Confronting old Demons

by LES EVERETT

SOMETIMES I wonder what I would've been like if the 1960s had been different.

I trace my full-on involvement with football back to the 1964 season. It must have been a pivotal year because I've had cause to reflect on my Melbourne Cup history this week and the win by Polo Prince in 1964 is the first I recall listening to on the radiogram.

My brother Dean told me about big time footy. He showed me newspaper cuttings and furnished me with wondrous names ... Graham "Polly" Farmer, Neil Hawke, Ted Kilmurray, Syd Jackson, Malcolm Atwell, Derek Chadwick... and I became an East Perth supporter.

In my early days, when I was collecting Mobil footy cards, sticking newspaper photos into scrap books and jotting down scores, the Royals were pretty useless. In 1964, my first year, East Perth finished last.

But in 1965 Kevin Murray came across from Fitzroy and took over as captain-coach of the black and blues. East Perth finished sixth, a game out of the four and only percentage behind fifth placed Perth.

In 1966 Perth, under new coach Mal Atwell, defeated East Perth in the grand final.

In 1967 Dean took me to the city from Boulder to see my first game of league football. I watched Perth defeat East Perth in the grand final.

In 1968 Perth defeated East Perth in the grand final.

The pattern was pretty similar in each of those dark years. The Royals won three preliminary finals and Barry Cable won the Simpson Medal as best on the ground in each grand final.

Significantly I'd chosen the luckless Derek Chadwick as my boyhood hero. Chaddy coached the Royals in 1967 and 1968. He played in six grand finals and was never part of a premiership team

Strangely I developed a kind of admiration for the Demons. I admitted, even in public, that Cable was a good player; I loved the left footed wingman Greg Brehaut for his power and grace (he was second only to Chaddy as a winger); I liked the way Graham Ramshaw changed from a full forward to a full back who kicked long drop kicks with balance and style; I thought Bob Page was unlucky when he injured himself in the warm up and missed the 1968 premiership; I admired Pat Dalton because he was always a centreman; I wondered how good Graham Jenzen would have been as a rover if he wasn't in the same team as Cable; I liked the way Pat Astone battled away against taller players; I liked the steadiness of Ray Lawrence and I thought Bob Shields had a good leap.

But I never forgave Atwell.

This Friday 24 October at Lathlain Park there will be a luncheon celebration of the 1966-1968 premierships with players from those heady times in attendance and game highlights on the big screen.

Also there as guest speakers will be Perth youngsters Dion Woods (Fremantle); Darren Glass (West Coast) and Richard Kelly.

Tickets are $60 all inclusive. For bookings and details call 9362 4499.

I was thinking of going but my therapist suggested I needed a little more time.

Which brings me back to wondering what I would've been like if I'd barracked for a premiership winning team in my formative years.

Better? Good? Happy?

Pat Astone.

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