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Archie Duda was a sure marking, accurate kicking full forward with East Perth in the seventies, averaging over four goals a game from his 118 appearances over six seasons, and was a favourite with Royals supporters.

But it may come as a surprise to many of them that Duda was originally recruited as a centreman. “ I was a bit quicker then,” he laughed when chatting with us recently.”As I got older I got slower.”

Recruited from Merredin as a sixteen year old, Archie Duda played with East Perth colts in 1969 and 70, graduating to the reserves the following year. Chosen as a reserve for the league side in the last qualifying match of the 1971 season, he made his debut for the Royals against Subiaco in the third game of  1972.

The move to goalsneak was a brainwave from coach Mal Brown.

East Perth saw the replacement for Phil Tierney that they had been searching for in the bulky Duda, and although showing every sign of fulfilling that faith with a good year, he was disappointed to be left out of the premiership side on grand final day.

Good in the air, and a fast leading player, Duda hit his straps in 1973, and maintained a high strike rate throughout the next six years, with tallies in the double figures interspersing the usual three, four, and five goal returns he achieved on a weekly basis.  He bagged 493 goals in his six seasons as  East Perth spearhead, and played in a losing grand final in 1976.

A dominant full forward in that period, there were clamourings for him to be rewarded with State selection, but, as with the previous two decades in the WANFL, there were plenty of other quality full forwards with strong claims also. Austin Robertson(pre 1974), Murray Couper, Norm Uncle, Ray Bauskis, Max George, Phil Smith, Peter Troode, and Mark Olsen all played at full forward for WA  in the seventies.

Archie Duda eventually got his chance in a game against Victoria in 1977. “I was playing on David Dench, and he was a real tough opponent,” he recalled. WA  were behind all day, eventually losing by 63 points,with Archie kicking one goal in his only game in the Black and Gold.   

After a stellar 1977 season, Duda's form tapered off the following year. He was left out of the premiership side, leaving him unluckily missing two premierships in his league career at East Perth through non selection, in 1972 and 1978. Consolation in 78 was playing in a winning reserves side on grand final day.

The advent of Barry Cable as coach saw movement at the station at East Perth, and Archie Duda was traded to Subiaco for Dennis Blair. Archie said of that period of his football: “ After being traded from East Perth, my interest in league football waned. I went to Subiaco, then got cleared to Perth, playing about five games with each of them, but the enthusiasm wasn't there as it was before.”

In 1981, Duda joined former Perth star, Greg Brehaut at Wanneroo, and enjoyed the premiership success that had eluded him at East Perth.

Along with Dench, he says that John Quartermaine(Perth) and Steve Gillespie(Swans) were his toughest opponents, and rates  Peter Spencer and Steven Curtis the best he'd played with, while giving Mal Brown accolades as a great coach.

We couldn't let a Brownie admirer go without a Brownie story, and Arch was nice enough to oblige, after searching long and hard for a suitably clean anecdote.

“We used to train on Sunday mornings at East Perth,” he said, “ And Johnnie Hayes would turn up without the proper gear and apologise to Brownie for not being able to train that morning. “Calcified glands” was his reply to Mal's request for a suitable reason.

“After seven weeks of this, Brownie had had enough.” What ISthis calcified glands thing, anyway?” he asked Haysey.

“Buggered if I know, but it's got me out of seven weeks' Sunday morning training,” was the swift and emphatic retort.

A  member of WA Police for thirty one years, Archie Duda is a member of the Mt Lawley Golf Club, where he enjoys the company of a fair sprinkling of other ex footballers, and also enjoys getting to an East Perth game whenever he can.

The hands that sunk many an opposition team on the footy field are now engaged in guiding a golf ball towards a tiny hole much further away than a sixty yard torpedo.

“And it's twice as bloody hard”, says Arch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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