The 2009

West Australian Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September, ...

(WAFL) Grand Final was the culmination of the 115th season of the premier Australian rules football league in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. It was played at Subiaco Oval on 20 September 2009 and won by the

South Fremantle Football Club South Fremantle Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Fremantle, Western Australia. The club plays in the Western Australian Football League (WAFL) and the WAFL Women's (WAFLW), commonly going by the nickname the ''Bulldogs ...

who defeated the

Subiaco Football Club The Subiaco Football Club, nicknamed the Lions and known before 1973 as the ''Maroons'', is an Australian rules football club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and WAFL Women's (WAFLW). It was founded in 1896, and admitted to the WAF ...

by 18 points.

Build up

Much curiosity from football fans preceded the contest. South Fremantle had finished on top of the ladder in season 2009, two games clear of Subiaco who had finished in second place. However Subiaco had won the previous three Premierships and this would be their fourth consecutive Grand Final appearance (and their sixth in seven years). Between them the two combatants had won every WAFL Premiership since 2004.

Match summary

Early on South Fremantle had the bulk of the scoring opportunities, however of all these were not executed in effective manner, despite this the Bulldogs held a firm eleven point lead at the end of the first quarter. Subiaco opened the second term in much better fashion and at one stage even looked like snatching the lead, South Fremantle steadied though to win the quarter and open a three-goal lead by the main break. Whatever chances the Lions had of getting back into the contest were quickly dashed in the third quarter as South Fremantle ran rampant and opened up a match winning lead by the last change, with a resounding seven goal to two quarter. The match was effectively over early in the final term, when the Bulldogs opened up a 53-point margin, save for a strong last ten minutes from Subiaco, South Fremantle had controlled virtually the entire match and deservedly went on to claim the flag.

Ashton Hams Ashton Kane Hams (born 6 September 1986) is an Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded ...

was judged the best player and won the

Simpson Medal The Simpson Medal is an individual prize awarded for Australian rules football in Western Australia. The medal has been donated by Dr Fred Simpson and family since 1945. Simpson Medals are currently awarded to the following players: *The best pla ...

Other grand finals

Earlier in the day, South Fremantle also won the reserves grand final, defeating West Perth. South Fremantle's Hayden North, who was surprisingly left out of the league team, won the Merv McIntosh Medal as the best player. The previous evening saw

Claremont Claremont may refer to: Places Australia *Claremont, Ipswich, a heritage-listed house in Queensland * Claremont, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart * Claremont, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth ** Claremont Football Club, West Australian Footba ...

win the colts premiership, defeating

Peel Thunder Football Club The Peel Thunder Football Club is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and WAFL Women's (WAFLW). The team is based in Mandurah, Western Australia, with their home ground being Rushton Park. The ...

, with

Lewis Broome As of Round 2 2022, a total of 269 players have played at least one senior game for the West Coast Eagles, an Australian rules football team in the Australian Football League. A number of other players were listed (or are listed) with the club f ...

from Claremont winning the Mel Whinnen Medal as the best player.

Aftermath

The win ensured South Fremantle's thirteenth WAFL Premiership and ended Subiaco's Premiership winning streak.

References

{{WAFL Grand Finals Wafl Grand Final, 2009 West Australian Football League Grand Finals