Our brightest stars: Subiaco District

Western Australia has a proud history of developing elite football talent, with many of the game’s brightest stars beginning their careers at local junior football clubs right across the State.

In a series of articles highlighting the rich talent pool in WA over the years, Lenny Fogliani takes a closer look at the best current and former WAFL and AFL players to emerge from junior clubs in WA’s regions and districts.

This article focusses on junior clubs in Subiaco Football Club's metropolitan district.

To find your local junior club, please click here.

A number of great players have come from Subiaco's metropolitan district. Below are some of the most notable.

SUBIACO DISTRICT

The Subiaco Lions District has proven to be an excellent district for producing high quality WAFL and AFL players.

There are currently eight junior clubs that compete within the District – Balga JFC, Carine JFC, Kingsley JFC, Kingsway JFC, Nollamara JFC, Sorrento-Duncraig JFC, Stirling JFC and Warwick-Greenwood JFC.

To find your nearest junior community club, click here.

A host of prominent WAFL and AFL footballers have come from the Subiaco Lions District. Below are some of the more notable players who have originated from this particular district.

ANTONI GROVER – BALGA JFC

Antoni Grover was the first Indigenous player to play 200 AFL games for the Fremantle Dockers. In total, Grover played 202 games, which places him ninth for the most games played by a Docker. Playing primarily in defence, Grover averaged 13 possessions, 4 marks, 2 rebounding 50s and kicked 27 goals across his career. He had four top-ten placings in his Club’s Best and Fairest (2002: 7th, 2005: 6th, 2007: 2nd, and 2011: 8th). He also represented the Indigenous All Stars in 2003, 2005 and 2007. In 2009, he won Life Membership at the Dockers and in 2019 he was named in the back pocket in Fremantle’s “25 since 95” team. He is currently a Projects and Indigenous Programs Officer at the Department of Sport and Recreation

GUY MCKENNA – CARINE JFC

Affectionately known as “Bluey,” McKenna is one of the most highly decorated players in West Coast’s history. In total, McKenna played 267 games for the Eagles (4th for most games played by an Eagle) and had career averages of 17 possessions (7 contested), 4 marks and 3 rebounding 50s. He was a key member in both West Coast’s premierships in 1992 (14 possessions, 3 marks) and 1994 (23 possessions, 5 marks, 4 tackles). During his time with the Eagles, McKenna won two Best and Fairests (1989, 1999), won three All-Australian guernseys (1991, 1993, 1994), had two top-five placings in the Brownlow (1989: 5th, 1996: 5th), received West Coast’s Best Clubman Award in 1994, won West Coast’s Rookie of the Year in 1988 and captained the Eagles between 1999 and 2000. He also represented Western Australia in State of Origin on four occasions (1987, 1991, 1996, 1997) and captained the Sandgropers between 1996 and 1997. He was the inaugural Head Coach of the Gold Coast Suns. In 2009, he was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame, and in 2011 he was inducted into West Coast’s Hall of Fame.

BRAD SMITH –CARINE JFC/WARWICK-GREENWOOD JFC

The son of former Geelong and West Perth forward Phil Smith, Brad Smith is arguably the greatest forward in the WAFL of the modern era. Across nine seasons, Smith played 138 games (39th most by a Lion) and kicked 530 goals (2nd most by a Lion) for Subiaco. During his career, he was a key member of the Lions’ premiership teams in 2004 (5 goals), 2007 (15 possessions, 11 marks, 7 goals) and 2008 when he was adjudged to be best afield, winning the Simpson Medal after finishing with 22 possessions, 14 marks and 6 goals. Throughout his time with Subiaco, Smith won four Bernie Naylor Medals (2003: 84 goals, 2004: 109 goals, 2007: 126 goals, 2008: 110 goals), five Club Leading Goalkicker Awards (2000, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008) and had two top-five placings in the Sandover Medal (2007: 2nd, 2008: 4th). He was also on West Coast’s AFL list between 2005 and 2006. He currently works in player recruitment at the West Coast Eagles.

IAN DARGIE – KARRINYUP JFC/SORRENTO-DUNCRAIG JFC

Originally born in England, Dargie is one of Subiaco’s greatest ever players. Across seven seasons, Dargie played 131 games and kicked 36 goals. Throughout his time with the Lions, Dargie won two premierships (1986, 1988), two Sandover Medals (1991, 1994) and Subiaco’s 1994 Best and Fairest. In 1995, he joined Southport in the QAFL, where he went on to win two premierships (1997, 1998). He won Life Membership at Subiaco in 2000. He was also on St Kilda and West Coast’s lists. Prior to joining Subiaco, Dargie played for the North Beach Amateur Football Club where he won three consecutive Best and Fairest Awards.

DES HEADLAND – KARRINYUP JFC

Nicknamed “DJ” or “Dessie,” Headland was the first Indigenous footballer to be selected with the first pick of a National Draft, when Brisbane picked him with pick one in the 1998 National Draft. In total, Headland played 166 AFL games (52 with Brisbane, 114 with Fremantle) and kicked 177 AFL goals (52 with Brisbane, 125 with Fremantle) across 12 seasons. He had two top-ten placings in a Club Best and Fairest (2002: 7th, 2007: 5th), finished fourth in the 2002 Brownlow Medal Count, represented the Indigenous All Stars on three occasions, and was a key member in Brisbane’s 2002 Premiership-winning team over Collingwood (13 possessions – 6 contested – 5 marks, 5 inside 50s, 4 clearances, 4 tackles). After his playing career, Headland has been involved in leadership positions with Indigenous corporations including the Clontarf Foundation, Headland Corporation and Spartan First. In 2019, he became the President of the Indigenous Players Alliance.

JARRAD SCHOFIELD – KINGSLEY JFC

Currently an Assistant Coach with Port Adelaide, Schofield was a star AFL footballer between 1993 and 2006. In total, he played 206 AFL games (63 with West Coast, 131 with Port Adelaide, 12 with Fremantle) and kicked 127 AFL goals (34 with West Coast, 91 with Port Adelaide, 2 with Fremantle). He was a member of Port Adelaide’s premiership triumph over Brisbane in 2004, was the Showdown Medallist in 2002 and was nominated for the Rising Star Award in 1996. He also represented WA in State of Origin on two occasions (1996, 1998). He is considered to be Subiaco’s most important person in the modern era. As a player, Schofield played 114 games, kicked 88 goals and was a key member of Subiaco’s premiership three-peat between 2006, 2007 and 2008. In 2013, he became the Senior Coach of Subiaco where he led the Lions to three Premierships (2014, 2015, 2018) from five attempts.

MATT PRIDDIS – SORRENTO-DUNCRAIG JFC

Originally from Manjimup, Priddis went on to be a star in the AFL. Prior to his AFL career, Priddis was a superstar for Subiaco. In four seasons, he played 63 games and kicked 32 goals for the Lions. During this time, he won two WAFL premierships (2004, 2006), the 2005 Simpson Medal (State match), the 2005 Subiaco Best and Fairest, the 2006 Sandover Medal and the 2004 WAFL Rising Star. In 2005, he was drafted with pick 31 in the rookie draft by the West Coast Eagles. During his time with West Coast, he played 240 games (10th most by an Eagle), won the 2014 Brownlow Medal, two Club Best and Fairests (2011, 2013), All-Australian selection (2015: centreman), two Glendinning-Allan Medals (2011, 2016) and two Geoff Christian Medals (2011, 2014). He had a further nine placings in his Club’s Best and Fairest, and had a further four top-ten placings in the Brownlow (2010: 10th, 2011: 7th, 2015: 2nd, 2016: 9th).

List of notable players from Subiaco’s District.