The East Fremantle Football Club is often forgotten by some who debate modern football history, but it shouldn’t be.
While we know a lot about Port Adelaide and its success thanks to its AFL application process and current presence, little is known outside of Fremantle and WA circles about the club that is the second most successful football club in the country.
The Fremantle area is rich in history, with at least two variants of a Fremantle club appearing and disappearing before 1897.
South Fremantle have had a strong rivalry with East Fremantle since they came onto the scene since they took the place of Fremantle in 1900. The two Fremantle clubs play a Foundation Day derby in June which is one of the biggest matches of the WAFL season.
It was no surprise when Fremantle was given the nod for Western Australia’s second AFL license in 1995.
East Fremantle was formed in 1898 and joined a WAFL that had just four teams, half of whom no longer play in the competition. (Today, only West Perth remains from the same year East Fremantle joined the WAFL.)
The club was originally known as the Blue and Whites, and also known as ‘Old Easts’ from 1906 until 1983, when it became the Sharks.
When the club was founded they started at Fremantle Oval, playing there until 1953 when they relocated across town to the East Fremantle Oval.
They have been remarkably successful, winning their first premiership in 1900 and six in the first 10 years. They’ve now won 29 premierships, and come runner up 29 times.
People wondering about the quality of the league in which these premierships were won should note that all but four of these premierships and runner-ups were won before 1980, with another one of each before the Eagles were introduced in 1987.
Its record is only beaten by the Port Adelaide Magpies at elite level.
There might have been another two premierships on that list if the club hadn’t lost two flags in controversial circumstances right at the start – an incorrect scoreboard in 1905, and an appeal against a goal scored after the half-time siren which was upheld by the WAFA in 1907.
If these were allowed, East Fremantle would have won 10 flags in a row.
The club has an enviable record, including an unbeaten run in 35 matches from July 1945 to May 1947. This run includes the 1946 season where the Sharks were undefeated in the WAFL (they lost an end of season challenge to Collingwood in Melbourne).
The club is the only WAFL club to have a positive win loss record against all other clubs in the league.
The club has featured 12 Sandover medallists including the 2013 recipient, Rory O’Brien. Jack Clarke won the award twice, in 1961 and 1963.
Additionally, eight East Fremantle players have won the Simpson Medal for best afield in a grand final.
Seven East Fremantle players have gone on to All-Australian honours, including Jack Clarke (four times), Norm Rogers (twice) and Ray Sorrell (twice).
The Fremantle legends side features 12 East Fremantle players, while 65 East Fremantle players have gone on to play in the VFL or AFL. Of those, Shane Woewodin went on to win the Brownlow Medal in 2000 while playing for Melbourne.
In 1987, when the Eagles were formed, 14 East Fremantle players were taken in the draft, as well as the coach.
A further 13 people have won the Bernie Naylor medal for the WA league’s leading goal kicker. George Doig won the award six times, four of them back to back from 1933-1936.
Doig is impossible to write off with a single sentence. In 1933, he was the first person to kick 100 goals in a season in WAFL history, and he would go on to break the century in eight different seasons.
In 1934 he kicked 152 goals for the season, which was an Australian record that stood until 1953 when it was broken by Bernie Naylor himself (167 goals). In the same year, he kicked a then record 19 goals in a single match.
Over nine years, Doig kicked 1083 goals at an average of 120 a season and more than five goals per game. He kicked a further 62 goals from 14 interstate matches.
In 2002, he was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame and in 2004 became a Legend of the WA Hall of Fame.
The AFL Fremantle football club’s best and fairest is named after the Doig family.
Thomas
Guest
Given the Dockers are now located down in Cockburn and Peel Thunder (effectively Rockingham/Mandurah) have become the de facto Dockers reserves its most likely any new club would be based up north in Joondalup. WAFL club West Perth (who are currently based in Joondalup) did tout that idea a couple of years back but it was more of a hypothetical long term aspiration than anything particularly concrete.
Lightning Jim
Guest
Thanks for the history lesson Wookie. They seem to have lots in common with Port Adelaide as a powerhouse, even though AFL premiership success is taking a bit longer. They'll certainly be knocking on the door next year. It's a pity that on a national level only the history of the Victorian clubs is preserved and promoted in the AFL. Of course we did join their competition, and that's to be expected. If it was the other way around and they joined the SA or WA competitions, I suspect the situation would be much the same in reverse. But it would be good if the AFL could give a bit more recognition and exposure to the roots of the interstate teams.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
I seriously doubt we'll see three teams in the near future. 20 years from now....who knows
Chocco
Roar Rookie
Will happen, just a matter of when and where, Joondalup or Mandurah IMO. I would be happier with a smaller stadium of 50km and 3 teams, rather than a 70k stadium and 2 teams.
Allan
Guest
Depends on how the Rockingham-Mandurah corridor is viewed.
kunming tiger
Guest
What are the chances of Perth having three AFL teams in the future?
Chocco
Roar Rookie
Nope, many fans of both clubs have refused to barrack for the Dockers citing South Freo or East Freo influences, but then again most have, there is quite sizable minority, probably similar to the SANFL that refuse to have much to do with the AFL at all. At a pinch East Freo fans support the Dockers less than South Freo, more South Freo influence at Dockers ..... initially anyway.
Franko
Guest
"There were more fights in the crowd and on the field at the Derbies than any other football we have been to since" Are these same people now united in their love for Freo in the AFL, or is it not as straightforward as that?
Chocco
Roar Rookie
East Freo have very good city and country zones, that is a result of both hard work and a bit of luck. Unlike other areas, East Freo and the surrounding suburbs have remained popular with new families moving in to replace aging populations, thus enabling the club to remian strong in its traditional base. Many other clubs have had the populations move out of the traditional areas, to the outer suburbs.
TW
Guest
As a South Fremantle supporter from a long way back we hated them. There were more fights in the crowd and on the field at the Derbies than any other football we have been to since. Mind you this happened a few years ago. When the clubs shared Freo oval it was not very polite at all. There were quite a few wharfies playing for both teams at that time and the rivalry was evident on the wharves. We could never work out where the X factor (Success) came from with that club and successful as a club they sure were. Their production of talent still continues today in the AFL Draft. However as a South supporter it would be remiss of me not to mention this fact. As good as East Freo was their best team would not match the Golden Era of South Fremantle - 1948 - 1953. Souths beat just about everybody in Australia who counted at that time plus winning many WAFL Premierships. They were called "The Machine" at the time headed by their Champion Goalkicker Bernie Naylor, who gets a mention in the article. Where would we be in footy without rivalry.