TOPIC:

Yes, of course, a strong Perth would be a good thing for the comp. especially in these dark days of the alignment. Look at a team like Claremont - just been through a very successful era and now looking like also-rans, with a Perth discard lining up at FF, and with a former Perth assistant as league coach. Look at East Fremantle, said to have the best midfield outside of the AFL (according to Ken Judge) and smashed by Peel on the weekend.

Anyway, on to Perth. There's some guys on here who have short memories. Lowest ebb? Really? Remember the year 2000 anyone?

On Saturday's game. Remember this: we were without J. Morton, M. Morton, Chance Bateman, Dene White, Stack, Irons, Hodge, and Lawrence. That's a fair bit of WAFL and AFL experience there and with a young side which doesn't have a lot of depth the kind of result we saw on the weekend was fairly predictable. We simply can't cover the loss of our best players (down on form or with injury) at the moment. I'd be interested to know whether West Perth were without say 6 or 7 of there best 10 players on the weekend, and how different the score board might have been if the situations were reversed.

Having said that, there were some positives: Tropiano, Payne, McKenna (all recent recruits), and some of the young guys, like Sinclair continue to develop. We are going to have to be patient this year. Expect that results and performances will go up and down, especially with guys like Leggett.


And let's not forget that there was at least three of our home-grown players - College, McInnes, who played BIG parts in East Perth's win on the weekend, and Mzungu - playing with Peel and East Perth. For a club like us to develop that sort of talent and have them not playing for us but for opposition teams is an absolute disgrace and an indictment on the management of football in this state. Talk about kicking a club when they are down.

I'm thrilled that our Ressies won - I seriously thought we might go through the season win-less there. And that's a positive, too, since it might mean that a couple (Browne, Holland, even Florio and Ransted) can come through from the 2nds and press for selection and put some pressure on the guys who are in the league team.

dogman wrote: Anyway, being a tad positive for you Pth followers, can you imagine the support you would get for a GF?

Probably the only chance of getting 30k to the grand final dogman.

Really? I believe a Perth GF against any side (other than Peel, Subiaco or Claremont) would draw a big crowd. However, a WP v. EP GF or a EF v. SF GF would probably generate more.

32000 attended the 97 GF between SF and EF; 31000 attended the 02 GF between EP and WP. Only the EP v. EF GF has come close to those numbers in recent times. Last years GF between Subi and EP had an attendance of just over 11,000 - and this because Subi have low supporter numbers and because the alignment has affected the numbers of EP supporters. The first time around - when the alignment catapulted EP into the GF for the first time since 78 - was probably a novelty. The novelty is now wearing off I suspect.

Just under 8,000 attended our last final against SF in 97.

Just to put some perspective into this discussion:

2014: 3 - 17
2013: 10 - 10
2012: 6 - 14
2011: 9 - 11
2010: 2 - 18
2009: 9 - 10
2008: 7 - 12
2007: 3 - 17
2006: 7 - 13
2005: 3 - 17
2004: 10 - 10
2003: 6 - 14
2002: 9 - 9
2001: 6 - 12
2000: 1 - 17

Our best seasons have been 2002 (Eastaugh), 2004 (Magro), 2009 (Jarman), 2011 and 2013 (McMahon). Our worst 2000 (Armstrong), 2007 (Magro), 2010 (Jarman), and 2014 (McMahon).

Magro coached Perth up until 2005 PD, then Eastaugh for three seasons, then Karmen for 2009 an 2010 and then McMahon.

Its a moot point discussing GF crowd numbers because we are not going to get in one any time soon,not in our life time anyway.

I dont see the relevance in bringing up previous coaches/teams performances,this is 2015 and the past has no bearing on this seasons results.

Just for my two bobs worth,we wont win a game this season thus making it the worst since 2000,i might add we had a number of players in the 2000 team that were drafted into the AFL.
This 2015 team will have none!
Also 2000 was classic "Perth" where no recruiting was done for Garry Armstrong...none.

Personal Demon re-players missing on Saturday.
Maybe 3 players you named would have made a slight difference certainly not a match winning one.
West Perth also had about 3 out through injury that would have bolstered there team on the weekend.

Im more annoyed with the stuff this club can control re players missing,like the big number of players we have playing at other WAFL clubs and this excludes the aligned players.
The PFC should have refused Gerald Ugles clearance to Peel and if it meant an independent body had to rule on it,so be it!

IMO we as a club have no idea what it is we are doing,where it is we what to be and how we go about achieving success.

Thanks for correcting my confusion Mr. AFL.

I'm not buying that those 8 players wouldn't make a difference. That's complete nonsense. White, Bateman, Hodge in our midfield would have made a huge difference; Morton up forward would have counted for at least a few goals, as would Stack, on song. Irons would have counted, too. And, who knows what value Lawrence would add, but he would offer another option upforward. I'm not saying we would have won, but I do think with those players (4 ex AFL, 4 very solid WAFL players) would have brought us closer. If you can name the 4 ex AFL players, and 2 former best & fairest's, and a solid WAFL player like Morton missing from the West Perth side then name them. And, and I'm afraid that not having the likes of M<zungu, College, McInnes and Tunbridge not out there for us when they should have been would have made a huge difference. Please name the current West Perth players now playing for Peel and East Perth.
And, ALL clubs have former players running around from other clubs. We have Rodgers, Elari, Houghton, Busher, and Ugle from other clubs from memory. I know Donovan is at Swans, but hasn't played yet. And I think Cruise is playing Peel reserves.

Forgot to mention B. Jones at Peel.