WAFL Grand Final, 1955.    Down by thirty four points at the main break, Perth fought back in a wind assisted third term to be within two points at three quarter time, but with a strong breeze against them in the run home, looked to be up against it.  When the deficit quickly ballooned to fifteen points, the Demons looked gone, but goals from Dickie Walker and Bert Wansbrough lifted the side, and when Tommy Davis goaled from a mark with seven minutes left, they were in front. Perth's 1955 premiership, which broke a forty eight year drought for the Demons, was not only a fitting sendoff for favourite son Merv McIntosh but an illustration of the worth to the club of Wansbrough.  One of Perth's all time great defenders, Wansbrough's effectiveness as a forward was exhibited on many occasions, none more so than the 1955 grand final, with his four goals in the third quarter providing the spark for a memorable    fightback. The six foot one and thirteen and a half stone Wansbrough played 127 games with Perth before retiring when he was in his prime, at the age of twenty five. A strong bodied high flier, he also exhibited considerable flair, and was one of the leading players of the competition during his seven year WAFL career.         A member of the unbeaten 1947 State Schoolboys side, a visit from Perth president E.W.Jones convinced the Beverly farmer to try out with the Demons in 1952. Selected in the league side at full forward as a nineteen year old, he had a promising, albeit innacurate, start against the strong South Fremantle combination, kicking two goals seven opposed to State full back Ray Richards. Wansbrough travelled from the farm to Perth on Saturday mornings to play, returning home after the game. “Bert Wansbrough was a terrific one on one player, who rarely lowered his colours,” respected football critic Percy Johnson, who played on Wansbrough, said. “He was a great high mark, didn't mind a bit of physical stuff, and was a good reader of the game.”    After filling the full forward role for a third of the season, coach George Bailey tried him in defence. “I'd never played in the back line in my life,” Bert recalls, “and my initiation was on East Fremantle's champ Jack Clarke, who was having a run at centre half forward.” Centre half back became Wansbrough's position, but Perth missed out on finals action in 1952. It was to be the only time during Bert's time there that the club didn't make the finals, but with the dominance of South Fremantle, West Perth, and later East Perth, premierships eluded Perth, until 1955, the year he was runner up in the Butcher Medal for fairest and best. The previous season Wansbrough had made his State debut, against Victoria at Subiaco. In what was to be a brief taste of interstate football, a broken ankle ten minutes into the first quarter saw the defender sidelined. “It couldn't have happened at a worse time,” he said. “I was due to get married, and almost had to walk down the aisle on crutches.” It was to be the first of four games in Western Australian colours. In 1955 and 56, Wansbrough showed his versatility by heading the club goalkicking list with 56 and 69 goals respectively, and was at centre half forward in Western Australia's carnival win over South Australia at Subiaco Oval in 1956.  A home and away game in that year sticks in Bert's memory. “It was our first game against East Perth, in round three,” he recalled. “It was one of the wettest days I ever played in. The WACA was a pool of water, and didn't suit the fast running East Perth side, who went on to win the premiership that year. We had held them goalless, and in the dying seconds of the game they got their only six pointer when the ball literally floated through the big sticks.”A combination of farm pressures and stomach problems forced Wansbrough's retirement from league football at the end of the 1958 season. Immediately installed as playing coach at Beverley, he guided them to an inaugural premiership in 1960, a member of the side being a sixteen year old John McIntosh, who was to become a star of a different era.   Wansbrough put the boots away after that game and concentrated on farming. In 1955 he and wife Norma began reclamation work on salt affected sites, and from there went  on to include general re-vegetation of degraded areas on their properties. They continued tree planting, and in 1995 planted their first Sandalwood to host trees established in 1993, and to date have twelve hectares consisting of five separate plantations of Sandalwood, numbering some four thousand.  Semi retired from general farming these days, they have become leaders in the use of the trees for land preservation purposes.Bert rates South Fremantle centre half forward Laurie Green as his hardest opponent, while obviously plumping for Merv McIntosh as best he played alongside, with a special mention to Reg Zeuner. Bert Wansbrough's value to Perth Football Club was recognised in 1999, when he was selected in their official Team of the Century, a well deserved honour for a great player of the fifties, arguably a decade  when Western Australian football was at it's best. WAFL Grand Final, 1955.    Down by thirty four points at the main break, Perth fought back in a wind assisted third term to be within two points at three quarter time, but with a strong breeze against them in the run home, looked to be up against it.  When the deficit quickly ballooned to fifteen points, the Demons looked gone, but goals from Dickie Walker and Bert Wansbrough lifted the side, and when Tommy Davis goaled from a mark with seven minutes left, they were in front. Perth's 1955 premiership, which broke a forty eight year drought for the Demons, was not only a fitting sendoff for favourite son Merv McIntosh but an illustration of the worth to the club of Wansbrough.  One of Perth's all time great defenders, Wansbrough's effectiveness as a forward was exhibited on many occasions, none more so than the 1955 grand final, with his four goals in the third quarter providing the spark for a memorable    fightback. The six foot one and thirteen and a half stone Wansbrough played 127 games with Perth before retiring when he was in his prime, at the age of twenty five. A strong bodied high flier, he also exhibited considerable flair, and was one of the leading players of the competition during his seven year WAFL career.         A member of the unbeaten 1947 State Schoolboys side, a visit from Perth president E.W.Jones convinced the Beverly farmer to try out with the Demons in 1952. Selected in the league side at full forward as a nineteen year old, he had a promising, albeit innacurate, start against the strong South Fremantle combination, kicking two goals seven opposed to State full back Ray Richards. Wansbrough travelled from the farm to Perth on Saturday mornings to play, returning home after the game. “Bert Wansbrough was a terrific one on one player, who rarely lowered his colours,” respected football critic Percy Johnson, who played on Wansbrough, said. “He was a great high mark, didn't mind a bit of physical stuff, and was a good reader of the game.”    After filling the full forward role for a third of the season, coach George Bailey tried him in defence. “I'd never played in the back line in my life,” Bert recalls, “and my initiation was on East Fremantle's champ Jack Clarke, who was having a run at centre half forward.” Centre half back became Wansbrough's position, but Perth missed out on finals action in 1952. It was to be the only time during Bert's time there that the club didn't make the finals, but with the dominance of South Fremantle, West Perth, and later East Perth, premierships eluded Perth, until 1955, the year he was runner up in the Butcher Medal for fairest and best. The previous season Wansbrough had made his State debut, against Victoria at Subiaco. In what was to be a brief taste of interstate football, a broken ankle ten minutes into the first quarter saw the defender sidelined. “It couldn't have happened at a worse time,” he said. “I was due to get married, and almost had to walk down the aisle on crutches.” It was to be the first of four games in Western Australian colours. In 1955 and 56, Wansbrough showed his versatility by heading the club goalkicking list with 56 and 69 goals respectively, and was at centre half forward in Western Australia's carnival win over South Australia at Subiaco Oval in 1956.  A home and away game in that year sticks in Bert's memory. “It was our first game against East Perth, in round three,” he recalled. “It was one of the wettest days I ever played in. The WACA was a pool of water, and didn't suit the fast running East Perth side, who went on to win the premiership that year. We had held them goalless, and in the dying seconds of the game they got their only six pointer when the ball literally floated through the big sticks.”A combination of farm pressures and stomach problems forced Wansbrough's retirement from league football at the end of the 1958 season. Immediately installed as playing coach at Beverley, he guided them to an inaugural premiership in 1960, a member of the side being a sixteen year old John McIntosh, who was to become a star of a different era.   Wansbrough put the boots away after that game and concentrated on farming. In 1955 he and wife Norma began reclamation work on salt affected sites, and from there went  on to include general re-vegetation of degraded areas on their properties. They continued tree planting, and in 1995 planted their first Sandalwood to host trees established in 1993, and to date have twelve hectares consisting of five separate plantations of Sandalwood, numbering some four thousand.  Semi retired from general farming these days, they have become leaders in the use of the trees for land preservation purposes.Bert rates South Fremantle centre half forward Laurie Green as his hardest opponent, while obviously plumping for Merv McIntosh as best he played alongside, with a special mention to Reg Zeuner. Bert Wansbrough's value to Perth Football Club was recognised in 1999, when he was selected in their official Team of the Century, a well deserved honour for a great player of the fifties, arguably a decade  when Western Australian football was at it's best. WAFL Grand Final, 1955.    Down by thirty four points at the main break, Perth fought back in a wind assisted third term to be within two points at three quarter time, but with a strong breeze against them in the run home, looked to be up against it.  When the deficit quickly ballooned to fifteen points, the Demons looked gone, but goals from Dickie Walker and Bert Wansbrough lifted the side, and when Tommy Davis goaled from a mark with seven minutes left, they were in front. Perth's 1955 premiership, which broke a forty eight year drought for the Demons, was not only a fitting sendoff for favourite son Merv McIntosh but an illustration of the worth to the club of Wansbrough.  One of Perth's all time great defenders, Wansbrough's effectiveness as a forward was exhibited on many occasions, none more so than the 1955 grand final, with his four goals in the third quarter providing the spark for a memorable    fightback. The six foot one and thirteen and a half stone Wansbrough played 127 games with Perth before retiring when he was in his prime, at the age of twenty five. A strong bodied high flier, he also exhibited considerable flair, and was one of the leading players of the competition during his seven year WAFL career.         A member of the unbeaten 1947 State Schoolboys side, a visit from Perth president E.W.Jones convinced the Beverly farmer to try out with the Demons in 1952. Selected in the league side at full forward as a nineteen year old, he had a promising, albeit innacurate, start against the strong South Fremantle combination, kicking two goals seven opposed to State full back Ray Richards. Wansbrough travelled from the farm to Perth on Saturday mornings to play, returning home after the game. “Bert Wansbrough was a terrific one on one player, who rarely lowered his colours,” respected football critic Percy Johnson, who played on Wansbrough, said. “He was a great high mark, didn't mind a bit of physical stuff, and was a good reader of the game.”    After filling the full forward role for a third of the season, coach George Bailey tried him in defence. “I'd never played in the back line in my life,” Bert recalls, “and my initiation was on East Fremantle's champ Jack Clarke, who was having a run at centre half forward.” Centre half back became Wansbrough's position, but Perth missed out on finals action in 1952. It was to be the only time during Bert's time there that the club didn't make the finals, but with the dominance of South Fremantle, West Perth, and later East Perth, premierships eluded Perth, until 1955, the year he was runner up in the Butcher Medal for fairest and best. The previous season Wansbrough had made his State debut, against Victoria at Subiaco. In what was to be a brief taste of interstate football, a broken ankle ten minutes into the first quarter saw the defender sidelined. “It couldn't have happened at a worse time,” he said. “I was due to get married, and almost had to walk down the aisle on crutches.” It was to be the first of four games in Western Australian colours. In 1955 and 56, Wansbrough showed his versatility by heading the club goalkicking list with 56 and 69 goals respectively, and was at centre half forward in Western Australia's carnival win over South Australia at Subiaco Oval in 1956.  A home and away game in that year sticks in Bert's memory. “It was our first game against East Perth, in round three,” he recalled. “It was one of the wettest days I ever played in. The WACA was a pool of water, and didn't suit the fast running East Perth side, who went on to win the premiership that year. We had held them goalless, and in the dying seconds of the game they got their only six pointer when the ball literally floated through the big sticks.”A combination of farm pressures and stomach problems forced Wansbrough's retirement from league football at the end of the 1958 season. Immediately installed as playing coach at Beverley, he guided them to an inaugural premiership in 1960, a member of the side being a sixteen year old John McIntosh, who was to become a star of a different era.   Wansbrough put the boots away after that game and concentrated on farming. In 1955 he and wife Norma began reclamation work on salt affected sites, and from there went  on to include general re-vegetation of degraded areas on their properties. They continued tree planting, and in 1995 planted their first Sandalwood to host trees established in 1993, and to date have twelve hectares consisting of five separate plantations of Sandalwood, numbering some four thousand.  Semi retired from general farming these days, they have become leaders in the use of the trees for land preservation purposes.Bert rates South Fremantle centre half forward Laurie Green as his hardest opponent, while obviously plumping for Merv McIntosh as best he played alongside, with a special mention to Reg Zeuner. Bert Wansbrough's value to Perth Football Club was recognised in 1999, when he was selected in their official Team of the Century, a well deserved honour for a great player of the fifties, arguably a decade  when Western Australian football was at it's best.