1981 WAFL season
| 1981 WAFL season | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 8 |
| Premiers |
Claremont (5th premiership) |
| Minor premiers |
Claremont (6th minor premiership) |
| Matches played | 88 |
| Highest attendance | 18,106 |
| Bernie Naylor Medallist | Warren Ralph (Claremont) |
| Sandover Medallist | Stephen Michael (South Fremantle) |
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← 1980
1982 →
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The 1981 WAFL season was the 97th season of the West Australian Football League in its various incarnations. The season opened on 11 April and concluded on 3 October with the 1981 WAFL Grand Final between Claremont and South Fremantle. It was the last WAFL season to begin in April and end in October; from 1982 the league shifted the schedule of the season forward by a week and in later years by another.
The 1981 WAFL season is famous because of its prodigious scoring, chiefly by premiers Claremont, who led by spearhead Warren Ralph and brothers Jimmy and Phil Krakouer (in their last season before moving to North Melbourne where they would help move this attacking style of football to the code’s highest level) broke numerous scoring records for a match and a season. During 1981, the 1979 record score by Swan Districts was broken twice, with the last round record by South Fremantle still remaining as the highest score in senior WAFL history. The average score of 123 points per team per game is the highest in WAFL history and as much as ten points higher than the VFL/AFL maximum during 1982, whilst tailender Perth set the unenviable record of conceding 157 points per match, allowing under 100 only on a very wet day against East Perth.
East Fremantle’s unusual policy of playing four roving forwards gives Old Easts an open forward line that completely outplays the Cardinals, as shown by a match total of ninety-three effective handballs to West Perth's fifty.
Six third quarter goals by Demon flanker Doug Simms brings the match to life despite the Demons being thrashed for the fourth successive week and finishing with a percentage of 49.87.
East Perth’s gamble to rely on bold attacking play fails as Swan Districts win the toss with a stiff easterly and later dominate the final quarter against this breeze.
Led by Les Fong in this 150th match, West Perth, despite a serious knee injury to John Duckworth, come back from 32 points down during the third quarter to win a thriller over their rivals.
With young Laurie Keene kicking nine goals, Subiaco make a charge for fourth place against the struggling Royals, for whom no one does much in attack against Mitch Fussell’s speed.
Subiaco lose full-back Fussell with a compound left leg fracture and this loss combined with their on-field loss to South Fremantle ends the Lions hopes of a finals berth.
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