Memorable 80s Premiership Reunion

One of the great highlights of the 2022 season for Swan Districts was the 40-year premiership reunion of the hat-trick of flags between 1982-84 which was capped off with the league team of today scoring a stunning win over minor premiers West Perth.

In the last home game of the 2022 WAFL season, not only did Swan Districts play host to West Perth, but it doubled as the premiership reunion for the remarkable feat that came in 1982, 1983 and 1984 when Swans completed the second hat-trick of flags in the club's history.

On the back of the breakthrough triumphs of 1961, 62 and 63 under Haydn Bunton Jr, it was John Todd who led Swan Districts to the 1982-83-84 successes and that was celebrated at Steel Blue Oval in the final home match of the 2022 season.

It was quite the memorable function held at Bassendean with 26 of the 32 players from the three premierships able to attend along with the coach.

To top it off, the league team of the day wore throwback jerseys for the day harking back to what the teams wore in the early 1980s, and likely produced their most memorable win of the 2022 season to beat a West Perth team that went on to finish on top of the ladder and make the Grand Final.

Andy Holmes is a Swan Districts premiership player himself from 1990 and was there to host the premiership reunion function, and was honoured to do so.

"It was a sensational day for the footy club to celebrate and recognise legends of our club who built up the tradition 40 years ago, and following on from the 61-62-63 reunion the year before," Holmes said.

"It was building on that tradition and it was probably the first time a lot of those players have physically been back in the club for a long time as well. We had 26 of the 32 who came and we were able to hear from the other six in one form or another who weren’t able to get there.

"There was also a lot of the support staff, directors and obviously the coach Toddy who were there and had been part of that 82-83-84 era as well."

As someone who had his own outstanding premiership winning 137-game career to go with being a long-time board member and contributor to Swan Districts on a number of fronts, Holmes was delighted to be there to help celebrate the 40-year premiership reunion of the start of those hat-trick of flags.

"For me it was just a great honour being involved and being able to MC and talk to my childhood idols. As a past player and when you understand the history of the club, and how few premierships we've actually won then these occasions really mean a lot," he said.

"Only eight per cent of players out of the 1230 players that have debuted for Swans, that's 110 players, have played in a premiership. There are only two that have ever played in four and that's Don Langsford and Don Holmes, and then there's a few that have played in three and not all of those were in-a-row.

"Phil Narkle played in 82 and 83, and then 1990. Just having something like 3560 games of league football experience from those players for Swans at all the one time is really remarkable.

"You had Stan Nowotny who played 278 games, Bill Skwirowski, Tim Mullooly and there were several of the 200 club which is something that might never happen again in WAFL footy. We've got Tony Notte but it will be few and far between for it to happen today and we had a big group of those players in the room at once."

Holmes began playing colts football at Swan Districts in 1985 before making his league debut in 1986 and never looked back. Long before that he was a passionate Swans supporter and remembers fondly being there at Subiaco Oval for each of the 1982, 83 and 84 premiership triumphs.

"I lived in Greenmount and I can remember mum and dad dropping me at the train station in Midland so I could travel down to the 82, 83 and 84 Grand Finals at Subiaco Oval and get there early and save them some spots," Holmes said.

"I was 14, 15 and 16 for those years and I was a Swan View boy growing up and I can certainly remember those Grand Finals fondly.

"I've been one of those people in the crowd supporting those players and then to come through and play colts footy in 1985 and debut in 86 was a huge achievement for myself. To now be able to say I'm one of those eight per cent to say I've played in a premiership, there's nothing really better I don’t think."

It was a memorable day on so many fronts and seeing the Swan Districts team of the day beat West Perth to keep their finals hopes alive topped it off, but more than anything, to have so many legendary figures of Swans back at Bassendean at the same time made it a historic occasion.

"The best part was just getting people back, guys like John Fogarty and Gerard Neesham, the two Narkle boys, the Richardson boys and everyone else including a number of them who haven’t been back to the club for a long time," Holmes said.

"I had a lot of comments from members, my mum being one of them, telling me that the hair on the backs of their neck stood up during the function and then during the game with the stirring win against West Perth, and then post-game when the club was rocking.

"That was probably the biggest crowd that we've had for post-game for 10 or 15 years and the atmosphere was electric. To see club legends like Johnny Cooper and John Todd on the stage at the same time just talking about their recollections is a priceless moment.

"We had Gerard Neesham, Donny Holmes, Don Langsford, Bill Skwirowski, Stan Nowotny and those upper echelon of the club up on stage sharing stories of us coming from nowhere in the late 70s to win those premierships."

Overall the major feeling among all those involved was that it was just like returning home, both to be back at Bassendean and to be among their football families and that's what the Swan Districts Football Club is all about.

"The feedback from all the past players and especially their wives and partners was that it was just great being back at the club. It's a bit of an adage that it was just like coming home for a lot of them," Holmes said.

"They had their footy family around them, they could smell the grass and the footy, and as much as we wanted to win against West Perth, for those guys it was about coming back to the club.

"For the current crop of players, it was really just about the footy and an honour to play in front of those guys, and to have the win we did so we won on both fronts really. The clubhouse is still great, our oval is still sensational, the bank is great and it's the atmosphere we provide and the people at Swans that make it what it is."