The WA Football Commission is about to make one of its most far-reaching and important decisions regarding the WAFL.Should the WAFC choose to play the WAFL grand final at Optus Stadium on September 19, it will underline the primacy of the league as the natural continuation of the 136-year-old competition that is the foundation of all football in this State.The message will be clear – the WAFL remains important enough for its marquee match to be played at the State’s most substantial sporting location.The cost of the game will be outweighed by its significance.But if the WAFC decides to build on the success of last year’s grand final by scheduling the match at Fremantle Community Bank Oval, it will create a new direction for the WAFL.That message will be equally clear – that pragmatism and logical considerations are paramount at an organisation sensitive about last year’s bruising parliamentary inquiry and still subject to budgetary restraint.Make no mistake, if the grand final is played at a suburban ground – even one notable for a vibrant atmosphere that will foreshadow its imminent transformation into an outstanding boutique venue – it is unlikely to ever return to Burswood.
The choice rests between Burswood and Fremantle, one the glittering modern centre of WA football and the other an historic location steeped in the sport and soon to be the most impressive second-tier venue in the country
There are compelling cases to be made for both locations while no other ground is in the race.Arena Joondalup is too remote and has little shelter. Only a few of the 1050 hardy spectators there last Saturday were able to escape a drenching and it is unimaginable how 10,000 or more would respond if the last day of the season were as wet.And Leederville Oval is no chance. The City of Vincent did not even meet the WAFC deadline for grand final submissions, either forgetting the required date or having insufficient interest to meet it, while the ground’s antiquated facilities and poor surface would surely fall below acceptable standards.The other venues are even more impractical while the WACA Ground, for all the talk about it reverting to a multi-sport facility, would be preparing for cricket season in late September when the WAFL’s premier event is about to be held.The choice rests between Burswood and Fremantle, one the glittering modern centre of WA football and the other an historic location steeped in the sport and soon to be the most impressive second-tier venue in the country.Most players are eager to play at Optus, believing their best efforts should be rewarded with an opportunity to appear on the State’s biggest stage. It is an argument of considerable merit.Others are also wary of South Fremantle getting an unfair advantage should they qualify at their home ground.That argument was diminished last year when the Bulldogs only survived by three points in a nail-biting encounter while there was little fuss made in recent decades when Subiaco made numerous grand final appearances at the ground they called home for nearly a century.Working against a return to Optus is the decline in crowd numbers that have fallen so dramatically this season that the average crowd of 1495 is the lowest since 1934.Forecasting a bumper grand final crowd is difficult when the reality is that individual WAFL matches draw so few people.Yet WAFC officials considering whether the game should be played at Optus would be buoyed by the 2018 result when 25,064 turned up even with a dominant Subiaco about to complete the first unbeaten season in more than 70 years.The WAFC has a big decision to make. The grand final location might come down to a toss of a coin but the winner could prevail for this season and many beyond it.Wednesday heroPercy Johnson won a flag at East Fremantle 64 years ago and has been a staunch WA football coach, commentator, cajoler and character ever since. Percy has been in poor health in recent times but he was determined to reach his 88th birthday and equally determined to get back to Steel Blue Oval where he has played a massive role in the development of numerous young Swan Districts players. Percy finally got to Bassendean on Saturday where he quickly reminded ruckman Corey Gault to “be aggressive” and was equally trenchant with anyone else whose path he crossed, including East Fremantle coach Bill Monaghan who rushed over to shake the WA Hall of Famer by the hand.
