Remembering Subi: The top five interstate victories at Subiaco Oval

As the 2017 AFL season draws to an end, so does the life of one its longest serving stadiums.

For over a century, Subiaco Oval has been the home of Western Australian football and more recently for the past 30 years, the home of the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers.

From 2018, the AFL will move across the city to the new Perth Stadium, which promises to deliver a world-class match day experience for 60,000 fans.

Over its history, the ground has generally been a graveyard for travelling teams.

The combination of long flights, a longer ground and one eyed-parochial fans help the Eagles and Dockers enjoy one of the best home ground advantages in the league.

With that being said, interstate teams are understandingly over the moon to snare four points when they come across the Nullarbor.

Since Subiaco Oval has seen its fair share of Western Australian triumphs and tributes, I thought I’d take a look at the five most memorable victories from interstate teams in the AFL era.

5. Western Bulldogs versus West Coast, Elimination Final 2016
West Coast 7.10 (52) def by Western Bulldogs 14.15 (99)
The Western Bulldogs entered the elimination final as rank outsiders against a red-hot Eagles outfit.

Only two weeks before, West Coast had knocked off top four contenders Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval to finish in sixth place after winning eight of their last nine games.

In contrast, the Bulldogs were struggling, having lost to a struggling Fremantle side before the bye.

Compounding the Dogs’ slim odds was the necessity to rush Tom Liberatore, Jordan Roughead, Jack Macrae and Easton Wood into the side, who were all returning from injury without any match experience.

Everything seemed to be set up for an Eagles victory, however, someone forgot to tell the Bulldogs, who monstered the Eagles in every quarter.

The Dogs ran out 47-point winners, ending the 2015 runner up’s season.

The result kick-started the Dogs’ march to their now famous fairy tailed run to the club’s second premiership.

Making the win even more special was the fact that the Eagles had not lost a final at Subiaco Oval since 2007.

(AAP Image/Tony McDonough)

4. Hawthorn versus West Coast, qualifying final 1991
West Coast 15.11 (101) def by Hawthorn 18.16 (124)
Throughout the 1991 season, West Coast had been the form team of the competition and loomed as the first genuine threat to take the flag out of Victoria for the first time.

Although only in their fourth season in the VFL/AFL, the Eagles had finished on top of the ladder with 19 wins and a then AFL record percentage of 162.21.

Standing in their way, though, was a formidable second-placed Hawthorn outfit.

Led by then-six-time premiership player Michael Tuck, the Hawks had won four premierships during the 1980s, with 1991 being seen as the last opportunity for Hawthorn’s golden era to pinch a flag.

The match was played in front of a ground record of 44,142 people, with the majority expecting to see an Eagles win in their first step towards a maiden premiership.

Hawthorn had other ideas, turning on a vintage display to win by a comfortable 23 points.

Key forward Jason Dunstall was colossal with four goals, while Stephen Lawrence collected a game-high 30 disposals.

The result was an impressive victory for the Hawks, who would use the confidence of winning in Perth to then steamroll the Eagles by 53 points only a few weeks later in the grand final at Waverley Park.

3. Hawthorn versus Fremantle, preliminary final 2015
Fremantle 10.7 (67) def by Hawthorn 15.4 (94)
At the very same venue only two weeks before, Hawthorn had capitulated badly against a hungry West Coast outfit, losing by 32 points.

Coach Alastair Clarkson wasn’t very pleased, calling the performance as “pretty bad”.

The loss meant the Hawks were forced to defend their premiership by going the long way round, playing against Adelaide in a semi-final, which they then won comfortably.

The Hawks were now in the preliminary final for the fifth consecutive year in a row.

The 2015 grand final aside, the Hawks delivered arguably their most brilliant game in their premiership campaign against Fremantle.

Returning to the place of their recent shellacking, Hawthorn were unstoppable. Brilliant goal kicking and resilient defending resulted in a memorable win.

The win was also monumental as it dashed every Western Australian footy fan’s hopes of an all-WA grand final.

Sam Mitchell was enormous, gathering 35 disposals, while Cyril Rioli was at his mercurial best, kicking three goals which included the match winner after Tom Sheridan famously fumbled the ball and ‘dropped the world cup’.

2. Sydney versus West Coast, qualifying final 2006
West Coast 12.12 (84) def by Sydney 13.7 (85)
One of the greatest rivalries in football continued when West Coast hosted Sydney in the 2006 qualifying final at Subiaco Oval for the second consecutive year.

Like all of their matches between 2005 and 2007, the Swans and Eagles fought out a gruelling contest with little separating the two teams throughout the entire match.

With 25 minutes gone in the final quarter, the Eagles were in front by five points and looked likely to hold on and advance to the preliminary final for a second straight year.

However, a last-gasp kick from Nick Malceski led Eagles defender Drew Banfield to spoil dangerously towards goal, opening the door for Sydney star Michael O’Loughlin to run in and kick the match-winning goal.

The game will be etched in footy folklore, not only for the match but for O’Loughlin’s face to face encounter with a member of the Eagles cheer squad.

Interestingly, the final score of 84-85 would eerily be reversed when the Eagles won their third premiership only three weeks later.

1. Collingwood versus West Coast, semi-final 2007
West Coast 10.14 (74) def by Collingwood 13.15 (93)
The semi-final between West Coast and Collingwood will go down as one of the most enthralling finals games ever played.

Reigning premiers West Coast were coming off a heartbreaking three-point loss to Port Adelaide in the second qualifying final.

They were to face a Collingwood outfit who’d kept their season alive after a comfortable win over Sydney in their elimination final.

In a magnificent affair, the margin of the game rarely blew beyond single figures.

The Eagles held a slim margin of four points at three-quarter time, however in a true reflection of the contest, the Eagles and Pies kept exchanging blows with one team never being able to kick away from the other.

With two minutes to play, Collingwood led by a solitary point, before Andrew Embley missed a running shot, tying the match.

When the final siren blew, scores were locked at 72 a piece, meaning that extra time was needed for only the second time in AFL history.

Although the game had been a fierce contest, the extra time period was anything but that.

Unanswered goals to Chris Bryan, Scott Pendlebury and Dane Swan shut the door on the Eagles and Collingwood ran out victors by 19 points.

Anthony Rocca’s three goals and Dane Swan’s 38 disposals and two goals were instrumental in Collingwood’s upset win.

A moment that Pies fans will never forget was Dane Swan slamming through a goal on the extra time siren.

It was no doubt the icing on a glorious black and white cake.