Swans-Bulldogs compete for John Todd Memorial Cup on Good Friday

Just in case the opening to the 2026 WAFL Men’s season wasn’t big enough already for Swan Districts playing at home on Good Friday and hosting the reigning premiers, but it’s also the annual battle for the John Todd Memorial Cup.

Todd is a premiership coach at both Swan Districts and South Fremantle as part of the remarkable lifetime in football he produced with his legacy cemented when the two clubs who continue to battle over the trophy named in his honour.

The 2026 battle will open the new season on Good Friday at Steel Blue Oval with Swan Districts playing host to a South Fremantle team coming off winning the WAFL Men’s premiership in 2025.

The John Todd Memorial Cup remains one of the highlights of any season for the Swans and Bulldogs which is highly sought after but also a fitting tribute to one of West Australian football’s most endearing and legendary figures.

While Todd did also coach East Fremantle, the West Coast Eagles and Western Australia, it was his playing and coaching career with South Fremantle, and then two successful premiership stints coaching Swan Districts that the two clubs will continue to honour.

It was a remarkable start to a playing career for Todd when he won a Sandover Medal aged just 17 when playing for South Fremantle in 1955.

Serious knee injuries would somewhat hinder the rest of his playing days, but he still ended up playing 132 matches with South Fremantle up until the end of 1966 while winning three fairest and best awards.

When his body could no longer stand up the rigours of playing, that’s when he moved his focus to coaching and it’s not out of place to say that he went on to become Western Australia’s greatest and most significant football coach.

He was a playing-coach with South Fremantle for a period too before moving fully to the coaches’ box and it was at arch-rivals East Fremantle he enjoyed his first premiership success in 1974.

He then came to Bassendean for the first time in 1977 looking to pick up a club that had enjoyed great success in the early 60s, but was trying to get back to being in the mix.

That didn’t take long and Todd took Swan Districts to another hat-trick of premierships in 1982-83-84 before he did leave briefly for an opportunity at the West Coast Eagles in 1988 and 89.

Todd then returned straight to Swan Districts and took them to the premiership in 1990 and remained at Bassendean until the end of 1994 for a return to his original club, South Fremantle.

He led the Bulldogs to another premiership in 1997 and then with Swan Districts on its knees, he showed his heart and passion for the club by selflessly returning in 2000 and being influential over the next three years in secure their future and keeping them alive.

Todd would go on to pass away in 2024 and it was only fitting that the very next game that both Swan Districts and South Fremantle played was for the John Todd Memorial Cup against one another at Steel Blue Oval.

The accolades Todd has had bestowed on him only highlight the impact he had over 70 years with him a WA Football Hall of Fame Legend along being in the Australian Football Hall of Fame, and both the Halls of Fame of South Fremantle and Swan Districts where he is a Legend in each.

Having played 145 games for South Fremantle and WA, and then coached another 735 for Swan Districts, South Fremantle, East Fremantle, West Coast and WA, Todd’s legacy is secure and Swans captain Jesse Turner couldn’t be proud to be continuing to honour him.

He can’t now wait to continue on playing for his cup on Good Friday to open the new season against the Bulldogs.

“Playing for the John Todd Cup is obviously a massive honour and is something both clubs look forward to competing against one another every year,” Turner said.

“John was not only a legend at Swan Districts, but a legend of WA and Australian football.

“Looking back, something about John I remember is that when coaching he was regarded as having the “old school” drill sergeant approach.

“What that tells me, is he expected a lot from his players and pushed them to get the best out of all his players, which is something us at Swans definitely have a similar approach.

“I can’t way to go out and compete for the cup this Friday.”