Subiaco cemented their place in WAFL history on Sunday, capping off an undefeated season with a big win over West Perth in the McDonald’s WAFL Grand Final, and becoming the first club to win the League, Reserves and Simply Energy Colts premierships in the same season.

 

It has been a remarkable 2018 season for the entire Subiaco Football Club and the Lions capped that off by creating history on the first ever Grand Final day held at Optus Stadium.

 

Subiaco finished the home and away season as minor premiers in the colts, reserves and league with each of those teams then booking the place in the Grand Finals on Sunday.

 

The day began with a terrific reserves contest with Subiaco beating East Perth 11.11 (77) to 9.5 (59) and then in the colts the Lions hung on in a thriller against Swan Districts winning 9.10 (64) to 9.8 (62).

 

 

It was then time for the league decider and Subiaco capped off its remarkable season by ensuring it went through the whole way undefeated by winning all 19 matches and the Grand Final victory couldn’t have been any more emphatic.

 

Subiaco controlled the Grand Final from the outset against a West Perth team who had done a tremendous job to make it in the first place. The Lions kicked the only four goals of the first quarter and then went on to record the thumping 19.13 (127) to 7.4 (46) win.

 

A crowd of 25,064 flowed into Optus Stadium for WAFL Grand Final day as well marking the biggest attendance since 31,382 watched East Perth beat West Perth in 2002 at Subiaco Oval.

 

Subiaco made history becoming the first club to win colts, reserves and league premierships on top of becoming the third team ever, and the first since 1946 to go through a season undefeated and finish off with the flag.

The win also makes up for the pain Subiaco has felt the previous two seasons by losing Grand Finals to Peel Thunder. Remarkably this was Subiaco's fifth straight Grand Final appearance and they have three premierships to show for it.

Inspirational Subiaco captain Kyal Horsley has led the Lions into each of those Grand Finals and is now a four-time premiership player and three times as captain. 

To cap it off, he was the best player on the ground with 34 possessions, eight tackles, 10 inside-50 entries and two goals to claim the Simpson Medal having been runner-up in voting the previous two years. 

It also helps to make up for missing out on the Sandover Medal with a fourth top three finish of his career, but having played in four premierships from eight Grand Finals in his 181-game career make him the most decorated player currently in the WAFL.

While Horsley became a four-time premiership player, Chris Phelan (34 possessions, eight tackles, seven marks, seven inside 50s), Lachlan Delahunty (25 disposals, 13 hit outs) and Clancy Wheeler (14 touches, one goal) all become the winners of three flags with Subiaco.

Leigh Kitchin (21 possessions, 18 tackles), Jordan Lockyer (19 disposals, eight marks), Hayden Kennedy (19 touches), Kyle Halligan (five goals), Aaron Heal (21 possessions, nine marks) and Rhys Waters (three goals) are now all two-time premiership winners as well.

Josh Deluca had a brilliant season for Subiaco to put himself back in the mix for another AFL crack and he had 29 possessions and eight tackles as he became a four-time premiership player – two at Subiaco and two with Peel.

It was a dominant performance all over the field by Subiaco led by ruckman Zac Clarke who gave his gun on-ballers first use despite hurting a hand. He finished with 17 touches, seven marks and 50 hit outs.

The Subiaco defence was superb led by Lockyer's job holding Bernie Naylor Medallist Tyler Keitel scoreless. Angus Litherland had a good battle with Andrew Strijk and the Lions backman had 22 possessions and five marks.

Former Falcon Drew Rohde held Keegan Knott to one behind while having 20 touches and six marks himself too.

Then up forward, Ben Sokol and Halligan kicked five goals apiece and Rhys Waters added three with Subiaco's mid-size attacking options proving unstoppable.

Justin Joyce also had 18 possessions, Ben Newton 18, Braden Fimmano 15 (seven tackles) and Greg Clarke 14 (five marks, five tackles).

It was a tough day for West Perth but it had been a tremendous effort by the Falcons to reach the Grand Final.

Captain Aaron Black battled tirelessly for West Perth with 27 possessions, nine tackles and two goals. Shane Nelson also racked up another 28 possessions for the Falcons with Mitch Peirce fighting hard for 23 disposals, 10 tackles and a goal.

Corey Chalmers also kicked two goals while Jordan Mills battled away solidly opposed to Subiaco veteran Clancy Wheeler.

It was the last game for decorated West Perth ruckman and 2013 premiership player Chris Keunen.

It was a ferocious opening to the Grand Final and both teams missed some gettable shots on goal early. It took over 17 minutes for the first goal but eventually it came courtesy of the cool head of Subiaco veteran Chris Phelan.

The Lions then added three more from Rhys Waters, Ben Sokol and Kyle Halligan before quarter-time.

West Perth scored its first goal of the Grand Final a minute into the second quarter with Mitch Peirce kicking truly, but Subiaco responded three minutes later through Clancy Wheeler. Halligan then added his second and when Sokol also kicked his second, the lead grew to 42 points.

West Perth's second came courtesy of captain Aaron Black when he might have been lucky to get into the protected area, but he took advantage to smother the ball and then kick truly.

Subiaco again responded, though, with Halligan and Sokol kicking goals before half-time with the Lions up by 47 points at the break.

It was going to take something special for West Perth to fightback in the second half but that wasn’t to be with Kyal Horsley and Zac Clarke both kicking goals for Subiaco in the opening 10 minutes.

The lead ballooned to 79 points by the time Halligan, Horsley and Sokol kicked goals too with Horsley's an especially remarkable effort from the boundary as the pain of the last two years disappeared.

West Perth did manage a couple of late third quarter goals through Corey Chalmers and Andrew Strijk, but Subiaco was still up by 74 points at the last change. 

An 100-point defeat was on the cards with Subiaco up by 88 midway through the last term but West Perth at least fought the game out with three last quarter goals as the Lions romped to a premiership three years in the making by 81 points.

 

SUBIACO Goals: Halligan, Sokol 5; Waters 3; Horsley 2; Newton, Phelan, Wheeler, Clarke.

Best: Horsley, Phelan, Deluca, Sokol, Clarke, Halligan, Lockyer, Delahunty, Litherland.

WEST PERTH Goals: Black, Chalmers 2; Strijk, Peirce, Mills.

Best: Peirce, Black, Nelson, West.

 

SIMPSON MEDAL: Kyal Horsley (Subiaco)