Reported by Ross Lewis
The WA Football Commission will launch an immediate inquiry into the operations of the State team after the Black Swans were embarrassed by the VFL on Saturday.
However, the local game’s bosses believe WA teams will always be the poor cousins to South Australia and Victoria due to the advantages available to their rivals’ football systems.
Immediately after the 119-point defeat, WA’s third biggest losing margin at interstate level, WAFC director of football Grant Dorrington said his office wanted to identify the reasons behind the humiliation at Melbourne’s TEAC Oval. “We will be this week having a very big think about what went wrong,” Dorrington said.
“We want to talk to the players and coaching panel. I’m not criticising anyone, all of our league coaches worked with (coach) Ashley Prescott to select that team.
“To get absolutely flogged isn’t a fair reward for all the planning that went into it. The big question is why don’t teams come to play?”
One area the review will canvass is why dual Sandover medallist Allistair Pickett, citing an injury, withdrew from the WA squad suddenly on Wednesday night following a recommendation from his club, Subiaco.
Though Dorrington said the losing margin on Saturday was unacceptable, he conceded WA should be considered behind the VFL and SANFL in terms of playing strength.
The South Australians can easily poach the best second-level football talent from across the country due to a $350,000 salary cap for each team – WA has a $175,000 payment ceiling – and Victoria have the benefit of a greater population and access to a deeper pool of players.
WA have not defeated either SA or the VFL at senior interstate football since 1994.
“We are always going to go into those (interstate) games as underdogs,” Dorrington said. “The SA players are older, bigger and stronger and they get a lot of Victorian blokes.
“Victoria has a sheer weight of numbers, we have two million people, they have six. It equates to four times as many players.
“People in our State just don’t realise how big footy is in Victoria. They have leagues and leagues of great players.
“So every time we play them we will never go in as favourites, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive to do it better.”
The WAFC has pledged its continued support for the interstate format.
WA host either NSW or Queensland next year. The Black Swans will play South Australia at home in 2009, with Victoria to come to Perth the following year.
“It doesn’t matter if it is country, amateurs, under-16s or 17s, it is important these players have a chance to put a (State) jumper on,” Dorrington said.
“The WAFC is committed to interstate football.
“What we have to do is to find out what went wrong with their (players’) attitude.”
WA’s worst interstate defeat was in 1959 when the Black Swans lost by 178 points, 31.21 (207) to 3.11 (29) – to Victoria in Melbourne.
