FALCONS TO CELEBRATE 120TH ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST PREMIERSHIP

REFLECTING on past glories is all about paying homage to the present for West Perth Football Club.

This weekend the Falcons (formerly the Cardinals), who are one of the WAFL’s original clubs, will celebrate the 120th anniversary of their first premiership in 1897.

Captained by EF 'Barney' Grecian, the Cardinals finished on top of the four-team ladder and were thereby feted as premiers.

Grecian captained the side from 1897 to 1900, winning premierships in 1897 and 1899.

In tribute to that ground-breaking team, the 2017 Falcons league side will play its Heritage Round clash against Claremont in a replica of the jumper worn in the era of that maiden premiership.

The special jumper will feature a photo of the 1897 team and all their names.

Versatile key position Falcon Tyler Keitel is set to be one of those league players wearing the special jumper as he helps link the past to the future.

Not only is he linking to the very distant past, but he is also linking to the not-so-distant days at the Falcons.

Keitel is the nephew of Falcons premiership player and Breckler Medal winner Ron Skender who will be at the game-day luncheon along with other former players including Bill Dempsey, David Dyson, Kim Rigoll and Christian Kelly.

Another special guest on the day, which is also a part of the WAFL’s Know Your Score Round, will be Falcons and Tigers premiership player Brendan Barrows. Barrows was diagnosed and successfully treated for prostate cancer in May 2013.

For the former stars of Leederville Oval and HBF Arena, they represent the club culture of "once a Former Falcon or Classic Cardie, always a Former Falcon or Classic Cardie."

Then there’s players who were part of the past four Falcons flags.

For over 15 years many of them have flocked together around Australia Day for an annual cricket match.

To this day, players from the 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2013 premiership sides such as Todd and Adam Curley, James Ferguson, Gavin Bell, Clayton and Ryan Lasscock, Brett Cousins, Ryan Webb, Peter Julian, Glenn Britten and Jason Salecic, get their competitive juices flowing on the cricket pitch.

West Perth Director of Football and Director of the Heritage Committee, Peter Cutler, said there is a real push to ensure the club ties its past, present and future together.

"The current day players will be the custodians of the club, its heritage and its culture," Cutler said.

"While we’ve done a pretty good job of maintaining the links with the past, we can always do more and we want to make sure everyone that has ever played or been a part of the club always feels a part of it."

1897 PREMIERSHIP PLAYERS & OFFICIALS
J Lockwood, A Davies, C McEwin, G Bolger, R Barrett, R Vince, H O’Byrne, A Russell, J Mann, L St J Jones. J Griffin, J Morgan, F Rolfe, J McPherson, J Coward, E Walton, W Clifford, W McDonald, B Power, J Cullen, T Coombe, D DeCoit, E Grecian (captain), J Marmo, C Atkins, E Lockwood, M Cummings, C Junner, D Williams, A Lockwood, W Cleland, A McKenzie, T Pender, G Lockwood

Thanks to The Football Budget