Swan Districts Hall of Fame Inductions 2019

THE history of the Swan Districts Football Club and its champions of the past were recently celebrated at the 2019 Hall of Fame induction ceremony with six greats of the club inducted and one of WA football's all-time champions elected to Immortal status.

The history of the Swan Districts Football Club is a storied one with the champions to have walked through the gates of Bassendean Oval and stepped out onto the hallowed turf recognised among the best contributors to West Australian and Australian football now for 85 years.

Recently Swan Districts held its 2019 Hall of Fame function and it was quite the night of celebration of some of the finest all-time contributors to the black-and-whites.

Previously 26 players had been inducted into the Swan Districts Football Club Hall of Fame. Of those inductees, Ken Bagley, Ron Boucher and Stan Nowotny were present for the 2019 induction dinner and ceremony.

Five players and one administrator were inducted into the Hall of Fame class of 2019 while one of the previous 26 inductees was elevated to Immortal status.

Phil Narkle was the first inductee.

Having grown up in Bunbury, he became a fixture of the Swan Districts colts by 1977 before being Rookie of the Year in 1978 and then by 1982, he was a premiership player, Swan Medallist and Sandover Medallist at Swans.

He played in the premiership also of 1983 before spending time in the VFL with both St Kilda and the West Coast Eagles. He was back to Swan Districts to play in the 1990 premiership, would go on to be captain for two years and win his second Swan Medal in 1991.

All in all, 'Mr Magic' played 244 games for Swan Districts, is a triple premiership player, Sandover Medallist and dual Swan Medal winner.

Already in the WA Football Hall of Fame, he now takes his rightful place in the Swan Districts Hall of Fame.

The next inductee was a true homegrown Bassendean product, Tom Mullooly.

Mullooly graduated from Bassendean juniors to debut with Swan Districts as a 17-year-old in 1971 and he never looked back, becoming a fixture at half-forward and on the wing for the black-and-whites.

By the end of his career, Mullooly had amassed 246 games for Swan Districts while playing in the premierships 1982 and 1984, missing 1983 through injury.

He also represented WA and was named in the club's Team of the Century.

Following his playing career, he coached Perth in 1990 before turning to Swans and coaching the colts for four years and to a premiership in 1991 before later being reserves coach and being an assistant to John Todd.

One of those who has bled black-and-white his whole life, it's an honour to have him take his place in the Swan Districts Hall of Fame.

Next up to be inducted for 2019 was perhaps Swans' favourite son this century, Shane Beros.

Having endured some tough times when he first came to Swan Districts at the turn of the century, the nuggety centreman soon become a beloved part of a Swans team that worked its way back into being a competitive unit and even returned to finals by 2004.

Fittiingly, Beros' last game was in the Grand Final of 2008 of which might have been a loss to Subiaco on Subiaco Oval, but was a significant show of just how far Swans' had come from when he started his career in black-and-white.

Along the way, he was one of the best players in the WAFL during the first decade of this century. He would go on to win the Sandover Medal in 2003, win two Swan Medals, play for WA on four occasions and do it all with the heart of a champion who deserves his place in the Hall of Fame.

The next inductee was one of Swan Districts' first true champions when the club first entered the competition in 1934, George Krepp (Peter and Raymond Krepp pictured).

Having grown up in the Goldfields, he was part of Swan Districts' inaugural season in 1934 and would go on to win the club's first three fairest and best awards.

He also became Swans' first Sandover Medal recipient in 1935 and would go on to play 101 games for the club as a skilful and dashing wingman before returning to the Goldfields region.

He was named in the club's Team of the Century and as a Sandover Medallist and triple Swan Medal winner, he deservedly now is immortalised in the Hall of Fame.

The last of the players inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2019 was another famous wingman and half-forward from the 1960s and 1970s, Peter Manning.

Manning made his debut with Swan Districts in 1964 and was a permanent member of the side by 1965 and by 1967 claimed a Swan Medal as fairest and best player despite the presence of Bill Walker who still won the Sandover Medal for that season.

He would claim two more Swan Medals during his career along with representing WA on 12 occasions and ending up his career on exactly 200 games having returned from a serious back injury to play four matches in 1975.

The last inductee for the night was a man who had an enormous impact on the Swan Districts Football Club despite never lacing up the boots, Percy Bright (Lewis Bright pictured).

Having moved to Swan Districts from the Midland-Junction Amateur Football Club in 1952, Bright made an immediate impact at Bassendean and never looked back.

He would end up as the then longest-serving president at Swan Districts throughout the 1960s and continued to serve in other administrative and management roles during the 1970s.

He was still on the WAFL Appeals Board through the early 1980s.

He became a Life Member of Swan Districts in 1961 and will always be remembered for steering the club to its first ever premiership in that season.

For 30 years of service to the Swan Districts Football Club, he rightfully is now a part of the Hall of Fame.

The night then concluded with the elevation to Immortal status of one of the previous 26 inductees into the Swan Districts Football Club Hall of Fame.

Nobody could argue with the choice, the legendary Bill Walker.

Walker's career is one of the finest of anybody ever in West Australian or Australian football and it's only fitting he now is forever to be seen as an Immortal in Swans' Hall of Fame.

Along the way the legendary centreman would play 305 games for Swan Districts, kick 461 goals and represent WA on another 21 occasions.

During that remarkable career, he would become the only man to ever win four Sandover Medals to go with five Swan Medals and a Simpson Medal.

He was captain from 1969 to 1975 while also being coach for the first three of those years.

His contributions continued beyond his playing days with Walker the President of Swan Districts from 1983 to 1995 and it's hard to imagine anyone more deserving of the Immortal honour.

SWAN DISTRICTS FOOTBALL CLUB 2019 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

PHIL NARKLE
244 Games Swan Districts 
178 Goals Swan Districts
5 Games Western Australia
Medallists Medallist 1977
EJ McManus Medallist 1977
Rookie of the Year 1978
Swan Districts Premierships 1982, 1983, 1990
Sandover Medallist 1982
Swan Districts captain 1992, 1993
Swan Medallist 1981, 1991
WA Football Hall of Fame
Swan Districts Team of the Century

TOM MULLOOLY
246 Games Swan Districts
117 Goals Swan Districts
Represented Western Australia
Swan Districts Premierships 1982, 1984
Swan Districts Team of the Century 
Coached Swan Districts Colts Premiership 1991

SHANE BEROS
193 Games Swan Districts
112 Goals Swan Districts
4 Games Western Australia
Sandover Medallist 2003
Swan Medallist 2003, 2005
Swan Districts captain 2005, 2006

GEORGE KREPP
101 Games Swan Districts
10 Goals Swan Districts
9 Games Western Australia
Sandover Medallist 1935
Swan Medallist 1934, 1935, 1936
Swan Districts Team of the Century

PETER MANNING
200 Games Swan Districts
118 Goals Swan Districts
12 Games Western Australia
Swan Medallist 1967, 1971, 1973
Swan Districts Team of the Century

PERCY BRIGHT
Swan Districts Vice-President 1952-1956, 1978
Swan Districts President 1960-1967
Swan Districts Committee Member 1959, 1976, 1977, 1979
National Football League Certificate of Merit 1979
Swan Districts Life Member

PAST HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Ted Holdsworth
Lal Mosey
Tom Moiler
John (Jack) Murray
Joe Pearce
Duggan Anderson
Tim Barker
John Cooper
Ron Rose
Joe Lawson
Keith Slater
Stan Moses
Ken Bagley
Bill Walker
Fred Castledine
Tony Nesbit
Haydn Bunton
Stan Nowotny
Ron Boucher
Keith Narkle
Garry Sidebottom
Don Langsford
John Todd
Don Holmes
Travis Edmonds

IMMORTAL ELEVATION – BILL WALKER
305 Games Swan Districts
461 Goals Swan Districts
21 Games Western Australia
Sandover Medallist 1965, 1966, 1967, 1970
Swan Medallist 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970
Swan Districts Premierships 1961, 1962, 1963
Simpson Medallist 1967
Swan Districts captain-coach 1969-1971
Swan Districts captain 1969-75
All-Australian Team 1969
Australian Football Hall of Fame
WA Institute of Sport Hall of Champions
WA Football Hall of Fame – Legend
Swan Districts Team of the Century
Order of Australia
Swan Districts President 1983-1995