Swan Districts Football Club

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Swan Districts
Image:Swan Districts FC.PNG
Full name Swan Districts Football Club
Nickname
Strip Black and white vertical stripes with black yoke at top; black or white shorts; black and white hooped socks.
Founded 1934
Sport Australian rules football
League West Australian Football League
First season 1934
Ground Steel Blue Oval, Bassendean
Club song unnamed
President/Chair Peter Harvey
Coach Brian Dawson
Captain Adam Lange
2007 7th of 9

Swan Districts are an Australian rules football club based in Bassendean, Western Australia, a suburb in the east of Perth. They joined the West Australian Football League in 1934, but a "Swans" senior team has existed since 1883, the second oldest of any code in Western Australia after "Unions".

Contents

[edit] History

Swan Districts won seven out of 18 games in their debut season in 1934. After finishing last in 1960, Swan Districts appointed Haydn Bunton Junior as senior coach in early 1961, which saw the Swans win their first flag in 1961, with two more following in 1962 and 1963.

John Todd, who took the coaching reins at Bassendean in 1977, brought with him a new winning culture, one which would emulate that of the Haydn Bunton era. By the 1980s, the Swans became the dominant side in the WAFL, winning three straight flags in 1982, 1983 and 1984 and a further flag in 1990 after his stint as coach with the West Coast Eagles.

[edit] Statistics

Sandover Medallists: George Krepp 1935, Jim Davies 1944, Haydn Bunton Junior 1962, Bill Walker 1965-1967 & 1970, Phil Narkle 1982, Mick Grasso 1990, Jeremy Wasley 1996, Shane Beros 2003.

Most Games: Bill Walker 305

WANFL/WAFL Premierships: 1961-62-63, 1982-83-84, 1990

Record Home Attendance: 22,350 v West Perth, 19th May 1980

[edit] League premiership teams

1961 Finals Swan Districts lost the second semi final to East Perth, then beat Subiaco in the Preliminary Final to win through to the Grand Final

1961 Grand Final Swan Districts 17.9 (111) defeated East Perth 12.15 (87)

1961 Premiership Team

Backs: C Maynard Joe Lawson Tony Nesbit
Half Backs: W Brown Ken Bagley D Thompson
Centres: B Gray M Kelleher J Mack
Half Forwards: M Ashworth John Turnbull K Watt
Forwards: Cyril Litterick L Johnston Bill Walker
Ruck: Keith Slater Fred Castledine Haydn Bunton, Jr
Interchange: C Noble A Sangalli
Coach: Haydn Bunton, Jr

1962 Finals Swan Districts defeat East Fremantle in the second semi final.

1962 Grand Final Swan Districts 14.10 (94) defeated East Fremantle 10.16 (76)

1962 Premiership Team

Backs: K Cooper Joe Lawson Tony Nesbit
Half Backs: W Brown Ken Bagley G Devitt
Centres: B Gray C Maynard F Copeman
Half Forwards: C Noble John Turnbull K Watt
Forwards: Cyril Litterick Eric Gorman Bill Walker
Ruck: Keith Slater Fred Castledine Haydn Bunton, Jr
Interchange: H Fullgrabe M Drennan
Coach: Haydn Bunton, Jr

1963 Finals Swan Districts defeat East Perth in the first semi final, then Swan Districts defeat Perth in the Preliminary Final

1963 Grand Final Swan Districts 17.10 (112) defeated East Fremantle 13.12 (90)

1963 Premiership Team

Backs: K Cooper Joe Lawson Tony Nesbit
Half Backs: C Maynard Fred Castledine G Devitt
Centres: B Gray John Turnbull D Sidebottom
Half Forwards: C Noble Ken Bagley K Watt
Forwards: Cyril Litterick Eric Gorman Bill Walker
Ruck: Keith Slater F Copeman Haydn Bunton, Jr
Interchange: R McVee P Downey
Coach: Haydn Bunton, Jr

1982 Finals Swan Districts defeat Claremont in the second semi final

1982 Grand Final Swan Districts 18.19 (127) defeated Claremont 11.12 (78)

1982 Premiership Team

Backs: P Kenny Tom Mullooly W Skwirowski
Half Backs: Graham Melrose A Cransberg Anthony Solin
Centres: Phil Narkle Leon Baker J Davidson
Half Forwards: Brad Shine Murray Rance Keith Narkle
Forwards: A Sidebottom Stan Nowotny Don Holmes
Ruck: Ron Boucher Jon Fogarty Mike Richardson
Interchange: Don Langsford R Fitzgerald
Coach: John Todd

1983 Finals Swan Districts defeat East Fremantle in the first semi final, then Swan Districts defeat South Fremantle in Preliminary Final

1983 Grand Final Swan Districts 15.14 (104) defeated Claremont 12.11 (83)

1983 Premiership Team

Backs: W Skwirowski Anthony Solin P Ware
Half Backs: Don Langsford Murray Rance L Brenton
Centres: Keith Narkle M Smith Phil Narkle
Half Forwards: Gerard Neesham P Kenny Don Holmes
Forwards: Barry Kimberley Leon Baker Ron Boucher
Ruck: Peter Sartori Jon Fogarty Brad Shine
Interchange: A Cransberg Stan Nowotny
Coach: John Todd

1984 Finals East Fremantle defeat Swan Districts in the second semi final, then Swan Districts defeat Claremont in Preliminary Final

1984 Grand Final Swan Districts 20.18 (138) defeated East Fremantle 15.12 (102)

1984 Premiership Team

Backs: W Skwirowski Tom Mullooly G Outridge
Half Backs: Don Langsford Murray Rance Anthony Solin
Centres: S Renfree S Richardson Keith Narkle
Half Forwards: Don Holmes Peter Sartori Brad Shine
Forwards: J Ahmat B Hutton K Marshall
Ruck: M Johns Jon Fogarty Barry Kimberley
Interchange: K Caton Gerard Neesham
Coach: John Todd

1990 Finals Claremont defeat Swan Districts in the second semi final, then Swan Districts defeat South Fremantle in Preliminary Final

1990 Grand Final Swan Districts 16.7 (103) defeated Claremont 10.17 (77)

[edit] Team of the Century

Backs: Graham Melrose Joe Lawson Jack Murray
Half Backs: Stan Nowotny Fred Castledine Ken Bagley
Centres: Phil Narkle Leon Baker George Krepp
Half Forwards: Peter Manning Garry Sidebottom Mike Richardson
Forwards: Haydn Bunton, Jr Ted Holdsworth Ron Boucher
Ruck: Keith Slater Tony Nesbit Bill Walker
Interchange: Tom Mullooly Craig Holden Keith Narkle Duggan Anderson
Interchange: Don Langsford Don Holmes Bob Beecroft
Coach: John Todd

[edit] Club record goal kickers

Ted Holdsworth was the first Swan Districts player to kick more than 100 goals. The most goals ever kicked in a season by a Swan Districts player was by Simon Beasley who kicked 119 goals in 1981,[1]. Warren Ralph kicked 120 goals for Claremont and won the Bernie Naylor Medal.

[edit] Bernie Naylor Medallists

The Bernie Naylor Medal is awarded to the leading goal kicker in the WAFL. Max George was the first Swan Districts player to top the WAFL goal kickers list and win the award in 1974 when he kicked 90 goals during the season. Simon Beasley shared the Bernie Naylor Medal in 1980 with Warren Ralph of Claremont (97 goals) Brent Hutton won the award in 1984 (83 goals) and Kevin Caton won it again in 1992 (51 goals). [2].

[edit] Club Song

The Swan Districts club song is nameless and its lyrics were written by John Watts.

We're all right,
We are the mighty fighting black and whites
There's not another team to match our pace,
Take our place
The Swans boys are jumping
We sure have started something
Here we come
Our banners fly on high to show that we have won
We play with all our might
Because we're full of fight
We're the famous
Black and whites

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] External links