The 2023 WAFL season was the 139th season of the various incarnations of the West Australian Football League (WAFL). The season commenced on 7 April and concluded with the Grand Final on 24 September.[2]
| 2023 WAFL season | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 10 |
| Premiers | East Fremantle 30th premiership |
| Minor premiers | East Fremantle 34th minor premiership |
| Sandover Medallist | Hamish Brayshaw (East Perth – 26 votes)[1] |
| Bernie Naylor Medallist | Tyler Keitel (West Perth – 57 goals) |
After easily winning the minor premiership, East Fremantle won their 30th WAFL premiership breaking a 25-year drought, defeating Peel Thunder in the Grand Final at Optus Stadium.
Ladder
edit- For the list of regular season results, see here
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Fremantle (P) | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1650 | 1118 | 147.6 | 56 | Finals series |
| 2 | Subiaco | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1536 | 1168 | 131.5 | 48 | |
| 3 | Peel Thunder | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1474 | 1133 | 130.1 | 48 | |
| 4 | East Perth | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1656 | 1275 | 129.9 | 48 | |
| 5 | Claremont | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1509 | 1225 | 123.2 | 48 | |
| 6 | West Perth | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 1523 | 1271 | 119.8 | 44 | |
| 7 | Swan Districts | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1329 | 1333 | 99.7 | 32 | |
| 8 | South Fremantle[a] | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 1190 | 1227 | 97.0 | 16 | |
| 9 | Perth | 18 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 1119 | 1725 | 64.9 | 10 | |
| 10 | West Coast | 18 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 973 | 2484 | 39.2 | 2 |
Source: WAFL.com.au
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers
Notes:
- ^ South Fremantle were fined $25,000 and stripped of eight premiership points after breaching the WAFL salary cap during the 2021 WAFL season.[3][4]
Finals series
editWeek one – Qualifying and elimination finals
edit| Qualifying final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 2 September (2:10 pm) | Subiaco 10.14 (74) | def. by | Peel Thunder 12.12 (84) | Leederville Oval | |
| Elimination final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 3 September (2:10 pm) | East Perth 9.6 (60) | def. by | Claremont 11.6 (72) | Leederville Oval | |
Week two – Semi-finals
edit| Second semi final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 9 September (2:10 pm) | East Fremantle 9.6 (60) | def. | Peel Thunder 7.13 (55) | Fremantle Community Bank Oval | |
| First semi final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 10 September (2:10 pm) | Subiaco 16.12 (108) | def. | Claremont 8.1 (49) | Leederville Oval | |
Week three – Preliminary final
edit| Preliminary final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday 17, September (2:10 pm) | Peel Thunder 11.11 (77) | def. | Subiaco 7.11 (53) | Lane Group Stadium | |
Week four – Grand Final
edit| 2023 WAFL Grand Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday 24 September (3:00 pm) | East Fremantle | def. | Peel Thunder | Optus Stadium, Perth (crowd: 27,104[5]) | Stats Report |
| 3.5 (23) 6.6 (42) 9.11 (65) 12.13 (85) |
Q1 Q2 Q3 Final |
2.0 (12) 4.4 (28) 5.7 (37) 6.10 (46) |
Umpires: Gibb, Jago, McPhee, Laycock[6] Simpson Medal: Milan Murdock (East Fremantle) Television broadcast: Seven Network | ||
| Schoenfeld 2, McGuire 2, Murdock, English, Joyce, Marsh, McGuire, Bennett, Montauban, Dixon | Goals | Colyer 2, Middleton, Sears, Smith, Wemm | |||
| Murdock, Turner, Eardley, Jupp, Joyce, Marsh, R McGuire, Marlin, Bailey. | Best | Wagner, Davies, Blight, Wilson, Hamling, Brodie, Hancock. | |||
| Nil | Injuries | Nil | |||
| Nil | Reports | Nil | |||
Notable events
edit- Perth's Kristian Cary kicked for goal after the siren against West Coast in Round 13, but his kick fell short the huge pack competing on the goal line saw the ball forced through for a rushed behind. The draw ended West Coast's losing streak for the season.[7]
- West Coast's Harry Barnett missed a shot on goal in Round 15, allowing Swan Districts to bring the ball back into their forward 50, where Tom Edwards marked and kicked truly.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Woodcock, Mitchell (12 September 2023). "2023 Sandover Medal: East Perth star Hamish Brayshaw the runaway winner after dominant season for Royals". thewest.com.au. Seven West Media. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ Mitch Keating (2 February 2023). "2023 WAFL season fixture released". Zero Hangar.
- ^ Paddick, Matt (23 April 2023). "WAFL 2023: South Fremantle's salary cap penalty an afterthought for players amid strong start to season". thewest.com.au. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ "South Fremantle Penalised Over Total Player Payment Breach". WA Football Commission. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ Pike, Chris (24 September 2023). "Sharks win premiership to end 25-year drought". wafootball.com.au. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Fab Four selected to umpire first WAFL League Grand Final". wafootball.com.au. 20 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "WAFL NAIDOC Round Wrap". WAFL.
- ^ "WAFL Match Report: Eagles suffer heartbreak at the hands of Swans". West Coast Eagles. 22 July 2023.