Since my mighty DOGGIES have bitten the dust, as I was driving home thinking how shit my life is and why should I even bother working tomorrow and why do I bother investing my time and energy into this game called footy and why why WHY . . . I started thinking about some old traditions, features, parts of a day at the WAFL and WAFL things during the week that we used to have that have unfortunately disappeared. I’ll start with a few, lets see what we come up with.
As a boy I’d lick my right thumb and get the newspaper print of the BULLDOGS logo from the Sunday Times each weekend and put the team we were playing next weekend on my left thumb and have a thumb war with myself making sure SF won each time . . . therefore winning the next game we played on the Saturday. Can’t do that anymore!
I remember the dancing girls, especially the SF ones. Being a teenager and seeing these glamours with stockings and these long legs and big hair and curvy bodies was a thing of beauty. Most clubs had them. Can’t see them anymore!
I reckon there was a Dancing Girl / Cheerleader of the week in the Budget. Can’t even get a budget anymore so we definitely can’t see that anymore.
The Hungry Jack’s whopper vouchers that we had about 30 years ago in the budgets. Can’t use them anymore.
The phrase - “Whisk them away with ALL-Pest WA plays of the day.” Can’t hear that anymore.
Team banners to run through. Only on special occasions now. Don’t even think EP had one for the GF last year.
The centre bounce.
Umpires in white.
Goal umpires in the wide brimmed hat. That’s a classic. Gone.
World of Football on Sunday morning.
The WAFL club stickers you used to get from the Ampol petrol station.
The old WAFL tipping / ladder boards that used to be inside most pubs. Where have they all gone?
The massive crate paper, team colours, cheer squad strands and strips of paper stuck to a broom handle that took 2 hands and 1 person to shake up and down hanging over the fence when your team scored a goal. I remember as a kid seeing 2 of those on fire at Bassendean Oval in the 80’s as a kid. Thought then and there that these black ducks don’t f$ck around!
The old metal WAFL members badges that were made with precision and worn with pride.
The massive cheer squads that would set up camp at either ends of the ground every Saturday, home or away and go nuts for 3 hours.
WAFL football played at 2:20pm - that was bounce-down!
Reading “What the coaches said” on Sunday morning in the Sunday Times paaper.
WAFL footballs being “Chessons” brand for a few years?? Maybe?
I hope I’ve started something of interest. Tell us what YOU miss!
Brilliant post doggie. What about the cardboard ladder I think we got inserted in the West before the start of the season think it had a magnetic strip on the back to put on the fridge. Each ladder position had a slot for the nameplate I’ll call it of each team. I’d start the season placing them in the order I thought was first to last of course Perth always started on top and often stayed there but would put them in the correct order every week.
I used to cut out the Likely Line-ups that were in Friday’s paper and take it to school. I would tick which player would win against each opponent.
Remember the plastic footy pins of each club colours in the shape of a football in a packet of Samboy chips.
Yes Baz that was my life aswell. Remember it all. My best memory was sitting in the Macdonald Stand with 1000 other swans supporters. Cursing and stamping our feet. Yelling at the umpire.
I used to cut out the ‘Team of the Week’ from the paper. I’d underline any Subi players mentioned (never many in those day) and keep a tally of which Subi players made the team over the year. I still have all that stuff.
Great post dogman. For me other highlights were the mascots running around with the players, team shops at all venues selling all and sundry footy related esp player cards, footies being kicked into the crowd at big games/finals/SOO etc, getting the footy from behind the goals, the smell of the hot dog vans and noise of the mr whippy van but my main memory is the roar the crowd made when the barman speared another keg in the outer at a packed standing room bar on the wing at Basso Oval.
Going to an away game and trying to find a parking spot, parking 5 miles away and walking with a transitor radio blaring away on your shoulder until at the game and using ear plugs.
Red rooster over the road at Bassendean oval. Or halve time 50cents worth of hot chips at the chippie again over the road bassendean. And long line of traffic on Guilford road all the way to Maylands after a game. Memories great topic Baz
As a kid in the 80s there was also the Kelloggs Junior Supporters Show on Ch7 hosted by Simon Reeve that was essential viewing on a Saturday morning getting you in the mood to head to Basso or away grounds!
As a school kid, writing every Old East’s league player’s name on my ruler . Living in the Kimberley’s waiting for the Sunday Times to arrive Tuesday. Last week’s game on tv this week in Newman.
As a kid- hearing the weekend news boys yelling in gaf voices. Running onto the ground at the end of the game to pelt Buckey and his maggot mates with sand filled projectiles. Getting blasted by Ken Armstrong in the Lathlain stand for obscene language. Sitting near Ray Reeves old man in the Subi oval stand every second week listening to him constantly tell opposition female fans to shove a dil do. Not to mention the goozie pat on the back to opposition players- good game mate
