West Coast and you

[kranky al]

Maybe some guys from the Freo board could contribute to this thread too...considering most of them were eagles fans who jumped ship

Ha


Ha




HA



Lolz

 

[Cuzdup]

My Nanna introduced me to both the WCE and the Perth Wildcats in 1990. I was born in 81 so I would have been 8 or 9. I can vividly remember staying at my Nannas house almost every weekend to watch tge Wildcats dominant and a mighty Eagles team, it was a magic time to be a kid with hero's like Matera, Lewi, Mainy, Jako and also Cal Bruton. JC, Grace and Tiny Pinder before he started raping teenagers.

The amount of blue and gold balloons and streamers attached to peoples letter box is a standout of the 92 grand final. Th le drive to Nannas house was a colourful affair and knew thus was a big occassion and was extremely proud and excited about the game.

By the time 05 and 06 came along I was mid 20s and watched every grand final with my mates usually playing drinking games. 05 was a great day with mates which broke all our hearts yet strangly enough I watched the 06 grand final in a small hotel room in a small Albany hotel with my soon to be wife and family. We were all in Albany to spread my pops ashes and that weekend is sacred to me for so many reasons. My Grandparents had a huge influence on my life even after death. RIP

 

[W.C. Fry]

Some pretty cool stories.
I can't remember things like first game I watched, was 8 when the eagles played their first game.

My quirky eagles memory is seeing us play Sydney live 7 times in a row. 4 times in 05 - home & away game at Subi, my birthday was 2 days before the game at the SCG so took myself over to treat myself a bday pressie, then qualifying final at Subi then Grand Final at MCG. Then in 06 - home & away at Subi, qualifying final at Subi and Grand Final at MCG. Besides seeing the dockers live, and I really can't be stuffed buying an away Derby ticket these days*... thats a massive run of live games that I would never expect to reproduce.

* Last one was the Ballantyne hit the post after the siren game. $50 for the second back row of the 3 tier stand. Would have seen it clearer watching a pixilated stream on my phone than from that overpriced piece of crap seat.

 

[dajesmac]

I replied it was the best day of my life - even though I was married and the mother of two beautiful children.

You've obviously been posting on this board for the entire time I have (5 years) and I to this point had no inkling you were female.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Went to the Eagles first game, however I went to watch West Perth and East Perth and arrived half way through the Eagles game.
Never really followed a VFL side so it was a no brainer to support the Eagles.
Became a member in 1990 as I wanted to watch footy at the highest level and now here we are.
Had some great days with the Eagles and they have provided much joy.
I still would of much preferred to be supporting West Perth in the AFL than the Eagles but that didn't happen.
My heart will always be with West Perth.

 

[flamingEMBERS]

You've obviously been posting on this board for the entire time I have (5 years) and I to this point had no inkling you were female.

goes to show that you don't have to be male to know football.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

I'm probably one of the youngest people sharing in this thread as a 19 year old.
But nonetheless, I grew up in a football mad household. Being born in 1995, I missed out on both flags, luckily caught the third one.
I vaguely remember the first game I went to, I would have been 6 or 7, and Mum, Dad and I and my Pop were sitting in the bloody top row of the top tier behind the goals in a game against Collingwood. I don't even know if we won or lost but it wasn't the best first game to go to. Dad used to take me to the local footy league games sometimes, and we caught a few WAFL games down here when East Perth came down.
The whole family were Eagles fans, mad Eagles fans, but the defining moment of my childhood was meeting Matthew Pavlich in Dewsons in Margaret River after school one day. I recognised him (I would have been about 7 again) and thought he was brilliant. Mum still says he was a "lovely person" for a footballer. That set me down the slippery slope to becoming a Dockers fan for a year, but being an 8 year old and not really caring too much, I was sick of them losing the Derby's, and I jumped ship to the Eagles, and I haven't looked back. That's when I started really paying attention and religiously following football. As soon as that happened my Pop bought me a pair of Eagles socks and gloves, that I used to wear all the time, and I still have them.

I used to collect football cards, I treasured every Eagle that I got. Still have them.
Any time I was sick and had a day off school, I used to watch the VCR copies of the 92 and 94 Grand Finals and I idolised Glen Jackovich and Dean Kemp.
Ben Cousins remains my all time favourite player, people say "but what about the off field stuff?". What about it? I remember feeling completely hollow after the 05' GF. The whole family was gutted. But that day in 2006 remains the best day of my life. It was incredible. I got up and watched all of the pre-game, the GF breakfast, all of it, there were people in the street shouting and screaming, Dad got horribly drunk (I realise that now), it was awesome.

So, I adore the club, everything about it. I wouldn't consider not renewing my membership. I forked out the $50 in 2004 as a 9 year old, I will continue to do so.

However, in the last few weeks, I've felt that the club I grew up idolising isn't the same. The lack of passion and heart that I grew so accustomed too doesn't seem to be there anymore and I desperately hope it comes back. Same with the wings. This jumper and those shitty snapback hats and half of the stuff they sell irks me. We should be a football club first and foremost.

 

[WCEswift]

However, in the last few weeks, I've felt that the club I grew up idolising isn't the same. The lack of passion and heart that I grew so accustomed too doesn't seem to be there anymore and I desperately hope it comes back. Same with the wings. This jumper and those shitty snapback hats and half of the stuff they sell irks me.

Couldn't agree more. No passion. No fire. No desire, maybe these blokes need to walk the kokoda track to get a bit of pride and mateship into em.

 

[cardis]

I'm similar to greatwhiteshark.

I'm an original IP shareholder and noteholder. One note used to entitle 2 memberships with preferred seating. As the Eagles became more popular they cut this back to only one membership per note and it became too difficult to get seating together. I was away so much overseas that I let my membership lapse but still retain the note after our shares were bought out.
As much joy as the Eagles have given me over the years, I would have loved to see West Perth enter the VFL and their WAFL premierships are are still really special.

 

[Scotland]

It's happened. With the retirement of the big schnozz I am now older than every player on our list.

I'm not sure how I feel about this.

 

[Impunity!]

I was brainwashed into supporting the West Coast by my natural alcoholic parents, who used to beat me with king browns of Export until I could sing all three verses of the original West Coast song. Was a fan of them until a couple of years ago when I got a letter out of the blue from Brad Scott, who until that point I was unaware was my cousin (not Chris Scott though).

It was at that point that I became aware that North Melbourne was like part of the family. Yep, you bet. North is aware of my needs and wants. I look out for them and they look out for me.

Brad's a real shy type. Doesn't like the spotlight. I know sometimes you Eagles fans give him shit for sulking but really he's probably just cross because someone's dropped their guts in the coach's box.

 

[Daveismad]

I was a hawks fan before west coast came into the comp

However I didn't barrack for them in 1987

I did in 1988 at the start of the season ...after going to a game early in that season in Perth and the joint was rocking ....beers flowing

 

[TassieEagle]

I was converted to an Eagles fan in '91, when I was four. My uncle lived over in WA and he moved to Tassie and converted me, lucky he got to me first otherwise I would have been a Hawks fan like the rest of my family. I even recall he made me sign a faux contract saying I would support the Eagles for 12 months and never turned back.

First game I saw live was the 2005 round 9 clash against Collingwood. Very sad day.

 

[flamingEMBERS]

I was converted to an Eagles fan in '91, when I was four. My uncle lived over in WA and he moved to Tassie and converted me, lucky he got to me first otherwise I would have been a Hawks fan like the rest of my family. I even recall he made me sign a faux contract saying I would support the Eagles for 12 months and never turned back.

First game I saw live was the 2005 round 9 clash against Collingwood. Very sad day.

Your a champion. I love stories like that. I remember once meeting a dude at a hostel in Venice Beach and he was with all his buddies and they were from Melbourne. Anyhow for some reason he was a mad Eagles fan. I was in awe of that dedication. He had no ties to the Eagles other than he loved watching them as a lil tucker. I always wish i got to have a few nights on the piss with him however I was leaving that night.

 

[Eagle87]

It's happened. With the retirement of the big schnozz I am now older than every player on our list.

I'm not sure how I feel about this.

You get used to it...

Cos you don't have a choice


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Scotland]

You get used to it...

Cos you don't have a choice

I'm holding out that we'll recruit one of the 30+ guys from another club...

...and that they'll play forever.

 

[Marlin01]

It's happened. With the retirement of the big schnozz I am now older than every player on our list.

I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Embrace it. You can now refer to footballers as "kids". For example you can say: "the Eagles have that kid with the massive kick" when referring to Shannon Hurn, despite the fact he looks like he's 45.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

It's happened. With the retirement of the big schnozz I am now older than every player on our list.

I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Oh crap, me too. Closest now is Priddis.

 

[MIKE85]

Oh crap, me too. Closest now is Priddis.

Priddis & I are the same age, I take back all my calls for him to step aside........play on Matt, for many more golden haired years!!

 

[Spooky17]

Priddis & I are the same age, I take back all my calls for him to step aside........play on Matt, for many more golden haired years!!

Run... just run. You can't get caught saying that around here

 

[The Dodger]

Its an easy transition. Its been that we for me for a few years now basically since Chad Fletcher retired. Wow that is longer then I thought. I had to check birthdays as I was sure there were still some 1980's on the team after that but i couldn't find any. All of our recent retirements have been between 81 - 83.

Just deny that you aren't as a fit as you were in your 20's and take comfort that you are probably a better kick on your non preferred than Priddis on his preferred...I know I do .

 

[The Dodger]

Priddis & I are the same age, I take back all my calls for him to step aside........play on Matt, for many more golden haired years!!

Lets be careful for what we wish for...eternal life might seem good but when you consider you would have to watch Priddis in our midfield for the rest of it...I welcome the natural process.

 

[Hairy Lager]

As a kid I grew up watching the Perth Demons at Lathlain Oval, I was a junior member and my family and I would
sit in the members bar after the match and I'd drink lemon squash and get my budget signed by my favourite players and listen to the sponsors, players and coaches hand out Best on Ground, accolades etc.
Bryan Cousins was the Captain of the Demons. He would bring young Ben to games and we would play kick to kick on the oval with the little tike who had great skill for a little bloke.
Anyway like a lot of West Aussies at that time when the Eagles joined the VFL, I wasn't too happy about our WAFL comp being second rate to the Pricktorians. I stopped supporting Richmond that year, Robert Wiley (ex Perth player) and Peter Wilson where my favourite players and I started following the circus that was the early West Coast Eagles.
Anyway they started to improve, Peter Wilson joined them and a grumpy bloke called Mick arrived from over east much to our disgust. They captured the whole states heart at that time . Sport was at its peak at this time in my life, with our Americas Cup victory, The Wildcats, Perth Heat the Perth City was abuzz.
We cried when Wrensted miss that goal, got frustrated at a goal kicker called Suma and cheered when Roo did full goal scoring runs the length of Subiaco. Great times.
I went to a BBQ on the Grand Final day of 1991, one of my mates dressed up as a hawk and we pelted him with cans as the Hawks took our Grand Final dreams away. Not a car was seen on Murray Street that day or the year after.
We won it in 1992 and the celebrations in Perth where something to behold, seemed like Christmas day as the whole city partied well into the night and morning!
I was in Dampier in 1994 at the bar of the Mermaid Hotel with my girl friend when our boys did it again! We partied throughout the night and well into the afternoon in various bars in Karratha. The whole town rocked that weekend it was awesome!
Those where great days, thanks for the memories West Coast!

 

[pantskyle]

Cool thread with some excellent stories. I've only ever supported the Eagles, we moved to Australia in either '86 or '87 and I was around 1 1/2 years old. We lived in Perth first and my parents became Eagles supporters and so was I unknowingly. From Perth we moved to Wagga Wagga so I never got to see them play in Perth (up until many years later). To this day myself and my parents are Eagle supporters but all my other brothers branched out to other teams.

I remember the winning grand finals, I remember in '94 when we won the neighbourhood bully always made fun of me for supporting the Eagles, after the game high on adrenalin I went and mocked him, I believe he cried. I've always supported my teams with my heart on my sleeve, in 2005 I cried like a baby, it was the worst feeling in the world. In 2006 I cried like a baby again, the joy of winning was just simply amazing, there were no bullied around to mock.

I remember when I lived across the road to Waverley Park my brothers and I found an elevator key so from that day onwards we always went down into the rooms, no one ever questioned us. My nana had bought me this stupid hat that she told me was only one of two and John Worsfold owned the other, it was so bad this hat, it consisted of a blue top and yellow rim, in the middle was one eye (to represent being a one eyed eagles supporter) on each sides were these hands that clapped, so I wore it to a game and went down into the rooms and who was I to walk past? The man himself Woosha, I said hi and he said hello and I pointed to the hat and said "what do you think? Just me and you have one of these", he had never seen it before my nan lied.

I died inside.

 

[Xsess]

1991 Grand Final. Bunch of us under-agers snuck into the Boddington pub, and got plastered. Much merriment was had by all. Was assailed by a rather chesty local lass in the carpark after the game. Stole my virginity and gave her what I'm certain was the best 10 seconds of her life.