RED & WHITE ARCHIVES: PETER WORSFOLD – THE TOUGH & UNCOMPROMISING LEADER

Peter Worsfold enjoyed a storied career with the Bulldogs, debuting in 1987 as a 16-year old in the only senior game he would play with big brother and WA Football icon, John.

Drafted to the Brisbane Bears in 1990, Peter would play 31 games with the Bears, before returning to Fremantle Oval to fly the famous Worsfold family flag, finishing with 155 games and skippering the club for five years from 1995-99 which included the 1997 premiership.

In 2021, Peter was inducted into the Bulldogs Hall of Fame, alongside several Premiership teammates including Tom Bottrell Junior, Peter Sumich & Brad Bootsma. His leadership style & on-field presence led the way for future Club leaders David Gault and Toby McGrath.

Never one to take backward step, Worsfold famously tackled the revered John Todd directly after Todd threatened to withhold players’ payments following a heavy South defeat.

Peter Worsfold best details the story:

“After I told Toddy in our one on-one, heart-to-heart in the office of the Frank Harrison Room that I totally disagreed about withdrawing players payments, he then went on to question my character in front of the group.

“Soon after, I was walking around the boundary with Marty Atkins because I had copped an injury in the previous game, and I was thinking Toddy was out of order in having a crack at me the way he did, so I marched out to the middle of the ground to challenge him on it. “I told him what he said was wrong; I said I’m challenging you on that. I thought Toddy would back down, but he didn’t, so I took a step closer and I repeated that he shouldn’t have said what he did. He still didn’t back down and then all of a sudden I had my hands around his throat.”

In front of a transfixed player group, Dorotich and SAS man Rankin stepped in to separate the two and send them to their corners. Worsfold decided to walk away and continue his recovery, declaring later that it was “all good” following the spat.

He now believes Todd’s ruthless actions galvanised the group. “I have full respect for him, and I loved him,” Worsfold said.

“He looked at stuff like that to motivate the players, and he challenged me to achieve that,” he said. “Later, a number of players said that action really galvanised them as a group because I had stuck up for them.”

Today, Peter resides in Donnybrook and follows talented young son Jack’s football progress. Aligned to South Fremantle under the father-son rule, Jack was recently announced in the West Australian Under 16 state team.

To explore more of South Fremantle’s rich history, including the establishment of female footy at Freo Oval, head HERE to purchase the club’s official history books.