Premiership stars on Whitey’s Whispers ahead of reunion

THE South Fremantle Football Club will be celebrating the triumphs of 1970, 1980 and 2005 on Saturday night at Fremantle Oval with three big premiership reunions following the clash with Swan Districts.

South Fremantle has won 13 WAFL premiership and three of those triumphs will be celebrated on Saturday night.

In 1970, South Fremantle won the club’s first premiership since the Golden Era that brought six flags between 1947 and 1954 as the Bulldogs beat Perth in the grand final by 43 points in front of 40,620 people.

That team included the likes of Brian Ciccotosto who won the Simpson Medal and Hassa Mann who was captain-coach of the successful team.

It then took another 10 years for South Fremantle to win the club’s next flag and that came in 1980 thanks to a 58-point grand final win over Swan Districts with 46,208 people watching on.

That team included Basil Campbell, Noel Carter, Stephen Michael, Maurice Rioli, Benny Vigona and Paul Vasoli, and was captained by Noel Carter with Mal Brown the coach.

The only player to play in both 1970 and 1980 premierships was Don Haddow who played 169 games with the Bulldogs after making his debut in 1969.

Then after the 1997 premiership, the next success for the Bulldogs came in 2005 in coach John Dimmer’s second year in charge, and the Bulldogs took it all before them beating Claremont by 56 points in the grand final.

That team was captained by dual premiership defender David Gault with Toby McGrath the star fresh off his Sandover Medal victory as he went on to claim the Simpson Medal as well.

Craig White was there that day in his first of two premierships with South Fremantle as well, and as part of his Whitey’s Whispers show the club is producing this season, he caught up with both Gault and McGrath ahead of the premiership reunion on Saturday night, which can be viewed below.