Austin Robertson Jr.

So the decider of 1986 always loomed as an emotional occasion, the end of WA football as we knew it.

Subiaco famously went 49 years without premiership success between 1924 and 1973, ending that drought under captain-coach Ross Smith, spearheaded by champion goal kicker Austin Robertson.

By the 1980s, the hunger for further premiership success had grown for the Lions, having failed to reach the heights of their '73 flag.

Financial issues had threatened the club's survival in the late 1970s, bailed out by support from other clubs and WA Football.