Well done WA. Great crowd.

[Dogmatic]

32,000 turn up for Mainwaring
Tim Clarke | October 6, 2008

One year after his death, Chris Mainwaring again proved how popular he was - and still is in Perth - with the game between West Coast and Fremantle legends in his memory attracting over 32,000 to Subiaco Oval and raising around $150,000 for Telethon.

Names such as Matera, Sumich, McManus, Farmer, Heady, Kemp, Brennan, McIntosh, Waterhouse and Wira brought Subiaco to a standstill on Sunday - but it was the Mainwaring legacy which pervaded the evening, with brother Brett and son Zac taking the field in the Eagles' famous number three.

Fittingly seven-year old Zac kicked the first Eagles goal on the night - which ended with a win for the Eagles OWLS (Older, wiser, larger, slower) 15.11 (101) to the Dockers' Old Salts 12.10 (82).

But it was the weight of people who turned up forcing stadium bosses to open the gates early to accommodate them - and the amount of money they left at the turnstiles - that was the real result of an idea dreamt up less than three weeks ago.

The official attendance of 32,527 was actually bigger than the crowd which turned up at Subiaco to see the Dockers of 2008 take on Melbourne earlier in the season.

And while this derby did not have the spite or speed of the recent AFL versions, the years old rivalry between the two was still illustrated by the Dockers officials removing the chairs before the Eagles had a chance to pose for their team photos.

That the Freo old boys were taking the game seriously was in no doubt when they kicked the first four goals.

But the introduction of Mainwaring the youngest swung the game back the Eagles way, winning a very generous series of 50m free kicks and a goal to an ovation his Dad would have been used to.

Peter Sumich's first goal on Subiaco for many years also had the crowd in raptures, with flashes of skill from Peter and Phil Matera and Peter Wilson showing age may weary but skill does not diminish.

Jeff Farmer's introduction in the second quarter brought a frisson to proceedings, boos greeted with a goal and the familiar arms outstretched pose, taking Fremantle to a 10.1 (61) to 8.5 (53) half time lead.

Perhaps to even up the aggression brought by Farmer, the Eagles unveiled their secret weapon in former WBA light heavyweight world champion Danny Green into their line-up.

That sparked some fight in his teammates, with a five goal quarter led by the Matera brothers giving the pro-Eagles crowd the scoreboard they had wanted to see all season.

And with Troy Wilson taking the mark of the night, Phil Matera's trademark snap ensured the right team won - from a Mainwaring point of view - and the possibility of a rematch next year.

Mainwaring's surfboard was the trophy awarded to Mainwaring's brother Brett, while Brett Heady was named the Eagles best on the night, Leigh Wardell-Johnson was best on ground for the Dockers.

West Coast - OWLS: 4.1 8.5 13.7 15.11 (101)
Fremantle - Old Salts: 6.1 10.1 11.3 12.10 (82)

Goals: West Coast: P Wilson 3, T Wilson 2, Phil Matera 2, B Heady, Z Mainwaring, P Sumich, J Spinks, K Green, B Mainwaring, N Carter, P Peos
Fremantle: J Hutton 2, T Ridley 2, L Wardell-Johnson 2, A Jones 2, S Chisholm 2, D Bandy, J Farmer

Best: West Coast: B Heady, Phil Matera, Peter Matera, P Wilson, T Wilson
Fremantle: L Wardell-Johnson, J Hutton, T Ridley, S Eastaugh, S Chisholm

Crowd: 32,527 at Subiaco Oval, Perth.