TOPIC:

smokey wrote: Being a multi sport facility I don't think that football and/or cricket will dominate things.
Just as they did at Challenge Stadium some years ago, I would like to see some WA greats from the past honoured at Optus Stadium.
Just a few .... Shirley Strickland - the all time greatest Aussie Olympic medal winner. Herb Elliott - needs no comment. Polly Farmer - of course. Ric Charlesworth - contribution to hockey and cricket. Margaret Court - 64 Grand Slam titles. Luc Longley - NBA Champion. Dennis Lillee - of course.
There are other possibilities. Whoever maybe honoured, they should be in the legend class as above.
I also think that there is a limit to how many will receive such an honour. It should be a very exclusive club..

Smokey Margaret Court is from NSW.

Factor opinion wrote: Surely Ric Charlesworth would be one of the first picked for his playing careers in hockey and cricket and his international hockey coaching in mens and womens. Ric was the playing equivalent of Jamie Dwyer in his day (without the Olympic Gold medal) and JD is not from WA.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Dwyer
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ric_Charlesworth

Why shouldn't our greatest sports stars be recognised at the Perth Stadium?
I'm not knocking Bill Walker who was an out and out champ but domination of the local comp might not be enough - there would be other sports people (ie not football players) would have 4 won their WA comp's F&B 4 times. IMO a world championship or world record rates a bit higher.

FO I am not letting out any secrets when I say I am a Swans's supporter. The two biggest sports in WA are cricket and footy in terms of profile. So from a domestic point of view 4 F&B in the WAFL would hold more imort than 4 F&B in another lower profile domestic sport. Let's not forget the VFL was a domestic Melbourne + Geelong competition.

Considering Billy Walker was born in Huntly New Zealand can't see how he can be considered 42... fantastic footballer in the WAFL...but a statue of a Kiwi outside a WA stadium....mmm no thanks... only WA born n bred sporting icons please

George Doig ....how many FF standing at 173cm are there or has there been that can kick multiple 100 goal seasons?....only 1 ....George Doig

Bazza wrote:

BC wrote: Good topic Baz....and maybe throw in Jamie Dwyer as well...he was considered the best hockey player in the world between about 2004 to 2011 or thereabouts.

If you could have one Subi player - who would it be?

Bazza if you don't mind me jumping in, but the obvious choice if a Subi player was to be honoured would be Austin Robertson Jnr, holds the WA & national record for goals in a season and career goals for WA and statistically at least is WA footy's greatest ever Full Forward. The other one would be Hayden Bunton Senior who bagged 3 Sandovers and 3 Brownlows.

As much as I enjoyed him as a cricketer, piss drinker and larrikin, I can't really see how Bacchus is in this conversation.

Freezin wrote: Considering Billy Walker was born in Huntly New Zealand can't see how he can be considered 42... fantastic footballer in the WAFL...but a statue of a Kiwi outside a WA stadium....mmm no thanks... only WA born n bred sporting icons please

George Doig ....how many FF standing at 173cm are there or has there been that can kick multiple 100 goal seasons?....only 1 ....George Doig

Freezin the sometime, one time, West Aussie!!!!!! Perhaps you should invite B Joyce to visit; he is looking a little uncomfortable at the moment. We all know he was born in NZ. However, he played footy in Narembeen before moving down to Perth to play for the mighty black and whites. Compare and contrast that with Margaret Court and you will clearly see that there is a great deal of difference between the two.

Do we want to extend the debate about dual citizens into this discussion?

swan42 wrote:

Freezin wrote: Considering Billy Walker was born in Huntly New Zealand can't see how he can be considered 42... fantastic footballer in the WAFL...but a statue of a Kiwi outside a WA stadium....mmm no thanks... only WA born n bred sporting icons please

George Doig ....how many FF standing at 173cm are there or has there been that can kick multiple 100 goal seasons?....only 1 ....George Doig

Freezin the sometime, one time, West Aussie!!!!!! Perhaps you should invite B Joyce to visit; he is looking a little uncomfortable at the moment. We all know he was born in NZ. However, he played footy in Narembeen before moving down to Perth to play for the mighty black and whites. Compare and contrast that with Margaret Court and you will clearly see that there is a great deal of difference between the two.

Do we want to extend the debate about dual citizens into this discussion?

B Joyce played for Narembeen and Swans? go figure.....

I can see the price of bronze going through the roof...

swan42 wrote:

Freezin wrote: Considering Billy Walker was born in Huntly New Zealand can't see how he can be considered 42... fantastic footballer in the WAFL...but a statue of a Kiwi outside a WA stadium....mmm no thanks... only WA born n bred sporting icons please

George Doig ....how many FF standing at 173cm are there or has there been that can kick multiple 100 goal seasons?....only 1 ....George Doig

Freezin the sometime, one time, West Aussie!!!!!! Perhaps you should invite B Joyce to visit; he is looking a little uncomfortable at the moment. We all know he was born in NZ. However, he played footy in Narembeen before moving down to Perth to play for the mighty black and whites. Compare and contrast that with Margaret Court and you will clearly see that there is a great deal of difference between the two.

Do we want to extend the debate about dual citizens into this discussion?

Theres no difference apart from the fact Court is Australian, and Walker a Kiwi.

Marg Court achieved all this as a West Australian.
1966 – After losing to Billie Jean King at Wimbledon in a semi final match, Court temporarily retired.
1968 - Returned to match play late in 1967 and playing a full schedule in 1968, reached the final of the Australian Championships, losing to King.
1969 – Won three of the four Grand Slam singles and mixed doubles tournaments.
1970 – Won all four Grand Slam singles tournaments, defeating Kerry Melville Reid in the Australian Open final, Helga Niessen Masthoff in the French Open final, Billie Jean King in the Wimbledon final, and Rosemary Casals in the US Open final. Maureen Connolly in 1953 and Steffi Graf in 1988 are the only other women who have won all four Grand Slam singles tournaments during the same calendar year.
1971 – Won the Australian Championship for the 10th time. After losing the Wimbledon singles final, temporarily retired to prepare for the birth of her first child in March 1972.
1972 – Returned to the tour after missing the Wimbledon Championships.
1973 – Won three of the four Grand Slam singles and women's doubles tournaments. Became the first mother in the open era to win the Australian, French, and US Open Championships. Lost her match with Bobby Riggs. Her women's doubles title at the US Open completed a "boxed set" of Grand Slam titles won exclusively after the start of the open era in 1968.
1974 – Absent from the game until November because of the birth of her second child. Won the Western Australian Championships on her playing return and reached the final of the New South Wales Championships the following week.
1975 – Played the final Grand Slam singles match of her career, losing to Martina Navratilova in a quarterfinal of the US Open 6–2, 6–4. At her final Australian championships (played in December 1974) she suffered only her second defeat in the Singles prior to the final in all her appearances at the event, losing to Navratilova in a quarter final. Having won the mixed doubles at her last Wimbledon (partnering Marty Riessen), she partnered with Virginia Wade at the US Open to win her 62nd Grand Slam title and 19th Grand Slam women's doubles title, defeating King and Casals in the final. This was Court's last Grand Slam title.
1976 – Having reached the final of the Virginia Slims of Akron tournament in February (losing to Evert) Court was absent from the game for most of the year due to the birth of her third child. In September, she reached the final of the Toray Sillook Open, losing to Stove.
1977 – Played the final singles match of her career, defeating Greer Stevens in the third round of the Virginia Slims Championships of Detroit 5–7, 7–6, 6–3. Court defaulted the quarterfinal to Françoise Dürr upon learning that she was pregnant with her fourth child.