Which was the biggest rivalry in the WAFL?

[kid_a]

I was born in 1989 so never saw the WAFL when it was the main show in town.
Ive often quized my grandparents about the old days of the WAFL and what it was like.
It lead to me to thinking....which was the most intense rivalry back in the time when the WAFL was the states premier outlet of football?
Ive often put it down to either the Freo derby (Easts v Sowfs) or the Perth derby (Falcons/Cardinals v Royals), but maybe there was another that was up to hype of these fixtures?

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Perth vs Peel for the past 20 years or so IMO.

 

[Freofalcon]

I was born in 1989 so never saw the WAFL when it was the main show in town.
Ive often quized my grandparents about the old days of the WAFL and what it was like.
It lead to me to thinking....which was the most intense rivalry back in the time when the WAFL was the states premier outlet of football?
Ive often put it down to either the Freo derby (Easts v Sowfs) or the Perth derby (Falcons/Cardinals v Royals), but maybe there was another that was up to hype of these fixtures?

Probably those two.

All other sides are irrelevant although Perth & East Perth was pretty big in the 60's & 70's.

 

[HalloweenJack]

West Perth v East Perth is bigger than all other rivalries. I was at Perth oval in 1971 along with 26 thousand other spectators to watch the mighty Cardinals win an epic battle. The GF later that year was pretty good as well.

 

[TJ1996]

Cardies/Royals just over Old Easts/Scum for mine.

 

[FitzroyPete]

Halloween Jack, if you don't mind me editing your comments slightly.
"East Perth v West Perth is bigger than all other rivalries. I was at Leederville Oval in 1978 along with 24.5 thousand other spectators to watch the Mighty Royals win an epic battle. The GF later that year was pretty good as well."

 

[Monocle]

East V South ..... the Fremantle Derby is always a good watch..... not only do the players lift against each other by the supporters are at each other verbally.

The West V East Perth derby is thought to be the biggest if you support either of those team but as a neutral ........... the Fremantle rivalry is epic and is the biggest.

 

[megadeth86]

All the other comments make a lot of sense. For some reason Perth versus West Perth was never a rivalry or big match at all. In fact, East Perth was the arch-enemy of both. Many, many players swapped between the two clubs in the 1970s and 80s which probably caused fans on both sides to identify in part with the other as perhaps a second-favourite team. And Perth was not feared at all in the mid-1980s. Despite this, they had the biggest and best cheer squad in the WAFL.

 

[DurtleAU]

Well currently the East Perth v West Perth game is the biggest in the state. South Fremantle v East Fremantle has fallen away and I can't see East Fremantle winning a derby in my lifetime.

The Fremantle derby should be the biggest but VenuesWest stupidly allowed West Perth to pay just 4c for every $1 owed in debt.

 

[Spearhead]

Well currently the East Perth v West Perth game is the biggest in the state. South Fremantle v East Fremantle has fallen away and I can't see East Fremantle winning a derby in my lifetime.

The Fremantle derby should be the biggest but VenuesWest stupidly allowed West Perth to pay just 4c for every $1 owed in debt.

I dont think the WP creditors even got the 4c in the dollar in the end.

 

[The Airing of Grievances]

The question is appropriately put in past tense as there is no doubt meaningful rivalries developed when there was large and passionate following for WAFL ( and formerly WANFL) clubs.

West Perth v East Perth is bigger than all other rivalries. I was at Perth oval in 1971 along with 26 thousand other spectators to watch the mighty Cardinals win an epic battle. The GF later that year was pretty good as well.

I attended that epic Foundation Day Monday game at Perth Oval with my Dad as a neutral and think you will find it was played in 1969 not 1971. Of course the Cardies and the Royals met in the GF in both those years. Not only was that game the record WA H&A record at that time*, but these 2 teams also set new attendance records in the same year for the Second Semi and Grand Finals. I grew up following Subi in the 60s in Perth and continued attending most weeks during the 70s and 80s until moving to Melbourne in early 1985. During that era WP v EP was the main enduring rivalry. The Fremantle Derby was always talked up , but usually disappointed as from the early 60s until the late 70s there were few years when both teams were simultaneouly contenders. Of course over the years there have been more transitory rivalries between teams enjoying successful periods together, such as the epic one between WP and Souths in the first post war decade, East Perth and Old Easts in the late 50s/early 60s, the Demons and Royals in the late 60s into the 70s and between SF, Claremont and Swans in the early 80s. The Freo Derby enjoyed a revival as both sides surged in the late 70s, but after that their successes tended to go back to oscillating one to the other.
At Subi our main rivalry was with Claremont , but with both sides having limited support bases it was reflected more in each side scoring regular upset wins when the other was the more powerful on paper, rather than in drawing large crowds. When I left Perth we had only met Claremont once in a final (1964). I just missed the short era from 1985-1988 when Subi and Claremont were both flag contenders and reasonable crowds still attended WAFL matches, at least in finals,and during which Subi's largest H&A attendance(by far) saw a game between the 2 clubs.

*In saying 'at that time' I am referring to an entry in a website showing all WANFL/WAFL games ever played, which listed an attendance of 29500 at a H&A match between EP and WP in 1987 played at Subiaco Oval. I must say I was very surprised as this was after the Eagles joined the national comp and at time when the local comp had been almost entirely shorn of talent by the VFL, SANFL and then WCE. However not being in Perth at that time I am in no position to dispute the accuracy of this figure. Does anyone recall this game and can say if that figure was accurate, or otherwise if there were special circumstances (eg free entry for kids) that produced such a huge attendance.

 

[Spearhead]

Daniher Dynasty that WP vs EP game in 1987 was played straight after the WCE vs Richmond game at Subiaco Oval (the WCE's fist ever game in the vfl) hence the crowd of approx 30,000.
Sadly many left before it started.

 

[The Airing of Grievances]

Daniher Dynasty that WP vs EP game in 1987 was played straight after the WCE vs Richmond game at Subiaco Oval (the WCE's fist ever game in the vfl) hence the crowd of approx 30,000.
Sadly many left before it started.

Thanks for that info Spearhead, thought there had to be some kind of special factor at play. So that figure needs an asterix.