108-642: The Subiaco Football Club , nicknamed the Lions and known before 1973 as the Maroons , is an Australian rules football club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and WAFL Women's (WAFLW). It was founded in 1896, and admitted to the WAFL in 1901, along with North Fremantle . The club is currently based at Leederville Oval , having previously played at Subiaco Oval . Subiaco
216-638: A dominion , leagues were also established in the major cities. This renewed popularity helped encourage the formation of the Australasian Football Council , which in 1908 in Melbourne staged the first national interstate competition, the Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival , with teams representing each state and New Zealand. The game was also established early on in the new territories. In
324-490: A Subiaco dynasty was ended by the formation of the West Coast Eagles that summer, which quickly drained the WAFL of all its best talent. Nonetheless, he coached the Lions to another premiership in 1988 , and although they did decline to only six wins in 1989 and 1990, Subiaco maintained a respectable position in the weakened WAFL over the next decade, before becoming the richest and most powerful club therein during
432-517: A century. State of Origin rules, introduced in 1977, stipulated that rather than representing the state of their adopted club, players would return to play for the state they were first recruited in. This instantly broke Victoria's stranglehold over state titles and Western Australia and South Australia began to win more of their games against Victoria. Both New South Wales and Tasmania scored surprise victories at home against Victoria in 1990. The term " Barassi Line ", named after VFL star Ron Barassi ,
540-640: A class below in WAFL Grand Final 131. The Lions outplayed the Falcons in every term to run out 66-point winners at Domain Stadium to secure the club's 13th premiership. Matt Boland claimed the Simpson Medal for best player on ground with seven goals in a dazzling display. Shane Yarran became the first player of indigenous heritage to win the leading goal-kicker award for Subi in 2015 with 46 on
648-593: A foundation member of the WAFL Women's competition in 2019. The club song of the Subiaco Football Club is sung to the tune of " The Battle Hymn of the Republic " written by John Irvin, a supporter of Subiaco, and adopted by the club. Subiaco players know the meaning of success Dedication is the way to fight for happiness We're the mighty, fighting Lions and we'll grind them in the ground To
756-419: A game for either medical or tactical reasons. Players on the playing surface can be swapped with those on the interchange bench at any time. They must though pass through a designated "Interchange Area". In the event a player fails to pass through this area correctly, or if too many players from one team are found to be on the ground at a time, a free kick will be awarded to the opposing side. While there
864-467: A goal whilst Kyal Horsley captained Subiaco to his second Grand Final. Subiaco veteran Darren Rumble became the club's most successful player historically with his fifth premiership for the club. Less than 24 hours after Subiaco secured their club's twelfth premiership they also had the club's second Brownlow Medallist with Matthew Priddis winning the AFL's best and fairest after an outstanding season with
972-399: A mark is taken, a small protected zone is established on the field, extending 10 metres (11 yd) either side of "the mark" and the player who marked the ball, with a small protected corridor between "the mark" and the player. The opposition player is permitted to jump, but is not allowed to move from their position on "the mark". Any other movements result in a distance penalty (50 metres in
1080-413: A player breaks a rule, a free kick is awarded to the opposing team, from the location that the misconduct occurred, or the ball's current location—whichever is closer to the team's scoring zone. As when a mark is taken, this location is called "the mark", and the same protections regarding the space apply. Mike Fitzpatrick (footballer) Michael Clifford Fitzpatrick AO (born 28 January 1953)
1188-818: A premiership from third in 1924 and played in three grand finals for the rest of that decade, only to lose each time to East Fremantle or East Perth . They were noted for a large number of outstanding players during this period, including ruckman Tom Outridge and rover Johnny Leonard , but as these players declined Subiaco began a period of struggle that would rival their experiences in the 1900s (and from 1975 to 1983). They plummeted to their first wooden spoon since 1916 in 1937 and made an extremely ambitious recruiting coup by providing local employment for three Victorian champions in Haydn Bunton , Keith Shea and Les Hardiman . Although Bunton lived up to his Fitzroy reputation and at times did work far beyond that expected of
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#17327918481241296-549: A premiership team in 1973 and winning the club's best and fairest award in his last two seasons. Fitzpatrick transferred to the Victorian Football League (VFL) for the 1975 season and represented Carlton until his retirement at the end of the 1983 season . He played in premierships in 1979, 1981, and 1982, and captained the club from 1980 to 1983. Fitzpatrick also represented both Western Australia and Victoria in interstate matches . A graduate of
1404-566: A proposed hybrid code of Australian football and rugby league , the predominant code of football in New South Wales and Queensland, was trialled without success. In Queensland, the state league went into recess for the duration of the war. VFL club University left the league and went into recess due to severe casualties. The WAFL lost two clubs and the SANFL was suspended for one year in 1916 due to heavy club losses. The Anzac Day match ,
1512-888: A pupil at Rugby School in England, and returned to his homeland a star athlete and cricketer. Two weeks later, Wills' friend, cricketer Jerry Bryant , posted an advertisement for a scratch match at the Richmond Paddock adjoining the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). This was the first of several "kickabouts" held that year involving members of the Melbourne Cricket Club , including Wills, Bryant, W. J. Hammersley and J. B. Thompson . Trees were used as goalposts and play typically lasted an entire afternoon. Without an agreed-upon code of laws, some players were guided by rules they had learned in
1620-415: A record quarter score for a senior Australian rules final. They then beat East Fremantle to reach their first grand final since 1935, but were beaten by East Perth and in the following years Subiaco again struggled, winning only 69 and drawing three of 168 home-and-away games between 1960 and 1967 and never seeming to have good direction in their management. 1968, however, saw the club achieve stability through
1728-566: A rover, Shea and Hardiman did not, and Subiaco in the four seasons from 1938 to 1941 won only 23 and drew one of eighty games, finishing seventh twice and sixth twice in an eight-team competition. After the WANFL operated on an under-age format for three seasons from 1942 to 1944, Subiaco rose to fifth in 1945 and third in 1946, but this proved a false honeymoon. Sorely lacking in high quality players, Subiaco between 1947 and 1956 won only thirty-eight of 198 games, and simply failed to recruit players of
1836-465: A second Outridge Medal in 1974 , in both years finishing just ahead of Peter Featherby . In total, Fitzpatrick played 97 games in his five seasons at Subiaco, kicking 77 goals. Having been targeted by Victorian recruiters for several years, Fitzpatrick transferred to Carlton for the 1975 VFL season . He played in all 24 of his team's matches and kicked 27 goals, including five against Collingwood in just his second game. He finished equal eleventh in
1944-505: A second-tier status. The VFA merged with the former VFL reserves competition in 1998, adopting the VFL name. State of Origin also declined in importance, especially after an increasing number of player withdrawals. The AFL turned its focus to the annual International Rules Series against Ireland in 1998 before abolishing State of Origin the following year. State and territorial leagues still contest interstate matches, as do AFL Women players. In
2052-464: A select few ways as defined by the Laws of Australian Football, published by the AFL. The ball can be propelled in any direction by way of a kick or a clenched fist (called a handball )—deemed a correct disposal. Failure to dispose of the ball in one of these two methods will result in a free kick to the opposing team. If the ball is not currently in a player's possession, it can be moved legally through
2160-620: A similar situation existing in Western Australia in the sport, the VFL pursued a more national competition. Two more non-Victorian clubs, West Coast and Brisbane , joined the league in 1987 generating more than $ 8 million in license revenue for the Victorian clubs and increasing broadcast revenues which helped the Victorian clubs survive. In their early years, the Sydney and Brisbane clubs struggled both on and off-field because
2268-498: A slightly modified version of the Victorian game in 1879. The South Australian Football Association (SAFA), the sport's first governing body , formed on 30 April 1877, firmly establishing Victorian rules as the preferred code in that colony. The Victorian Football Association (VFA) formed the following month. Clubs began touring the colonies in the late 1870s, and in 1879 the first intercolonial match took place in Melbourne between Victoria and South Australia . To standardise
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#17327918481242376-676: A successful superannuations funds company of which 51 per cent was sold to the Westpac in 2002. Positions held were: In 1996, Fitzpatrick bought a vineyard in Victoria's Yarra Valley , which he named 'Squitchy Lane' (after Squitchey Lane in Oxford, where he lived as a student and first became interested in wine). Fitzpatrick was appointed to the AFL Commission in 2003, and in 2007 replaced Ron Evans as its chairman. He retired from
2484-406: A technique known shepherding when the ball is within 5 metres (5.5 yd) of an opposition player. Shepherding involves the use of a player's body to push, bump or otherwise block an opposition player, providing they do not have possession of the ball. If a player takes possession of the ball that has travelled more than 15 metres (16 yd) from another player's kick, by way of a catch within
2592-427: A uniform code known as "Victorian rules". In 1866, the "first distinctively Victorian rule", the running bounce , was formalised at a meeting of club delegates chaired by H. C. A. Harrison , an influential pioneer who took up football in 1859 at the invitation of Wills, his cousin. The game around this time was defensive and low-scoring, played low to the ground in congested rugby-style scrimmages. The typical match
2700-421: Is a summary of Subiaco footballers who have achieved the highest individual honours while playing for a VFL/AFL club. Australian rules football Australian rules football , also called Australian football or Aussie rules , or more simply football or footy , is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field , often a modified cricket ground . Points are scored by kicking
2808-522: Is an Australian businessman, sporting administrator and former professional Australian rules football player. He was chairman of the AFL Commission (football's governing body) from 2007 to 2017. Fitzpatrick was raised in Perth and began his football career with Subiaco in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). A ruckman , he played 97 games for the club between 1970 and 1974, playing in
2916-405: Is analogous to a basketball center and as such rucks are typically the tallest player on the team. Lifting teammates is not allowed so the ruck may only jump to reach the ball. If the ruck does not take possession of the football, it must must be tapped or fisted, which is known as a hit-out. An effective hit-out that passes the ball to a teammate is known as a hit-out to advantage. In the event
3024-460: Is known as the Goal Line. Around the perimeter of the field, two white lines are drawn between the set of behind posts in an arc-shape, marking the field of play. Other field markings include: The 50m arcs, centre square, centre circle and goal square are used at the beginning of each quarter or after each goal. With each team permitted a maximum of six players in each 50m arc, with one in
3132-470: Is no set uniform, the basic equipment for Australian football consists of a guernsey, shorts, socks and boots, with additional pieces of apparel such as headbands and gloves additionally being permitted. Players may wear certain pieces of protective equipment, such as helmets or arm guards, if approved by the relevant controlling body. Mouthguards are strongly recommended for all players. Players are not permitted to wear jewellery, or other materials which
3240-493: Is officiated by at least five match officials, known as an umpire . These match officials are placed into three categories based upon their roles and responsibilities, with varying minimum numbers of Umpires required depending on position: At AFL level, a video score review system is utilised. Only umpires are permitted to request a review, and only scoring shots and potential scoring shots are permitted to be reviewed. An Australian rules football may only be propelled forward in
3348-482: Is paid. Players can tackle using their hands or use their whole body to obstruct opponents. Dangerous physical contact (such as pushing an opponent in the back ), interference when marking, and deliberately slowing the play are discouraged with free kicks, distance penalties , or suspension for a certain number of matches depending on the severity of the infringement. The game features frequent physical contests, spectacular marking , fast movement of both players and
Subiaco Football Club - Misplaced Pages Continue
3456-2278: Is striving on. Glory, Glory Subiaco Glory, Glory Subiaco Glory, Glory Subiaco The team is striving on. Sandover Medal Winners: (10 total) 1921: Tom Outridge , 1935: Lou Daily , 1938: Haydn Bunton Sr , 1939: Haydn Bunton Sr , 1941: Haydn Bunton Sr , 1991: Ian Dargie , 1994: Ian Dargie , 2000: Richard Ambrose , 2002/2004: Allistair Pickett , 2006: Matthew Priddis , 2019: Lachlan Delahunty Simpson Medalists: (9 total) 1973: Dennis Blair , 1985: Brian Taylor, 1986: Mark Zanotti , 1988: Mick Lee, 2004: Paul Vines, 2006: Marc Webb, 2007: Brad Smith , 2008: Chris Hall, 2014: Jason Bristow, 2015: Matt Boland Bernie Naylor Medalists: (22 total) 1913: H. Limb (40), 1915: H. Limb (46), 1920: Pat Rodriguez (36), 1957: Don Glass (83), 1962: Austin Robertson Jr. (89), 1964: Austin Robertson Jr. (96), 1968: Austin Robertson Jr. (162), 1969: Austin Robertson Jr. (114), 1970: Austin Robertson Jr. (116), 1971: Austin Robertson Jr. (111), 1972: Austin Robertson Jr. (98), 1987: Todd Breman (111), 1988: Todd Breman (75), 1993: Jason Heatley (111), 1995: Jason Heatley (123), 1998: Todd Ridley (77), 2003: Brad Smith (84), 2004: Brad Smith (109), 2005: Lachlan Oakley (83), 2007: Brad Smith (126), 2008: Brad Smith (104), 2011: Blake Broadhurst (68), 2015: Shane Yarran (46) JJ Leonard Medalists: 2002: Kevan Sparks , 2004: Peter German , 2015: Jarrad Schofield , 2018: Jarrad Schofield , 2019: Beau Wardman Tassie Medal Winners: (1 total) 1969: Peter Eakins All Australians: 1966: Brian Sarre, 1969: Peter Eakins, 1972: George Young, 1986: Laurie Keene, 1986: Andrew MacNish Record Home Attendance: 21 088 v. Claremont on 2 June 1986 Highest Score: 29.33 (207) v. Peel Thunder on 3 May 2008 and 33.9 (207) v South Fremantle on 28 August 2010 Lowest Score: 0.0 (0) v. South Fremantle on 4 August 1906 Lowest Scores since 1919: 1.2 (8) vs. East Perth on 7 August 1920 and 1.5 (11) v. East Fremantle on 24 July 1954 Longest Winning Streak: 25 games from Grand Final, 2017 to Round 6, 2019 (including 2018 premiership) Longest Losing Streak: 24 games from Round 1, 1902 to Round 9, 1903 Subiaco's Team of
3564-783: Is used. The ball must be inflated to a pressure of 69 kilopascals (10.0 pounds per square inch). There are no defined laws regarding what material a ball must be made from, but standard AFL match-used balls are produced by Sherrin using cowhide leather. While there is no standard colour of the ball, red and yellow are most common and the only colours used at AFL level. Yellow is used for games beginning after 3 pm or in an enclosed stadium, due to its greater visibility, and to assist score reviews. Unlike other forms of football which are played on rectangular fields, Australian rules football playing fields are oval-shaped, and are between 135 and 185 metres (148 and 202 yd) long and 110 and 155 metres (120 and 170 yd) wide. At either end of
3672-549: The 1970 WANFL season , aged 17. He was 191 centimetres (6 ft 3 in) tall and 96 kilograms (212 lb) at his peak, and played as a ruckman. During the 1973 season , Fitzpatrick represented Subiaco at the Championship of Australia , played in the grand final victory over West Perth (the club's first premiership since 1924), and was awarded the Outridge Medal as the club's best and fairest player. He won
3780-519: The 1978 season , although he had time for only two games that year. During the 1979 season , Fitzpatrick played every match for Carlton and kicked 36 goals, including four each in games against Geelong and Hawthorn . He recorded 13 disposals, five marks, and 18 hit-outs in the grand final victory over Collingwood, and at the end of the season was awarded the Robert Reynolds Trophy as Carlton's best and fairest player. Prior to
3888-484: The 1980 season , Fitzpatrick was appointed club captain in place of Peter Jones , who retired from playing in order to become head coach. The club lost consecutive finals in 1980, but subsequently won two premierships in two years, something they had not done since 1914/1915. Fitzpatrick was runner-up to Bruce Doull in the 1981 Norm Smith Medal and kicked two goals in the 1982 Grand Final . He missed several matches due to injury in 1983 , and announced his retirement at
3996-498: The Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's only fully professional competition, is the nation's wealthiest sporting body. The AFL Grand Final , held annually at the Melbourne Cricket Ground , is the second-highest-attended club championship event in the world . The sport is also played at amateur level in many countries and in several variations . Its rules are governed by the AFL Commission with
4104-640: The Australian Sports Commission from 1994 to 1997. Fitzpatrick was born in Hastings, Victoria , but moved to Perth, Western Australia , at a young age. He attended Churchlands Senior High School from 1966 to 1970 (including as head boy in his last year), and went on to study at the University of Western Australia , graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 1975. Fitzpatrick made his senior debut for Subiaco during
4212-607: The Brownlow Medal , polling eleven votes. After the end of the season, Fitzpatrick moved to England to study at St. John's College, Oxford , having been named Western Australia's 1975 Rhodes Scholar . He returned to Australia during the 1976 English summer and managed twelve further games for Carlton, but in 1977 did not play at all. After graduating from Oxford with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Economics , Fitzpatrick resumed his football midway through
4320-581: The University of Western Australia , Fitzpatrick interrupted his football career to study at St. John's College, Oxford , on a Rhodes Scholarship . After retiring from football he worked for the Victorian Treasury Department , and later worked in investment banking and funds management. Outside his commercial interests, Fitzpatrick served on the board of the Carlton Football Club from 1989 to 1995, and as chairman of
4428-506: The West Australian Football League – WAFL) in 1901. However, it struggled so much that there were long debates as to whether it should continue after it won only eleven games in its first seven seasons but with the construction of Subiaco Oval on what was formerly called the "sand patch", the club's performances improved: very slowly at first, but very rapidly after the acquisition of two key forwards in Phil Matson and Herbert Limb for
Subiaco Football Club - Misplaced Pages Continue
4536-455: The West Coast Eagles . Priddis played 63 games for the Lions including two WAFL premierships and a Sandover medal before being drafted to the Eagles in 2006. Subiaco entered the 2015 season in their third season under Jarrad Schofield and had to replace a host of retiring premiership stars. Jason Bristow, Shaun Hildebrandt, Daniel Leishman, Andrew Mcdougall and Robert Forrest all retired after
4644-407: The field umpire has deemed to be either potentially dangerous or increase the risk of injury to other players. Australian rules football is played with an ellipsoid ball, between 72 and 73 cm (28 and 29 in) in long circumference, and 54.5 and 55.5 cm (21.5 and 21.9 in) in short circumference. For women's competitions, a smaller ball size of 69 and 53 cm (27 and 21 in)
4752-438: The oval ball between the central goal posts (worth six points), or between a central and outer post (worth one point, otherwise known as a "behind"). During general play, players may position themselves anywhere on the field and use any part of their bodies to move the ball. The primary methods are kicking , handballing and running with the ball. There are rules on how the ball can be handled; for example, players running with
4860-433: The 1912 season. That year Subiaco rose from second last to their first ever premiership despite a thrashing from East Fremantle in the final, and they again won premierships against Perth in 1913 and 1915 before loss of players to World War I gave them the rare ignominy of plummeting from premiers to the wooden spoon in 1916. During the inter-war period Subiaco were mainly a middle-of-the-road outfit, though they did win
4968-441: The 2000s under the coaching of Peter German and Scott Watters with premierships in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008 - in the last of which they were amazingly unlucky not to be only the second undefeated team in open-age WAFL history suffering only a one-point loss to Swan Districts. Subiaco would endure a lull after their historic three-peat between 2006 and 2008 before returning to the WAFL Grand Final against Claremont in 2011 under
5076-612: The 2010s, the AFL signalled further attempts at expanding into markets outside Australian football's traditional heartlands by hosting home-and-away matches in New Zealand, followed by China. After several failed bids since the early 1990s for a Tasmania-based AFL team, the Tasmania Football Club secured the 19th AFL license in 2023, and is set to compete by 2028. In a standard match, a team may consist of anywhere between 14 and 18 players who may be permitted on
5184-404: The 2014 premiership. Subiaco used the open market to bring in a host of talent with Victorians Leigh Kitchin and Brett Robinson joining the club as well as Scott Hancock (East Fremantle), Sam Menegola (Ex-Fremantle) and Jordan Lockyer (Ex-Sydney). Talented youngster Michael Wood also re-joined the Lions after a year on Fremantle's list. The influx of players had a big impact on the 2015 season with
5292-464: The AFL). The player who was awarded the mark may then choose to either dispose of the ball over "the mark" or may choose to attempt disposal via a different method, in which case the field umpire will call "play on"—a verbal instruction to continue play. "Play on" may also be called if the umpire deems the player awarded the mark to be taking an unreasonable amount of time to dispose of the football. Once
5400-472: The AFLW using 17 minutes per quarter. For any given match, two timekeepers are appointed to officiate the duration. The timekeepers record all relevant statistics for the match, such as total quarter duration and score by each team. Additionally timekeepers are required to sound a siren prior to and at the conclusion of each quarter until such time they are acknowledged by the field umpires. To stop and recommence
5508-641: The ANFC, and later the Australian Football Championships (AFC) ran a night series , which invited clubs and representative sides from around the country to participate in a knock-out tournament parallel to the premiership seasons, which Victorian sides still dominated. With the lack of international competition, state representative matches were regarded with great importance. Due in part to the VFL poaching talent from other states, Victoria dominated interstate matches for three-quarters of
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#17327918481245616-731: The Australian colonies in the first half of the 19th century. Compared to cricket and horse racing , football was considered a mere "amusement" by colonists at the time, and while little is known about these early one-off games, evidence does not support a causal link with Australian football. In Melbourne , in 1858, in a move that would help to shape Australian football in its formative years, private schools (then termed " public schools " in accordance with nomenclature in England) began organising football games inspired by precedents at English public schools . The earliest match, held on 15 June,
5724-539: The British Isles, "others by no rules at all". Another milestone in 1858 was a 40-a-side match played under experimental rules between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College , held at the Richmond Paddock. Umpired by Wills and teacher John Macadam , it began on 7 August and continued over two subsequent Saturdays, ending in a draw with each side kicking one goal. It is commemorated with a statue outside
5832-512: The Century was selected in 2008. This table lists the coaches, captains, best-and-fairest winners and leading goalscorers for Subiaco since 1920. Data for goalkickers are sketchy before the late 1920s Subiaco has a relationship with the VFL/AFL dating back to the start of the 20th century, with numerous players moving in both directions to and from Victoria and Western Australia. The list below
5940-527: The Irish game evolved in a similar direction. Another theory, first proposed in 1983, posits that Wills, having grown up among Aboriginals in Victoria, may have seen or played the Aboriginal ball game of Marn Grook , and incorporated some of its features into early Australian football. There is only circumstantial evidence that he knew of the game, and according to biographer Greg de Moore's research, Wills
6048-527: The Lions fell agonisingly short of the Peel Thunder squad. The Fremantle Football Club aligned club fielded 17 Dockers including past hero Shane Yarran . Subiaco lost by 23 points but earned the admiration of the WAFL community against an incredibly talented Peel side. In 2019, Beau Wardman replaced Jarrad Schofield as senior coach and Leigh Kitchin took over the reins from Kyal Horsley as club captain. Adam Cockie and Brad Stevenson retired before
6156-513: The Lions on either side of a 206-game AFL career. Schofield worked hard to instil a new system at Subiaco resulting in a low key eighth finish again in 2013 with only six wins; but it would set the building blocks for a miraculous face lift in 2014 . After recruiting heavily over the off-season and relying on a strong base of home-grown talent the Lions turned their fortunes around to finish second in 2014 and contend for their seventh grand final in eleven seasons. Subiaco lost their first semi-final to
6264-752: The MCG at the Parade Hotel, owned by Bryant, and drafted ten rules: "The Rules of the Melbourne Football Club" . These are the laws from which Australian football evolved. The club aimed to create a simple code suited to the hard playing surfaces around Melbourne, and to eliminate the roughest aspects of English school games—such as "hacking" (shin-kicking) in Rugby School football—to reduce the risk of injuries to working men. In another significant departure from English public school football,
6372-560: The MCG, and the two schools have since competed annually in the Cordner–Eggleston Cup , the world's oldest continuous football competition . Since the 1920s, it has been suggested that Australian football may have been derived from the Irish sport of Gaelic football . However, there is no archival evidence in favour of a Gaelic influence, and the style of play shared between the two modern codes appeared in Australia long before
6480-576: The Melbourne rules omitted any offside law . "The new code was as much a reaction against the school games as influenced by them", writes Mark Pennings. The rules were distributed throughout the colony; Thompson in particular did much to promote the new code in his capacity as a journalist. Following Melbourne's lead, Geelong and Melbourne University also formed football clubs in 1859. While many early Victorian teams participated in one-off matches, most had not yet formed clubs for regular competition. A South Yarra club devised its own rules. To ensure
6588-409: The SANFL's Port Adelaide (1997), the only pre-existing club outside Victoria to join the league. In 2011 and 2012, respectively, two new non-Victorian clubs were added to the competition: Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney . The AFL, currently with 18 member clubs, is the sport's elite competition and most powerful body. Following the emergence of the AFL, state leagues were quickly relegated to
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#17327918481246696-500: The advice of the AFL's Laws of the Game Committee. Australian rules football is known by several nicknames, including Aussie rules, football and footy. In some regions, where other codes of football are more popular, the sport is most often called AFL after the Australian Football League , while the league itself also uses this name for local competitions in some areas. Primitive forms of football were played sporadically in
6804-521: The annual game between Essendon and Collingwood on Anzac Day, is one example of how the war continues to be remembered in the football community. The role of the Australian National Football Council (ANFC) was primarily to govern the game at a national level and to facilitate interstate representative and club competition. In 1968, the ANFC revived the Championship of Australia , a competition first held in 1888 between
6912-414: The ball must intermittently bounce or touch it on the ground . Throwing the ball is not allowed, and players must not get caught holding the ball . A distinctive feature of the game is the mark , where players anywhere on the field who catch the ball from a kick (with specific conditions) are awarded unimpeded possession . Possession of the ball is in dispute at all times except when a free kick or mark
7020-652: The ball, and high scoring. The sport's origins can be traced to football matches played in Melbourne , Victoria , in 1858, inspired by English public school football games . Seeking to develop a game more suited to adults and Australian conditions, the Melbourne Football Club published the first laws of Australian football in May 1859. Australian football has the highest spectator attendance and television viewership of all sports in Australia, while
7128-442: The case of Sydney , denial of access to grounds, the influence of university headmasters from Britain who favoured rugby, and the loss of players to other codes inhibited the game's growth. In 1896, delegates from six of the wealthiest VFA clubs— Carlton , Essendon , Fitzroy , Geelong, Melbourne and South Melbourne —met to discuss the formation of a breakaway professional competition. Later joined by Collingwood and St Kilda ,
7236-435: The clock, the field umpires are required to signal to the timekeepers to indicate when the clock should be stopped or restarted. Between each quarter, a break is observed to allow players a rest period. Two six-minute breaks are observed between the first and second quarters, and the third and fourth quarters. A longer 20-minute break is observed between the second and third quarter, commonly known as half-time . Each game
7344-426: The clubs formed the Victorian Football League (VFL), which held its inaugural season in 1897 . The VFL's popularity grew rapidly as it made several innovations, such as instituting a finals system, reducing teams from 20 to 18 players, and introducing the behind as a score. Richmond and University joined the VFL in 1908, and by 1925, with the addition of Hawthorn , Footscray and North Melbourne , it had become
7452-490: The code took hold during a series of gold rushes . Likewise, when New Zealand experienced a gold rush , the sport arrived with a rapid influx of Australian miners. Now known as Australian rules or Australasian rules, the sport became the first football code to develop mass spectator appeal, attracting world record attendances for sports viewing and gaining a reputation as "the people's game". Australian rules football reached Queensland and New South Wales as early as 1866;
7560-436: The early 1980s managed to save the club from extinction. The return of Haydn Bunton junior as coach after a long stint with South Adelaide was viewed by most Subiaco fans as the return of a master, and it is remarkable how he rose a nearly defunct club to a major force in the WAFL. Subiaco moved from four wins to nine in 1984 (along with a reserves premiership) and rose to second behind East Fremantle in 1985 . Although it
7668-404: The end of the season in order to concentrate on his business career. Fitzpatrick made his state debut for Western Australia at the 1972 Perth Carnival , aged 19, as a reserve for Bob Beecroft against Tasmania . He played his first full matches the following season, against Victoria at VFL Park and against South Australia at Subiaco Oval . He also played two state games in 1974, one of which
7776-409: The field of play, it is deemed as a mark . To be awarded a mark, it must be deemed that the player sufficiently controlled the ball and took possession prior to it being touched, touching the ground, or in the case of a contest, being spoiled by an opponent. Upon a mark being taken, one opposition player may choose to stand on the point on the field where the mark was taken, known as "the mark". When
7884-413: The field, two sets of posts are erected in a straight line to indicate the scoring areas on the field, each with two kinds of posts, named the goal posts and the behind posts respectively. The goal posts are placed first, located 6.4 metres (7.0 yd) apart from each other, with a behind post being placed a further 6.4 metres to the side of each goal post. The name for the field line between two goal posts
7992-627: The first match in Darwin . The game went on to become the most popular sport in the Territory and build the highest participation rate for the sport nationally. Both World War I and World War II had a devastating effect on Australian football and on Australian sport in general. While scratch matches were played by Australian " diggers " in remote locations around the world, the game lost many of its great players to wartime service. Some clubs and competitions never fully recovered. Between 1914 and 1915,
8100-581: The first time since the Matson era as firm favourites for the flag during 1973 and duly beat West Perth. However, with the departure of Fitzpatrick and Peter Featherby to the VFL, Subiaco returned to the dark days of the late 1940s and early 1950s. In 1974 they reached the First Semi-Final only to lose to Swan Districts, but would not participate in the finals for a decade afterwards and finished absolutely last in 1976 , 1979 , 1980 and 1982. In
8208-536: The formation of the Adelaide Football Club , the oldest football club in Australia outside Victoria. It devised its own rules, and, along with other Adelaide -based clubs, played a variety of codes until 1876, when they uniformly adopted most of the Victorian rules, with South Australian football pioneer Charles Kingston noting their similarity to "the old Adelaide rules". Similarly, Tasmanian clubs quarrelled over different rules until they adopted
8316-435: The goal square and four players in the centre square with one in the centre circle. If this is breached, a free kick is awarded. A game lasts for 80 minutes, split into four-quarters consisting of 20 minutes playing time, with the clock being stopped for stoppages in play such as scores, or at the umpire 's discretion, e.g. for serious injury. Leagues may choose to employ shorter quarters of play at their discretion, such as
8424-461: The guidance of ex-West Coast Eagle Chris Waterman . The Lions would be humbled by the Tigers on the day with a 56-point defeat solemnly ending Subiaco's season. The Lions suffered a Grand Final hangover in 2012 free-falling down the table to finish seventh with only seven wins. This resulted in head coach Chris Waterman being replaced by club great Jarrad Schofield who played in two premierships for
8532-573: The heavily favoured Royals before pulling off a nail-biting five-point win over the East Fremantle Sharks in an elimination final to secure the club's 24th Grand Final appearance. On a wet and blustery day the Lions proved too determined for the West Coast Eagles affiliated Royals to record a famous 16-point Grand Final victory and the club's twelfth historically. Jason Bristow was awarded best on ground with 23 disposals and
8640-424: The knees (a low tackle or a trip ) or above the shoulders (a high tackle ), the team with possession of the football gets a free kick. Furthermore, tackles deemed to be dangerous by the umpire and those conducted from front-on while an opposition player has their head over the football are deemed to be prohibited contact, and will incur a free kick against the offending player. Additionally, players may perform
8748-568: The new national capital Canberra both soccer and rugby had a head start, but following the first matches in 1911, Australian rules football in the Australian Capital Territory became a major participation sport. By 1981 it had become much neglected and quickly lagged behind the other football codes. Australian rules football in the Northern Territory began shortly after the outbreak of the war in 1916 with
8856-461: The phasing out of many of the game's kicking styles and the increasing use of handball; while presentation was influenced by television. In 1982, in a move that heralded big changes within the sport, one of the original VFL clubs, South Melbourne, relocated to Sydney and became known as the Sydney Swans . In the late 1980s, due to the poor financial standing of many of the Victorian clubs, and
8964-407: The player has disposed of the ball, or "play on" is called, normal play resumes. Rucking is the only specialist skill and is performed by a ruck, the term for designated players from each side to which umpire sends the ball to commence play. Only a nominated ruck may contest ball-ups and throw-ins. They are the only player allowed within the 10 metre circle at a centre bounce. Functionally the role
9072-429: The player penalised for ' holding the ball ', except if the umpire deems there was a lack of prior opportunity to do so. The ball carrier may only be tackled between the shoulders and knees from the front or side. If the player forcefully contacts the opposing in the back while performing a tackle, the opposition player will be penalised for a push in the back . If the opposition tackles the player with possession below
9180-436: The playing surface at any given time. Each team may have up to four interchange (reserve) players who may be swapped for those on the field at any time during the game. Although some leagues in less populated areas may use as few as 12 players. In addition, some leagues notably including the AFL, have each team designate one additional player as a substitute who can be used to make a single permanent exchange of players during
9288-609: The preeminent league in the country and would take a leading role in many aspects of the sport. The time around the federation of the Australian colonies in 1901 saw Australian rules undergo a revival in New South Wales, New Zealand and Queensland. In 1903, both the Queensland Australian Football League and the NSW Australian Football Association were established, and in New Zealand, as it moved towards becoming
9396-530: The premiers of the VFA and SAFA. Although clubs from other states were at times invited, the final was almost always between the premiers from the two strongest state competitions of the time—South Australia and Victoria—with Adelaide hosting most of the matches at the request of the SAFA/SANFL. The last match took place in 1976, with North Adelaide being the last non-Victorian winner in 1972. Between 1976 and 1987,
9504-499: The premiership, we're bound. Glory, Glory Subiaco Glory, Glory Subiaco Glory, Glory Subiaco The team is striving on. Glory, Glory Subiaco Glory, Glory Subiaco Glory, Glory Subiaco The team is striving on. Subiaco players know the meaning of success Dedication is the way to fight for happiness We're the mighty, fighting Lions and we'll grind them in the ground To the premiership, we're bound. Glory, Glory Subiaco Glory, Glory Subiaco Glory, Glory Subiaco The team
9612-493: The process they won just 44 of 189 games, and in 1982 looked like a winless season before beating East Fremantle in the seventeenth round. However, during this period every one of the other seven WAFL clubs won at least one premiership . Their only genuinely class player of this era, Gary Buckenara , defected to Hawthorn after three years with the Lions. Worse still, unlike that earlier bleak era, Subiaco were hit by severe financial problems and only community involvement during
9720-419: The quality that the two Fremantle sides, Perth and West Perth did. It was engaged in a consistent battle with Swan Districts for the wooden spoon, and never finished higher than seventh in an eight-team competition. Late in the 1950s, Subiaco emerged from the doldrums in spectacular fashion when in its first final for thirteen years it kicked a remarkable 16.8 (104) in the third quarter against Perth - easily
9828-501: The recruitment of Haydn Bunton junior as coach and a record season from Austin Robertson at full forward, who kicked 157 goals and in one match against East Fremantle fifteen of nineteen (along with eleven behinds!). The club finished fourth every year from 1968 to 1970, but declined somewhat in 1971 and 1972. However, under new captain-coach Ross Smith and with the emergence of star players like Mike Fitzpatrick , Subiaco emerged for
9936-527: The season. The mercurial forward also claimed the REIWA Goal of the Year. In 2016 the Lions looked to achieve the second three-peat in the club's long history. Key premiership players Shane Yarran & Sam Menegola departed to the AFL and 2016 proved to be the biggest challenge for Jarrad Schofield and his men. Despite finishing first over the home and away season and convincingly winning their semi-final,
10044-604: The six recruits combining for 117 games and big contributions in the club's 13th flag. The Lions were the most dominant season over the 2015 WAFL season finishing four games on top with a record of 17–3. Subiaco crushed rivals West Perth by 55 points in the second semi at Medibank Stadium to book their place in the Grand Final. Heading into their seventh Grand Final in ten years the Lions stood as comprehensive favourites. West Perth made it through after beating Fremantle aligned Peel Thunder and West Coast aligned East Perth but were
10152-467: The sport across Australia, delegates representing the football associations of South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland met in 1883 and updated the code. New rules such as holding the ball led to a "golden era" of fast, long-kicking and high-marking football in the 1880s, a time which also saw players such as George Coulthard achieve superstardom, as well as the rise of professionalism , particularly in Victoria and Western Australia , where
10260-472: The sport experienced a period of dominance in the former, and in the latter, several regions remain strongholds of Australian rules, such as the Riverina . However, by the late 1880s, rugby football had become the dominant code in both colonies, as well as in New Zealand. This shift was largely due to rugby's spread with British migration, regional rivalries and the lack of strong local governing bodies. In
10368-510: The start of 2018. Zac Clarke was recruited by Essendon as part of the new AFL pre-season draft. Harry Marsh joined the Lions after being delisted by Sydney Swans . The club recorded an 17–1 season before winning the Grand Final by 96 points over South Fremantle , the biggest Grand Final win in club history. Ben Sokol was named Simpson Medalist. Lachlan Delahunty won the Sandover Medal by one vote from Kyal Horsley . Subiaco were
10476-414: The substantial TV revenues they generated by playing on a Sunday went to the VFL. To protect these revenues the VFL granted significant draft concessions and financial aid to keep the expansion clubs competitive. The VFL changed its name to the Australian Football League (AFL) for the 1990 season , and over the next decade, three non-Victorian clubs gained entry: Adelaide (1991), Fremantle (1995) and
10584-613: The supremacy of the Melbourne rules, the first-club level competition in Australia, the Caledonian Society's Challenge Cup (1861–64), stipulated that only the Melbourne rules were to be used. This law was reinforced by the Athletic Sports Committee (ASC), which ran a variation of the Challenge Cup in 1865–66. With input from other clubs, the rules underwent several minor revisions, establishing
10692-412: The usage of other means, such as punching. While in possession of the ball, players may run with the ball, but are required to either bounce or touch the ball on the ground at least once every 15 metres (16 yd). Tackling is a technique employed by players used to force opposition players to dispose of the ball when they are in possession. Failure to dispose of the ball when legally tackled may see
10800-429: Was "almost solely influenced by his experience at Rugby School". A loosely organised Melbourne side, captained by Wills, played against other football enthusiasts in the winter and spring of 1858. The following year, on 14 May, the Melbourne Football Club was officially established, making it one of the world's oldest football clubs . Three days later, Wills, Hammersley, Thompson and teacher Thomas H. Smith met near
10908-556: Was a 20-per-side affair, played with a ball that was roughly spherical, and lasted until a team scored two goals. The shape of the playing field was not standardised; matches often took place in rough, tree-spotted public parks, most notably the Richmond Paddock ( Yarra Park ), known colloquially as the Melbourne Football Ground. Wills argued that the turf of cricket fields would benefit from being trampled upon by footballers in winter, and, as early as 1859, football
11016-517: Was a narrow seven-point loss to Victoria in which he kicked two goals. After moving to the VFL in 1975, Fitzpatrick's appearances for Western Australia became less frequent. He returned to the state team for the 1979 Perth State of Origin Carnival (after five years' absence), and made an additional five appearances over the next three years. In total, he played eleven matches for Western Australia between 1972 and 1982, kicking seven goals. Fitzpatrick
11124-485: Was allowed on the MCG. However, cricket authorities frequently prohibited football on their grounds until the 1870s, when they saw an opportunity to capitalise on the sport's growing popularity. Football gradually adapted to an oval-shaped field, and most grounds in Victoria expanded to accommodate the dual purpose—a situation that continues to this day. Football became organised in South Australia in 1860 with
11232-607: Was also eligible to represent Victoria in some matches where state of origin rules had not yet been fully implemented. He played two interstate games for Victoria, including one as captain in 1982. At the end of the 1983 season Fitzpatrick retired from football and began working as an adviser in the John Cain government's Victorian Treasury Department. His career then took him to New York where he worked for international investment banks Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse First Boston . In 1994, he set up Hastings Funds Management ,
11340-528: Was between Melbourne Grammar and St Kilda Grammar. On 10 July 1858, the Melbourne-based Bell's Life in Victoria and Sporting Chronicle published a letter by Tom Wills , captain of the Victoria cricket team , calling for the formation of a "foot-ball club" with a "code of laws" to keep cricketers fit during winter. Born in Australia, Wills played a nascent form of rugby football while
11448-435: Was coined by scholar Ian Turner in 1978 to describe the "fictitious geographical barrier" separating the rugby-following parts of New South Wales and Queensland from the rest of the country, where Australian football reigned. It became a reference point for the expansion of Australian football and for establishing a national league. The way the game was played had changed dramatically due to innovative coaching tactics, with
11556-509: Was incorporated in 1896, establishing its base at a small playing arena within the environs of the Shenton Park Lake. During the club's embryonic period it played in the "First Rate Juniors" competition from 1896 to 1900 and enjoyed premiership success. As a result, along with fellow First Rate Junior powerhouse North Fremantle the Subiaco Football Club joined the then West Australian Football Association competition (known today as
11664-481: Was their first finals appearance since 1974, Subiaco did not disappoint but ultimately failed by five points. However, 1986 saw them even better, beating VFL club St Kilda in the Foster's Cup and losing only four games all year - their second-best home-and-away return behind 1912 - before recovering from a thrashing from East Fremantle to demolish that team in the Grand Final by sixty-nine points. Bunton junior's aim of
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