The A-to-Z of Western Derbies, featuring Cummings, F-bomb, Judd booing, McPharlin’s grab and more

A is for After-the-siren thriller 2011 produced the closest-ever derby, with the game on Hayden Ballantyne’s boot after the final siren following a contentious deliberate out-of-bounds call against Matt Rosa. The Freo goalsneak launched a 52m drop-punt attempt from the north-eastern boundary line at Subiaco Oval, and started celebrating when it appeared the kick would have the journey. But the goal umpire signalled it had struck the post, and Ballantyne lay distraught and sprawled out on the turf with his hands over his face as West Coast celebrated the one-point win. B is for Brutal hit It was the strike that came out of nowhere - and ultimately cost Andrew Gaff the chance to be a premiership player. Andrew Brayshaw was left with a broken jaw and three dislodged teeth after being struck in the mouth in the second derby of 2018, prematurely ending his debut campaign. Gaff was visibly distraught on West Coast’s bench before apologising and copping a whopping eight-week ban. C is for Cummings’ night out A fortnight after torching Adelaide in a remarkable 14-goal performance, Scott Cummings became the first man - and still to this day, the only man - to produce a double-digit goal tally in a derby. Cummings booted 10.2 from his 12 kicks for the night as West Coast piled on 28 goals in a 117-point smackdown of their cross-town rivals. That margin remains the biggest-ever derby differential. D is for Demolition Derby This one barely needs to be explained, but it’s fair to say Fremantle and West Coast didn’t see eye-to-eye in the second derby of 2000. Michael Gardiner threw punches at Matthew Pavlich at full forward, Derek Kickett and Phil Read went toe-to-toe in the middle, and ultimately, four players were suspended for a total of 15 matches. “Our players feel, rightly or wrongly, that they have been pushed around by the big boys up the road for too long. For them to want to stand up and do something about it, I think that is fantastic,” Freo coach Damian Drum said after the game, which resulted in an epic Dockers comeback win. E is for Early obliteration We’ve never seen anything like it to open a derby. The first clash of the 2015 season saw Freo pile on a remarkable 9.2 to 0.4 in the opening quarter, with Stephen Hill, Matt Taberner and eventual best-on-ground medallist Lachie Neale all putting the Eagles to the sword. It remains Freo’s equal-biggest first term ever - and set up a comfortable 30-point triumph for the Dockers after they took the foot off the accelerator late in the game. F is for F-bomb “Let’s have a f---ing good year.” That was the sentence at the end of Michael Braun’s Glendinning Medal acceptance speech that raised the ire of the AFL and cost the midfielder $5000. Braun had racked up a game-high 27 touches to lead the Eagles to a 31-point win in the first derby of 2007, fresh off their flag triumph the previous season. G is for Glendinnings It’s a record that is threatening to be broken this weekend. Paul Hasleby has long been the king of western derbies, with four best-on-ground medals, but Caleb Serong’s stunning record against West Coast saw him draw level last year. If he can add a fifth from just 12 derbies on Friday night, he’ll be the undisputed greatest derby performer of all time. H is for Hats We don’t see it any more, but there was a time not too long ago when the pre-derby press conference featuring both coaches saw them required to wear glaring red caps, for sponsorship reasons. On some occasions, this even extended to the shirts. The coaches always seemed a little unsure about it, and it never really translated to good photos or TV vision, so we’re not too mad to see it fall by the wayside. I is for incensed crowd The Demolition Derby aside, it’s hard to remember a time where there was more hatred between the rival clubs than in the mid-2000s when the Carr brothers led Freo’s resistance against West Coast’s stacked midfield. Things came to a head in the second derby of 2007, when police and security guards were on high alert for a field invasion from angry fans at an Eagles home game. Josh Carr had stuffed potatoes, a pie, and water bottles thrown at him after a scuffle with Daniel Kerr near the boundary line as supporters crossed the line. J is for Judd booing In a similar vein the year prior, Chris Judd felt the wrath of Freo fans after being named best-on-ground despite West Coast’s narrow loss. “With all due respect, I think that’s pretty unsavoury, ladies and gentlemen,” Ross Glendinning said as boos rained down on Judd in the wake of the decision. “Popular decision,” Judd said sarcastically to begin his speech, prompting an even louder response from angry Dockers supporters. K is for Kerr on the run The Eagles lost a classic derby in the second clash of the 2003 season, but Daniel Kerr’s Goal of the Year effort won’t soon be forgotten by West Coast fans. He took five bounces on his way from half-back before slotting a long-range goal at Subiaco Oval’s western end for one of the finest individual majors in club history. Kerr still holds the record for most Brownlow votes in derbies with 15, but never snared a best-on-ground medal. L is for Left Bank After nine straight losses, Fremantle finally stood up to their more-established rival in the second derby of 1999, with Tony Modra booting six goals and Adrian Fletcher starring. The Dockers took to The Left Bank in East Fremantle to party with jubilant fans, with players shoved behind the bar because they couldn’t fit in among the heaving crowd. “It was absolutely crazy. We were treated like rock stars... It was like being in a tin of sardines, you had fans hanging off the rafters. The beer was flowing, the elation was there and it was just one of those special nights,” former Docker Daniel Bandy said. M is for McPharlin’s grab Luke McPharlin’s towering effort in front of Subiaco’s Oval’s Three-Tier Stand remains the sole Mark of the Year to have come in a western derby. Launching himself over Adam Hunter and Scott Thornton in the dying seconds of the first half in the opening derby of 2005, McPharlin completed a spectacular grab in defence when plenty of others would have spoiled. N is for No finals We’re still waiting for our first-ever western derby final. There’s only been four seasons where both clubs have reached finals in the same year, and none since 2015, when it appeared the Dockers and Eagles were on a crash course to meet in the grand final after each earned home prelims. But Freo came up short against eventual premier Hawthorn, and the dream of the ‘derby to end all derbies’ on the MCG stage was dead. O is for ‘Oh my goodness’ “Oh my goodness” was the call from the late, great Dennis Cometti when Shaun McManus went back with the flight of the ball and was clobbered by David Wirrpanda in the first derby of 2001. After lying dazed on the turf for several moments, the Dockers talisman got up, took his kick, and threaded the goal. It stands as one of the most inspirational pieces of play in Fremantle history. P is for Pav We can’t do this list without Matthew Pavlich, who holds a swag of all-time western derby statistical records. Most derbies played (34). Most wins (19). Most goals (61). Most goal assists (23). Most marks (179). And plenty more. He also snared three best-on-ground medals and never missed a single derby across his 17-year AFL career. Q is for Quiet derby It was a derby like no other for the first clash of 2021, when a bombshell was dropped on the morning of the Sunday fixture. A COVID scare in Perth led to plans for a three-quarter full stadium being scrapped, with attendance limited to the two clubs and only essential staff. It led to eerie scenes inside a largely silent Optus Stadium, with West Coast running away with the game in the second half for a 59-point victory. R is for Rosa If you had 43 guesses for the player who’s had the most disposals in a derby clash, chances are Matt Rosa wouldn’t be among them. But the unheralded wingman is the answer to that trivia question after his 43-disposal day out in the opening derby of 2012. It would serve as a career highlight for Rosa, who was unfortunate to miss out on West Coast’s 2006 premiership despite featuring in two finals that year and was the substitute in the club’s loss in the 2015 decider. S is for ‘Serong, so right’ Anthony Hudson’s famous call beautifully summed up a famous goal. Serong helped the Dockers end an 11-match losing run against their cross-town rivals in late 2021, earning the first of his four Glendinning-Allan medals at age 20. The crowning moment was the superb boundary-line major that was the last one of the match in Freo’s 15-point win and earned him that season’s Goal of the Year prize. T is for That’s a packed stadium The first derby of 2019 saw a WA record secured: The largest-ever crowd for a non-finals game in WA footy history. With West Coast coming off their premiership triumph, and Fremantle making an encouraging 2-1 start to the season, 58,291 fans crammed into Optus Stadium on a Saturday night to witness a 13-point Eagles win. There hasn’t been a derby crowd within 800 of that since, though this Friday night may give it a nudge. U is for unbeaten When it comes to flawless derby records, Fraser Gehrig is in a class of his own. Gehrig tasted victory in each of his 10 derby appearances before making the move from West Coast to St Kilda at the end of 2000. He was even awarded a retrospective Glendinning-Allan Medal for his performance in the first derby of 1998, where he produced a five-goal haul. V is for Venue The Eagles’ domination in the early years of the rivalry led to a superb derby record at Subiaco Oval, but Fremantle have since hit back at Optus Stadium. The Dockers have a 56 per cent winning record in derbies at the new venue - including nine of the past 10 games against West Coast - compared to 43 per cent at the previous home of WA footy. W is for Whose Medal Is It? The most controversial moment in the history of the derby’s best-on-ground medal came in 2003, when Ross Glendinning overruled the five judges on the voting panel to give the prize to Michael Gardiner rather than Ashley Sampi. Glendinning later admitted he made the wrong call, and 20 years later, the wrong was finally made right when the small forward was awarded a retrospective medal. “I’m feeling pretty good. I’m glad this is finally over,” Sampi said in 2023. “This is special. I look back on that day and know I played my part for the team by kicking four goals. What happened afterwards was out of my control.” X is for Ex-teammates There’s a rare club of just five players who have featured in derbies for both West Coast and Fremantle. David Hynes, Trent Carroll, Daniel Metropolis, Brendon Fewster and Jarrad Schofield are those players, with the latter the most recent in 2005. Y is for Young’s speedy masterclass The second derby of 2025 was light work for Hayden Young. The silky left-footer snared the Glendinning-Allan Medal in record time, being subbed out of the match early in the final term and playing just 57 per cent of game time. Young booted three goals among 23 disposals to finish as a near-unanimous best-on-ground. Z is for Zane Trew It’s sad but true (or should that be Trew?): Zane Trew is the player with the least amount of game time in derby history. The midfielder played just one per cent of the match in his sole derby appearance in late 2024 after copping a neck injury in the opening moments.

The A-to-Z of Western Derbies, featuring Cummings, F-bomb, Judd booing, McPharlin’s grab and more

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