1978 WANFL season
| 1978 WAFL season | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 8 |
| Premiers |
East Perth (14th premiership) |
| Minor premiers |
Perth (7th minor premiership) |
| Bernie Naylor Medallist | Ray Bauskis (South Fremantle) |
| Sandover Medallist | Phil Kelly (East Perth) |
|
← 1977
1979 →
|
|
The 1978 WANFL season was the 94th season of the Western Australian National Football League in its various incarnations, and the second-last under that moniker.
In many respects this season proved the end of an era before the power balance in the WA(N)FL would drastically alter. Although apart from an almost rainless August less dry than the previous two seasons, 1978 saw numerous high-scoring records broken owing to the introduction from the eighth round of the interchange bench (initially called “switch-play”) allowing players to be rotated and create a much faster game than possible when substituted players could not be returned to play. The average score of 113.92 points per team per game was four points higher than the previous record of 1977.
Claremont, after five years as a chopping block due to the absence of Graham Moss with only 28 wins from 105 games with Essendon, and rejuvenated by many young players who would star in their 1981 premiership and/or with VFL clubs began superbly and missed fourth place by a minuscule 0.1 percent after a remarkable final round, whilst West Perth, after a bad start with four losses, won ten in a row to become the frontrunner along with reigning champion Perth. Tailenders Subiaco and Swan Districts were trying desperately to win and avoid the wooden spoon, whilst powerhouses West Perth and East Perth battled with Claremont and South Fremantle for the last three places in the four. A near-record attendance at Leederville saw East Perth, who had won only six of their first fourteen matches, miraculously take the double chance after having been out of the four for almost the entire season as the Tigers and Bulldogs lost.
The finals continued the brilliant performance by East Perth to win by nineteen goals in the preliminary and then the Royals upset frontrunners Perth in a game where the weather seemed to change several times a quarter from sunny to torrential downpours.
In an amazing game in showery and very windy conditions, Subiaco, failing to allow for the strong northwesterly wind when shooting for goal, kick only 1.12 (18) in the first half but 6.5 (41) in third before rain intensifies.
Despite kicking only a total of 3.17 (35) in the first and final quarters, Stephen Michael’s superb ruck play gives South Fremantle a deserved win after controlling the game until three-quarter time.
Wasteful play by West Perth and superb roving by Neil Randall and Neil Taylor ensures the Cardinals’ first loss since Round 4 and Subiaco’s first win since Round 7 – a win that in effect avoided the wooden spoon for Subiaco.
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