Subiaco Complete History Making Undefeated Season with 81 Point Grand Final Win

History made.

 

That is the story of an incredible season from the Subiaco Football Club culminating in an incredible Grand Final day.

 

For the first time ever, a WAFL club has won the league, reserves and colts premierships in the same season.

 

For the first time in Subiaco history, a league side has gone through undefeated, joining just two other WAFL teams in history to go through a league season unbeaten.

 

For the first time in Subiaco history, the club claimed minor premierships in all three grades, something that had occurred in WAFL history just once before.

 

This was a season of incredible highs, culminating in a game of highs.

 

According to coach Jarrad Schofield, it was the perfect game, and given Subiaco demolished West Perth by 81 points, winning every battle over the ground it was hard to argue.

 

Coming off their second bye in three weeks, Subiaco were sluggish in the game’s opening minutes, conceding the first score of the game to West Perth.

 

Subiaco would grab the lead after 11 minutes and would not trail for the rest of the day.

 

It would take 17 minutes for the first goal before veteran Chris Phelan slotted the first goal of the Grand Final with goals to Rhys Waters, Ben Sokol and Kyle Halligan all following late in the first term.

 

Subiaco headed to the first break leading by 27 points.

 

After conceding the first goal of the second quarter, Subiaco continued to put their authority on the contest, as their midfield continued to win the contested ball, the defence held firm against West Perth attacks while the forward line worked with the potency and efficiency that has defined the season.

 

By half time the lead had ballooned to 47 points with Halligan and Sokol dominating up forward with three goals each and Kyal Horsley and Phelan collecting 33 possessions combined in the first half.

 

10 minutes into the third quarter the lead was out to 60 points and there was no doubt left that the 2018 WAFL Premiership was going Subiaco’s way.

 

The iconic moment of the game would come late in the third quarter when captain and soon to be Simpson Medallist Kyal Horsley slotted a goal from outside 50 from deep in the pocket.

 

The goal brought the crowd to its feet and was the moment that summed up the season of Subiaco, they were simply too good.

 

The last quarter was a procession as players, coaches and fans awaited the final siren, when it came, three years of heartbreak was over, Subiaco had their 14^th league premiership.

 

This was history.

 

GAME CHANGERS

 

HORSLEY WINS SIMPSON

There was really only one medal that Kyal Horsley wanted this week. It was a premiership medal, his fourth as a Subiaco league player. He got to add a second medal as the inspirational captain was the catalyst of the win and was dually awarded the Simpson Medal as the best player on the ground. Horsley finished with 33 possessions and as he has done all year, was the barometer for an exceptional Subiaco team. To the final siren it was Horsley demanding of himself, and his team, every effort to lift a premiership. That premiership came on Sunday.

 

SCHOEY CREATES HISTORY

One of the interesting quirks of Subiaco club history was that no coach had won three premierships. Before Sunday Schofield sat alongside Haydn Bunton, Peter German and Scott Watters as dual league premiership coaches. As of Sunday evening though, Schofield was officially in a company of his own. After leading Subiaco teams to premierships in 2014 and 2015, this 2018 success made Schofield the first three time premiership coach that Subiaco has had.

 

GRAND FINAL LEGEND OF KITCH

Subiaco superstar midfielder and reigning Outridge Medal winner Leigh Kitchin wrote himself into WAFL Grand Final folklore with an incredible tackling display. Kitchin finished Sunday with a Grand Final record 18 tackles. When the game was on the line in the first quarter it was Kitchin who set the tone with a remarkable 10 tackles in the first term.

 

TWO HANDFULS OF GOALS

They have had vastly different journeys to Grand Final days but forwards Ben Sokol and Kyle Halligan were equal on Sunday leading the way with five goals apiece for the Lions. The two forward targets kicked three goals each in the first half to help set up the win, with Sokol kicking two in the third to put himself in Simpson Medal calculations while Halligan finished the game late with a fifth.

 

STOPPING THE NAYLOR’S

Defensive duo Angus Litherland and Jordan Lockyer were too good for the dual Bernie Naylor Medalists of Andrew Strijk and Tyler Kietel. Two of the key match-ups of the Grand Final were handsomely won by the Subiaco defence as Lockyer and Litherland produced defensive Grand Final master classes. If not for a lucky bounce for Strijk late in the third quarter, the Bernie Naylor medallists would have been held goalless.

 

HISTORIC DEFENCE DOES IT AGAIN

Litherland and Lockyer had some key mates in winning the defensive battle. Aaron Heal, Drew Rohde, Hayden Kennedy, Greg Clark and Jacob Miller were also pivotal to the win. The Subiaco defence has been sensational all year and held West Perth to just 11 scoring shots and under the yearly defensive average of 52 points per game, with West Perth mustering just 46 points. The defensive effort was the best in a Grand Final by the Lions since the breakthrough flag of 1973.

 

CLARKE THE DIFFERENCE MAKER

For most of 2018, the key difference that the 2018 Lions have had over their 2016 and 2017 counterparts, was the influence of an influential ruckman. Zac Clakre has added incredible value to Subiaco all season and again on Grand Final day he was enormous. Finishing with 50 hit-outs for the day, it was Clarke who consistently gave the midfield the first look.

 

PERFECT THIRD

Subiaco’s third quarter in the Grand Final went the same way as the 19 before it, the Lions making their move. Subiaco finished a perfect 20 from 20 with third quarter wins in 2018, with the ability of the Lions to come out strong after half time an unspoken part of the season’s success. Grand Final day saw Subiaco kick 6.3 to 2.0, winning the third quarter by 27 points. Across the year they won third quarters by an average of just under 20 points.

 

14TH PREMIERSHIP

Make it 14 league premierships for Subiaco. The 2018 win makes it seven premierships in the past 15 years while it was the third premiership victory over arch rivals West Perth. The 81 point final margin made it the second biggest Grand Final victory for Subiaco in club history. 

 

THIS IS HISTORY

September 23, 2018, Optus Stadium. A day that WAFL history was created by the Subiaco Football Club. A day that will live in the memories of Lions fans for eternity. We need an extra glory for 2018, glory, glory, glory Subiaco.