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**Swan Districts Football Club**
Names
Full name	Swan Districts Football Club
Nickname(s)	Swans, Swannies
	Season 2009
Position (after finals)	3rd
Home & away season	3rd
Top goalkicker	Tim Geappen
Best & Fairest	Josh Roberts
Club Details
Founded	1934
Colours	Black and white
Competition	West Australian Football League
Chairman	Peter Harvey
Coach	Brian Dawson
Captain(s)	Adam Lange
Ground(s)	Steel Blue Oval (Capacity: 22000)
Other information
Official website	http://www.swandistrictsfc.com
	Guernsey:;

Swan Districts are an Australian rules football club based in Bassendean, Western Australia, a suburb in the east of Perth. They joined the West Australian Football League in 1934, but a "Swans" senior team has existed since 1883, the second oldest of any code in Western Australia after "Unions".

[edit] History

Swan Districts finished 7th on the WAFL ladder winning 7 out of 21 games in their debut season in 1934.^[1] Ted Holdsworth kicked 109 goals in the first 14 games of the 1934 season and was the fifth top goal kicker for that season.^[2]

In 1935, Swans finished 6th on the WAFL Ladder with 6 wins and 12 losses and George Krepp won the Sandover Medal for that season. The 1936 season saw the Swans pick up 9 wins and 11 losses but still finish seventh on the League Ladder.

The 1937 season saw Swan Districts finish in 3rd place on the League Ladder with 14 wins and 7 losses, and play in their first final series. East Perth beat Swan Districts 13.9 (87) - 11.7 (73) in the first semi-final.

The team had another good season in 1938, finishing 3rd with 11 wins and nine losses but were again beaten by East Perth 8.18 (66) - 8.17 (65) in the first semi-final by a single point.^[3]

By 1939, Swans slid to 6th on the ladder and in 1940 and 1941 finished last on the league ladder with 2 wins in 1940 and 3 in 1941.

Due to the Second World War the WANFL suspended a senior competition and implemented an under age competition to replace it. In 1942 Swans were unable to raise a side to play and did not compete in the 1942 season at all.^[3]

By 1943 Swan Districts assembled a side to compete in the under age competition thsat was still running for that season. The team performed exceedingly well, finishing 4th on the ladder with 9 wins and 8 losses, then winning the first semi-final against West Perth followed by another victory against Subiaco in the preliminary Final Swans the played in the their first Grand Final only to be defeated by East Fremantle. The final score was East Fremantle 17.15 (117) to Swan Districts 11.11 (77).^[4]

Jim Davies became the second Swan Districts player to win a Sandover Medal in 1944 with 33 votes in what was otherwise a forgettable season with Swans finishing 6th on the ladder, but in 1945 their fortunes improved as they finished 4th on the league ladder only to be defeated in the first semi-final by South Fremantle.

After finishing last in 1960, Swan Districts appointed Haydn Bunton Junior as senior coach in early 1961, which saw the Swans win their first flag in 1961, with two more following in 1962 and 1963.

John Todd, who took the coaching reins at Bassendean in 1977, brought with him a new winning culture, one which would emulate that of the Haydn Bunton era. By the 1980s, the Swans became the dominant side in the WAFL, winning three straight flags in 1982, 1983 and 1984 and a further flag in 1990 after his stint as coach with the West Coast Eagles.

[edit] Statistics

Sandover Medallists: George Krepp 1935, Jim Davies 1944, Haydn Bunton Junior 1962, Bill Walker 1965-1967 & 1970, Phil Narkle 1982, Mick Grasso 1990, Jeremy Wasley 1996, Shane Beros 2003.

Most Games: Bill Walker 305

WANFL/WAFL Premierships: 1961-62-63, 1982-83-84, 1990

Record Home Attendance: 22,350 v West Perth, 19 May 1980

[edit] League premiership teams

1961 Finals Swan Districts lost the second semi final to East Perth, then beat Subiaco in the Preliminary Final to win through to the Grand Final

1961 Grand Final Swan Districts 17.9 (111) defeated East Perth 12.15 (87)

1961 Premiership Team

Backs:	C Maynard	Joe Lawson	Tony Nesbit
Half Backs:	W Brown	Ken Bagley	D Thompson
Centres:	B Gray	M Kelleher	J Mack
Half Forwards:	M Ashworth	John Turnbull	K Watt
Forwards:	Cyril Litterick	L Johnston	Bill Walker
Ruck:	Keith Slater	Fred Castledine	Haydn Bunton, Jr
Interchange:	C Noble	A Sangalli
Coach:	Haydn Bunton, Jr

1962 Finals Swan Districts defeat East Fremantle in the second semi final.

1962 Grand Final Swan Districts 14.10 (94) defeated East Fremantle 10.16 (76)

1962 Premiership Team

Backs:	K Cooper	Joe Lawson	Tony Nesbit
Half Backs:	W Brown	Ken Bagley	G Devitt
Centres:	B Gray	C Maynard	F Copeman
Half Forwards:	C Noble	John Turnbull	K Watt
Forwards:	Cyril Litterick	Eric Gorman	Bill Walker
Ruck:	Keith Slater	Fred Castledine	Haydn Bunton, Jr
Interchange:	H Fullgrabe	M Drennan
Coach:	Haydn Bunton, Jr

1963 Finals Swan Districts defeat East Perth in the first semi final, then Swan Districts defeat Perth in the Preliminary Final

1963 Grand Final Swan Districts 17.10 (112) defeated East Fremantle 13.12 (90)

1963 Premiership Team

Backs:	K Cooper	Joe Lawson	Tony Nesbit
Half Backs:	C Maynard	Fred Castledine	G Devitt
Centres:	B Gray	John Turnbull	D Sidebottom
Half Forwards:	C Noble	Ken Bagley	K Watt
Forwards:	Cyril Litterick	Eric Gorman	Bill Walker
Ruck:	Keith Slater	F Copeman	Haydn Bunton, Jr
Interchange:	R McVee	P Downey
Coach:	Haydn Bunton, Jr

1982 Finals Swan Districts defeat Claremont in the second semi final

1982 Grand Final Swan Districts 18.19 (127) defeated Claremont 11.12 (78)

1982 Premiership Team

Backs:	P Kenny	Tom Mullooly	Bill Skwirowski
Half Backs:	Graham Melrose	A Cransberg	Anthony Solin
Centres:	Phil Narkle	Leon Baker	J Davidson
Half Forwards:	Brad Shine	Murray Rance	Keith Narkle
Forwards:	A Sidebottom	Stan Nowotny	Don Holmes
Ruck:	Ron Boucher	Jon Fogarty	Mike Richardson
Interchange:	Don Langsford	R Fitzgerald
Coach:	John Todd

1983 Finals Swan Districts defeat East Fremantle in the first semi final, then Swan Districts defeat South Fremantle in Preliminary Final

1983 Grand Final Swan Districts 15.14 (104) defeated Claremont 12.11 (83)

1983 Premiership Team

Backs:	Bill Skwirowski	Anthony Solin	P Ware
Half Backs:	Don Langsford	Murray Rance	L Brenton
Centres:	Keith Narkle	M Smith	Phil Narkle
Half Forwards:	Gerard Neesham	P Kenny	Don Holmes
Forwards:	Barry Kimberley	Leon Baker	Ron Boucher
Ruck:	Peter Sartori	Jon Fogarty	Brad Shine
Interchange:	A Cransberg	Stan Nowotny
Coach:	John Todd

1984 Finals East Fremantle defeat Swan Districts in the second semi final, then Swan Districts defeat Claremont in Preliminary Final

1984 Grand Final Swan Districts 20.18 (138) defeated East Fremantle 15.12 (102)

1984 Premiership Team

Backs:	Bill Skwirowski	Tom Mullooly	G Outridge
Half Backs:	Don Langsford	Murray Rance	Anthony Solin
Centres:	S Renfree	S Richardson	Keith Narkle
Half Forwards:	Don Holmes	Peter Sartori	Brad Shine
Forwards:	J Ahmat	B Hutton	K Marshall
Ruck:	M Johns	Jon Fogarty	Barry Kimberley
Interchange:	Kevin Caton	Gerard Neesham
Coach:	John Todd

1990 Finals Claremont defeat Swan Districts in the second semi final, then Swan Districts defeat South Fremantle in Preliminary Final

1990 Grand Final Swan Districts 16.7 (103) defeated Claremont 10.17 (77)

[edit] Team of the Century

Backs:	Graham Melrose	Joe Lawson	Jack Murray
Half Backs:	Stan Nowotny	Fred Castledine	Ken Bagley
Centres:	Phil Narkle	Leon Baker	George Krepp
Half Forwards:	Peter Manning	Garry Sidebottom	Mike Richardson
Forwards:	Haydn Bunton, Jr	Ted Holdsworth	Ron Boucher
Ruck:	Keith Slater	Tony Nesbit	Bill Walker
Interchange:	Tom Mullooly	Craig Holden	Keith Narkle	Duggan Anderson
Interchange:	Don Langsford	Don Holmes	Bob Beecroft
Coach:	John Todd

[edit] Club record goal kickers

Eric Gorman - 555
Ted Holdsworth - 532
Bill Walker - 456
Don Holmes - 323
Troy Ugle - 312
Simon Beasley - 293
Andy Holmes - 277
Kevin Caton - 274
Mark Olsen - 268
Brent Hutton - 256

Ted Holdsworth was the first Swan Districts player to kick more than 100 goals. The most goals ever kicked in a season by a Swan Districts player was by Simon Beasley who kicked 119 goals in 1981,^[5]. Warren Ralph kicked 120 goals for Claremont and won the Bernie Naylor Medal.

[edit] Bernie Naylor Medallists

The Bernie Naylor Medal is awarded to the leading goal kicker in the WAFL. Max George was the first Swan Districts player to top the WAFL goal kickers list and win the award in 1974 when he kicked 90 goals during the season. Simon Beasley shared the Bernie Naylor Medal in 1980 with Warren Ralph of Claremont (97 goals) Brent Hutton won the award in 1984 (83 goals) and Kevin Caton won it again in 1992 (51 goals). ^[6].

[edit] Club Song

The Swan Districts club song is nameless and its lyrics were written by John Watts.

We're all right,

We are the mighty fighting black and whites

There's not another team to match our pace,

Take our place

The Swans boys are jumping

We sure have started something

Here we come

Our banners fly on high to show that we have won

We play with all our might

Because we're full of fight

We're the famous

Black and whites

[edit] References

^ "WAFL Ladder - 1934 League Ladder". 2008. http://www.waflonline.com.au/ladders/index.php. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
^ "Ted Holdsworth - Goal kicking Champion" (PDF). 2008. http://www.swandistrictsfc.com/media/docs/Document8.pdf. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
^ ^a ^b "Full Points Footy - Swan Districts". 2008. http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/Swan_Districts.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
^ "WAFL Online - 1943 Home and Away season". 2008. http://www.waflonline.com.au/games/index.php?year=1943. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
^ "Swan Districts Football Club - Leading Goal Kickers". 2007. http://www.swandistrictsfc.com/history9.html. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
^ "WAFL History - Bernie Naylor Medallists". 2007. http://www.wafootball.com.au/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=127. Retrieved 2007-09-29.

[edit] See also

Wikipedia listing of Swan Districts Football Club players

[edit] External links

Official Website of the Swan Districts Football Club
Full Points Footy History of Swan Districts

[0] "WAFL Ladder - 1934 League Ladder". 2008. http://www.waflonline.com.au/ladders/index.php. Retrieved 2008-08-12.

[1] "Ted Holdsworth - Goal kicking Champion" (PDF). 2008. http://www.swandistrictsfc.com/media/docs/Document8.pdf. Retrieved 2008-08-12.

[fullpointsfooty.net-2] "Full Points Footy - Swan Districts". 2008. http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/Swan_Districts.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-12.

[3] "WAFL Online - 1943 Home and Away season". 2008. http://www.waflonline.com.au/games/index.php?year=1943. Retrieved 2008-08-22.

[4] "Swan Districts Football Club - Leading Goal Kickers". 2007. http://www.swandistrictsfc.com/history9.html. Retrieved 2007-09-29.

[5] "WAFL History - Bernie Naylor Medallists". 2007. http://www.wafootball.com.au/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=127. Retrieved 2007-09-29.

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