I would imagine they would have been thinking that more premiership success wasn't that far away.

No, well, they played in 78, of course, and lost that probably the most famous waffle grand final almost.

Maybe the Andy Cracker one was right up there and a couple of others.

The The Derby Grand Finals, but that 78 when we got nipped by East Perth and Peter Bezasto almost won the game off his own boot in heavy rain.

I think a lot of people remember that game.

It was our blokes that sunk us, Barry Cable and Ian Miller.

Ian Miller won the Simpson medal, so they were playing for East Perth because we might have got it carried away with ourselves, Duff.

Where is that at at the moment? I haven't been out there for a while, but what stage are we at with that?

Where is that at at the moment? I haven't been out there for a while, but what stage are we at with that?

Well, I'll just set the scene a little bit because I'm here right now and we're on Oval 2, so the oval at the back is where West Coast is training and on the main oval because even they need to manage that ground.

I think they spend about $30,000 a month on the two grounds.

The grounds are magnificent and the lights and the music and everything is spectacular.

Our grandstand was built in 1955, I think it was, and so we've been negotiating with the town of Victoria Park to get some help in that space that The Deputy Premier, Rita Safioti, has been magnificent in what she's been able to support us with.

At this stage, it's sort of a negotiation between her and the town of Victoria Park as to where that all lands.

But it's very encouraging.

Elijah Taylor, yeah.

So how did you and the selection panel come to the decision?

Yeah, it's really good to welcome Steve back to the club.

Obviously, it's that incredible history there where his grandfather, Ken, was our last premiership coach in 1977 and, of course, coached in 78 when we lost.

So that is just quite remarkable.

His dad, Gary, also coached the club.

He's been doing an apprenticeship, I guess, for you'd say for probably 15 years.

He last worked at West Perth.

So how is it going in terms of the squad? How's the squad coming together?

So how did you and the selection panel come to the decision?

Yeah, it's really good to welcome Steve back to the club.

Obviously, it's that incredible history there where his grandfather, Ken, was our last premiership coach in 1977 and, of course, coached in 78 when we lost.

So that is just quite remarkable.

His dad, Gary, also coached the club.

He's been doing an apprenticeship, I guess, for you'd say for probably 15 years.

He last worked at West Perth.

So how is it going in terms of the squad? How's the squad coming together?

Oh, Barry, you are quite

the wine connoisseur, aren't you? Don't take him to a tasting, whatever you do.

Full of books.

So the Eagles, too, I wanted to mention, all their young guns, led by Harley Reid and Willem Dersmer, have flown to Las Vegas.

And what happens in Las Vegas? I don't know.

Stays in Las Vegas.

Used to.

Won a beauty over Fifi.

Mm.

Uh, but unfortunately, I got wrapped, caught up in it, and I, I can only just feel for anybody related to anybody affected in this area.

It must be so bad and so dramatic and so painful, and I just feel for them sp- so much.

'Cause being six times removed, I was just, I could feel the pain and the sadness and the, the drama and the police that ha- had to do the job, the gentleman that had, had, had just made the discovery, um, the journalists, any journalists involved, everyone was just rocked.

And, um, as a rookie sports person, even though, you know, you're pretty naive, you can, you pick those things up, and it was a, a, a really am- amazing time in Perth in terms of, uh, what was going on, and, uh, a very sad time too.

Adrian, have you always had, um, a, an interest in following this case, I guess, because you were one of those first reporters there on the scene? It-- has it always stuck with you? You've always wondered and, and thought, "Will this ever be solved?" Or...

I suppose only in, in the sense of, uh, most, like most people in Western Australia and Perth, it, it...

And, and now that I've got children as well, you know, you look back and go, "Wow." And I live in Claremont, and I live close to Claremont, so it's all profoundly significant to me.

Mm.

He didn't have a mark, one kick late in the game, and you know, that wouldn't happen to Tex or that wouldn't happen to Wayne Carey.

So, you know, [laughs] he cannot go out again because he had a flat one in the last final last year too.

So, you know, just he's got to lift the big kahuna.

And, um, e- e- even Andy Brayshaw said he wouldn't want to be standing in front of him t-tonight.

So yeah, we'll see what happens there.

And then Murphy-Reid just tried to be too clever.

Yeah.

How did you see the game?

It was a good game.

We did have a lot more inside 50s.

So our connection with our forwards probably not bad.

you know, could be zinging a bit better.

I think we had 12 more inside 50s.

They had a lot more of the ball.

So how do you think the Dockers are looking?

How have you seen their season and what they're looking to do this offseason?

Yeah, I think they're sort of waiting to see how the cards fall a bit.

I think they've offered Matt Flynn a year.

I'm not sure if he wants to look around and see if he can get more than that somewhere, but he really is a quality bloke.

And he's like a second father figure for most of those young blokes, having them all around his house for dinner and all that sort of stuff.

And he was the linchpin or the centre of their waffle team as well.

Really, that's why they were so competitive because...

So how do you think the Dockers are looking?

Yeah.

And Libba was pinching him and punching him and elbowing him [laughs] and doing all sorts of stuff.

I don't know if you remember, it was famous at the WACA, and I think the Eagles almost made an official complaint And he said, you know, "First time it happens, it's such a shock." And Kane Cornes, who's a very famous tagger actually went public and said that, oh, he used to love when he tagged blokes and he knew it's their first time, and he just knew that they were so shocked.

Because, you know, you don't expect a bloke just to not bother about where the ball is or even looking at it.

He just looks at you and blocks you and elbows you and knees you and punches you [laughs] and does whatever he can to stop you getting near the ball.

Mate, it's frightening.

They should bar the tagging, seriously.

Wow.

Yeah, I think they stormed

back in.

It might have been North Melbourne that didn't or something.

But, yeah, it's fascinating to see because obviously they have to plan.

They'll say they're not planning stuff, but they have to plan that sort of stuff.

So that also impacts us.

When I say us, I'm talking about the waffle because what happens, how do they manage those players as well? And when they're not playing, they can only play 12.

What are your thoughts on the competition and where your club stands?

And I don't know if that, I shouldn't say those words, but

I don't think that helped.

No.

And I think Ron stuck up for his players.

And Chris Maney was one of them, Chris Maney wearing his snuck out to Jupiter's.

And got caught.

I don't think that helped his case.

All the boys were ordering alcohol through Marcia.

What are your thoughts on the Dockers?

Mate, just flying.

They just did it on the bit.

They didn't even extend themselves in that game.

That was incredible.

It was bruised free footy almost.

They're at the stage...

What about the Eagles, just quickly? What are your thoughts on them? Carlton, pretty dominant win in the end.

We've had a few.

I've been surprised.

You know what's really surprised me? The mentions that Nat Fyfe got around the 2018 Grand Final.

Because apparently Nat Fyfe said that in the lead-up to the 2018 Grand Final that he would be supporting Collingwood.

Now, I haven't actually seen that myself.

But a lot of people have been mentioning it on social media.

And I reckon that must have been tongue-in-cheek, surely.

What are your thoughts on the Dockers?

Well,

that's just a fact.

I shouldn't use that expression.

He'll be, yeah.

Well, it's not often that presidents go in and give the players a spray.

I heard it did happen at one club this year already.

And it did happen to me once when I was at Perth as well.

They're a very strong team, and especially at home where they have never lost this season?