Western Derby

The Western Derby (pronounced Der-bee) is the name given to the Australian Football League match between the Fremantle Dockers and West Coast Eagles football clubs. As both teams are based in Western Australia, the derby term is used to describe the match.

There are two Western Derbies every season. The AFL draw requires that each team plays seven other teams twice and eight other teams once during the 22 round season. The AFL generally attempts to equalise which teams are played twice and which are played once across seasons, but ensures that there are always two derbies due to the excitement generated in Perth and the monetary windfall associated with the derby. In recent years the derby has been part of the AFL Rivalry Round.

Since the Dockers entered the AFL in 1995, the Derby has grown in popularity by Western Australian football fans. As of the end of the 2006 AFL Season, West Coast had won 17 out of the 24 games played in the home and away season, including the first 9 derbies.

The Fremantle Dockers won their first Western Derby in July, 1999 and picked up their last victory by 57 points in the 2006 Premiership season played at Subiaco Oval on 27 August 2006. 2006 was the first season in which Fremantle won both derbies.

The player adjudged best player in each derby match is awarded the Ross Glendinning Medal, named after former West Coast Eagles player and Fremantle Dockers Chairman of selectors Ross Glendinning.

Controversial derbies

Round 21, 2000

An infamous derby occurred in round 21, 2000. Both clubs were out of finals contention, the derby earlier in the year had recorded the biggest ever margin (Scott Cummings' 10 goals led West Coast to a 117 thrashing) and in the lead up both teams were talking down the importance of the game with the standard line of "it's only worth 4 points". However, Clive Waterhouse indicated that something different might happen by saying that "blood would be spilled".

Before the first bounce, West Coast, through Michael Gardiner, went on the attack, pushing and shoving first year player Matthew Pavlich. The umpires awarded a free kick to Pavlich before the ball was bounced. However West Coast settled and led by 4 goals at quarter time with goals to Phillip Read, Andrew Embley and three to Phil Matera. Two goals to Mitchell White, a fourth goal for Matera and one to Chad Morrison in the second quarter saw West Coast go to the half time break a comfortable 32 points in front. Fremantle's forward line was struggling, with only 4 goals to half time, including two to Waterhouse, and singles to midfielders Heath Black and Troy Cook.

At half time, numerous fights broke out which resulted in one of longest tribunal records in recent times. Suspensions and fines handed out were:

• Michael Gardiner for striking Matthew Pavlich, 2 match suspension
• Dale Kickett was suspended for a total of nine weeks on three striking charges on Phillip Read and Andrew Embley.
• Brad Dodd for attempted striking Phil Read, 2 matches
• Phillip Read for striking Brad Dodd, 2 matches
• Fremantle's Heath Black, Paul Hasleby, Shaun McManus, Clem Michael, Jason Norrish, Jess Sinclair and Andrew Shipp; and West Coast's Ben Cousins, Andrew Embley, Kane Munro, Michael Gardiner and Phillip Read were all reported for melee invovlement and apart from Embley and Farmer who were found not guilty, fined between $2000 and $4000 each.

Phil Matera kicked his 5th goal shortly after half time, bringing the Eagles lead to 42 points, but Fremantle surged to cut the margin to 18 points at three quarter time with three goals to Clive Waterhouse and singles to Pavlich and Daniel Bandy. The last quarter saw Phil Matera carried from the ground, not from a repeat of the earlier violence, but by colliding with umpire Steven Handley. A solid, but legal shirtfront by Troy Cook saw Mitchell White also carried from the ground. A six goal to three final quarter including another two to Waterhouse and singles to Koops, Shipp, and ironically Kickett and Dodd saw Fremantle hit the lead by two points. With only seconds to spare the Eagles pushed forward and a loose ball was unable to be gathered in by makeshift forward Darren Glass resulting in a rushed behind and a one point victory for Fremantle, only their 2nd ever in a Western Derby.

The following week both teams were beaten well, with Fremantle thrashed by Brisbane by 107 points and Melbourne winning by 70 points over the Eagles at Subiaco.

Round 3, 2007

The round 3, 2007 match will be remembered as one of the most spiteful derbies ever played. Nearing three-quarter time, Fremantle's Des Headland was reported by umpire Stuart Wenn for striking and wrestling with West Coast's Adam Selwood, who allegedly made an inappropriate comment about a tattoo on Headland's arm which depicted the Fremantle player's six-year-old daughter.

The case was heard on 18 April, with Selwood cleared of using abusive language towards Headland. Headland was found guilty of both striking and wrestling with Selwood, but was not suspended because of "exceptional and compelling circumstances by way of provocation".

West Coast won this match by 31 points, and Michael Braun was awarded the Ross Glendenning Medal. During his acceptance speech, he said to his teammates: "Let's have a f***ing good year!"[sic]. He was then fined $500 by the Eagles for his actions, but the AFL intervened, invalidated the $500 fine and instead fined him $5000.

In the lead up to Selwood's round 7 match against Geelong, which happened to be on Mothers' Day, Selwood officially apologized to women and claimed that he didn't mean what he had said to Headland four weeks earlier.

Home and away season derby results

Match	Round	Date	Fremantle		West Coast		Winner	By	Crowd
1	R7	14 May 1995	1.1 3.5 5.7 9.12	66	4.3 10.7 17.12 23.13	151	West Coast	85	41,601
2	R22	3 September 1995	1.1 2.6 6.9 8.10	58	2.3 5.7 14.10 16.15	111	West Coast	53	39,486
3	R1	31 March 1996	0.3 2.5 3.8 6.9	45	3.5 5.6 8.9 9.13	67	West Coast	22	32,880
4	R16	21 July 1996	1.0 2.2 2.6 7.6	48	2.3 6.4 8.7 12.10	82	West Coast	34	35,410
5	R3	13 April 1997	2.2 4.7 6.12 9.17	71	5.2 10.8 12.10 16.15	111	West Coast	40	39,586
6	R18	3 August 1997	2.1 5.2 6.5 7.7	49	2.0 5.2 10.2 13.4	82	West Coast	33	39,711
7	R3	12 April 1998	0.4 5.6 8.7 10.7	67	5.0 6.2 10.6 14.10	94	West Coast	27	34,557
9	R18	2 August 1998	5.2 6.4 7.9 8.12	60	3.3 7.4 10.5 15.9	99	West Coast	39	37,372
9	R1	28 March 1999	2.2 6.7 8.11 13.20	98	8.3 12.5 15.9 15.12	102	West Coast	4	32,656
10	R16	18 July 1999	7.5 10.8 14.10 17.17	119	4.0 7.3 10.4 11.6	72	Fremantle	47	36,763
11	R6	15 April 2000	3.0 4.3 6.5 9.7	61	5.3 11.4 19.9 28.10	178	West Coast	117	40,460
12	R21	30 July 2000	1.3 4.4 9.8 15.11	101	5.2 9.6 12.8 15.10	100	Fremantle	1	37,573
13	R4	21 April 2001	1.3 5.6 10.8 13.10	88	3.4 7.9 9.14 16.16	112	West Coast	24	38,804
14	R19	12 August 2001	0.3 2.4 5.7 9.10	64	2.4 5.5 10.9 14.14	98	West Coast	34	41,285
15	R1	31 March 2002	4.4 8.7 11.9 18.10	118	6.1 9.5 16.6 21.11	137	West Coast	19	39,467
16	R16	20 July 2002	3.1 5.5 10.7 15.10	100	5.0 6.1 7.3 11.4	70	Fremantle	30	41,779
17	R5	27 April 2003	2.1 4.3 8.7 10.13	73	5.4 8.9 12.10 16.12	108	West Coast	35	41,654
18	R22	30 August 2003	4.2 6.6 12.10 14.12	96	4.2 7.4 9.9 11.16	82	Fremantle	14	43,027
19	R6	1 May 2004	4.1 7.3 11.8 12.11	83	3.2 7.5 9.5 11.7	73	Fremantle	10	42,135
20	R21	22 August 2004	2.2 3.4 5.8 6.9	45	5.1 7.10 9.14 13.15	93	West Coast	48	41,907
21	R3	9 April 2005	2.4 7.6 9.7 12.8	80	2.4 3.9 7.14 12.16	88	West Coast	8	42,027
22	R20	12 August 2005	2.1 5.2 7.4 12.8	80	5.4 12.7 18.11 19.14	128	West Coast	48	40,720
23	R6	6 May 2006	4.4 7.8 10.11 12.16	88	3.5 7.6 10.8 12.11	83	Fremantle	5	42,213
24	R21	27 August 2006	4.1 8.5 14.8 18.10	118	4.3 4.8 4.11 8.13	61	Fremantle	57	43,527
25	R3	14 April 2007	1.2 4.4 8.4 11.4	70	4.1 6.6 9.11 14.17	101	West Coast	31	42,051
26	R18	5 August 2007

Source: http://stats.rleague.com/afl/teams/fremantle/allgames_tm.html