WA Day Foundation Derby Countdown – 1 day to go

THE Foundation Derby on WA Day is always the biggest occasion of any WAFL season outside of finals and South Fremantle is guaranteed of heading into the clash with East Fremantle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on top of the ladder.

The Sharks could very well be second too depending on what happens this weekend while the Bulldogs have the bye leading into the clash.

We are going to countdown to the Foundation Derby on WA Day, which falls on Monday June 6 by taking a look at 15 of the greatest wins by South Fremantle over East Fremantle on the famous occasion.

NUMBER 15 – 1978
South Fremantle 21.13 (139) defeated East Fremantle 14.14 (98) 

NUMBER 14 – 2006
South Fremantle 35.13 (223) defeated East Fremantle 9.12 (66) 

NUMBER 13 – 1959, 1960, 1961
1959 – South Fremantle 12.17 (89) defeated East Fremantle 11.12 (78)
1960 – South Fremantle 11.7 (73) defeated East Fremantle 10.12 (72)
1961 – South Fremantle 7.15 (57) defeated East Fremantle 7.8 (50) 

NUMBER 12 – 1907
South Fremantle 6.8 (44) defeated East Fremantle 4.9 (33) 

NUMBER 11 – 2007
South Fremantle 15.15 (105) defeated East Fremantle 13.13 (91) 

NUMBER 10 – 2008
South Fremantle 18.11 (119) defeated East Fremantle 14.6 (90) 

NUMBER 9 – 2003
South Fremantle 13.9 (87) defeated East Fremantle 13.8 (86)  

NUMBER 8 – 1990
South Fremantle 12.13 (85) defeated East Fremantle 11.6 (72) 

NUMBER 7 – 1992
South Fremantle 12.19 (91) defeated East Fremantle 10.11 (71) 

NUMBER 6 –2011
South Fremantle 12.16 (88) defeated East Fremantle 11.5 (71) 

NUMBER 5 – 1993
South Fremantle 15.10 (100) defeated East Fremantle 14.9 (93) 

NUMBER 4 – 2015
South Fremantle 15.13 (103) defeated East Fremantle 14.14 (98) 

NUMBER 3 – 1999
South Fremantle 13.8 (86) defeated East Fremantle 12.10 (82) 

NUMBER 2 – 1979
South Fremantle 20.30 (150) defeated East Fremantle 20.15 (135) 

NUMBER 1 – 1983
South Fremantle 18.20 (128) defeated East Fremantle 19.13 (127)

Is there a more memorable kick in Foundation Day Derby history than the one by Noel Carter after the siren at East Fremantle Oval in 1983? 

With scores level and the siren having just sounded, Carter had the chance to live the boyhood dream of kicking to win a game after the siren.

It just so happened that 'that game' was the biggest on the WAFL calendar, the Foundation Day Derby.

Though the distance that the final kick came from has been highly disputed, what there was no doubt about is that Carter put the ball through for a point that broke a tied deadlock and secured the one-point win for the Bulldogs.

Going into the match South Fremantle was heavy favourites by virtue of being on top of the WAFL ladder with an 8-1 record with East Fremantle in sixth spot.

East Fremantle had rebounded from a slow start to win its last two games and with expectation high the game drew a massive crowd of over 17,000 fans. 

The match started well enough for South Fremantle as it kicked with the breeze and opened up a handy quarter-time lead with a five-goal to three first quarter.

However, the South Fremantle defence was powerless to stop a rampaging East Fremantle in the second quarter with Old Easts utilising the breeze to kick eight goals and open up an 18-point lead at the main break.

Though South Fremantle did claw back the deficit in the third they still trailed by five points at three quarter-time.

But this match was unlike many others. The pace and fierceness of the game meant both teams were down numbers on their bench.

The game was set for a match winning performance and on this day that performance came from a young Nicky Winmar who turned the game with a scintillating final quarter. Three goals from Winmar along with four goals to Paul Arnold set the match up for Carter’s match winning moment.

In a team that was laced with stars, Brad Hardie was among the best with 21 possessions and three goals for the Bulldogs.

Bruce Monteath was a standout up forward with 19 possessions and 11 marks. Willie Roe also had 19 possessions and kicked two goals. 

This was Carter’s day though. The South Fremantle great had 35 possessions and kicked a goal. It was not all those possessions and the goal that is remembered though, it was that last fateful kick. 

This win would extend South Fremantle's advantage at the top of the table, which they would not relinquish for the rest of the year as the Bulldogs spent the last 12 weeks of the season there on the way to a 18-3 record.

But the dominant season would count for nothing as South Fremantle lost a second semi-final to Claremont where poor goal kicking cost what could have been direct passage to the grand final. Finishing the day with 14.26, South Fremantle had nine more scoring shots than their opponents but still lost by 21 points. 

A week later in the preliminary final, South Fremantle was outplayed by Swan Districts that was on the way to the 1983 flag. The remarkable one-point Foundation Day win will never be forgotten by everyone association with South Fremantle though.