balls were pelting down.  “Funniest thing I saw on a footy ground was John Duckworth pursuing speedy and elusive East Fremantle and Swans rover Kevin Taylor. John was quite fast for his size, but a broken leg had affected his turning capacity, so he chased in a straight line as Kevin swerved and sprinted, catching him just as he was in the act of kicking for goal with the crudest tackle around the neck you'd ever be likely to witness. He got a free kick for holding the ball,” Neil laughed. Neil Fotheringhame was a solid full back for Perth(64 games),West Perth(66), and Subiaco(14) and a more than handy player in the midfield, in a career marred by some unfortunate injuries and a touch of politics. Often sacrificing his own game to play a negating role against taller opponents, he was nevertheless able to exhibit his playmaking abilities when in the midfield, and was a sound performer in the WANFL in the late seventies and early eighties.