History
Swan Districts finished 7th on the WAFL ladder winning 7 out of 21 games in their debut season in 1934. Ted Holdsworth kicked 109 goals in the first 14 games of the 1934 season and was the fifth top goal kicker for that season.
In 1935, Swans finished 6th on the WAFL Ladder with 6 wins and 12 losses and George Krepp won the Sandover Medal for that season. The 1936 season saw the Swans pick up 9 wins and 11 losses but still finish seventh on the League Ladder.
The 1937 season saw Swan Districts, under new coach Jim Ditchburn, finish in 3rd place on the League Ladder with 14 wins and 7 losses, and play in their first final series. East Perth beat Swan Districts 13.9 (87) – 11.7 (73) in the first semi-final.
The team had another good season in 1938, finishing 3rd with 11 wins and nine losses but were again beaten by East Perth 8.18 (66) – 8.17 (65) in the first semi-final by a single point.
By 1939, Swans slid to 6th on the ladder and in 1940 and 1941 finished last on the league ladder with 2 wins in 1940 and 3 in 1941.
Due to the Second World War the WANFL suspended a senior competition and implemented an under age competition to replace it. In 1942 Swans were unable to raise a side to play and did not compete in the 1942 season at all.
By 1943 Swan Districts assembled a side to compete in the under age competition that was still running for that season. The team performed exceedingly well, finishing 4th on the ladder with 9 wins and 8 losses, then winning the first semi-final against West Perth followed by another victory against Subiaco in the preliminary Final. Swans the played in the their first Grand Final only to be defeated by East Fremantle. The final score was East Fremantle 17.15 (117) to Swan Districts 11.11 (77).
Jim Davies became the second Swan Districts player to win a Sandover Medal in 1944 with 33 votes in what was otherwise a forgettable season with Swans finishing 6th on the ladder, but in 1945 their fortunes improved as they finished 4th on the league ladder only to be defeated in the first semi-final by South Fremantle. However, after this Swan Districts fell of dramatically for the next fifteen years. During this period they never finished higher than sixth of eight teams, and overall won only about 20 percent of all their games. However, in 1957 Swan Districts won their first Thirds Premiership, repeating the dose in 1958, and these teams provided the nucleus of their successes in the 1960s.
After finishing last in 1960, Swan Districts appointed Haydn Bunton Junior as senior coach in early 1961, which saw the Swans win their first flag in 1961, with two more following in 1962 and 1963. Their fall afterwards was however just as rapid as their rise from 1960 to 1961. Swans finished only fifth in 1964, and after being overwhelmed by East Fremantle in the 1965 Grand Final, they fell off completely in the following eight years. In 1968, they came nearer to a winless season than any team in senior WAFL competition between 1918 and 1998: winning only one game after the siren by a point against East Fremantle, and scored their all-time lowest score against East Perth. Swan Districts were also last in 1970 and 1971, and not until 1974 did they again make the finals, under the coaching of Jack Ensor, who most unusually never played senior League Football. Again, however, they declined abruptly, falling to wooden spooners again in 1977 and 1978.
John Todd, who took the coaching reins at Bassendean in 1977 and began with a big clean-out of players, brought with him a new winning culture, one which would emulate that of the Haydn Bunton era. By the 1980s, the Swans became the dominant side in the WAFL, winning three straight flags in 1982, 1983 and 1984 and a further flag in 1990 after his stint as coach with the West Coast Eagles.
Brian Dawson took over as coach of the seniors in 2008 and the club rebounded from disappointing results in the previous two years to play in the 2008 Grand Final which they lost to Subiaco. Dawson then steered the team to a preliminary final in 2009. Dawson announced his retirement at the end of the 2010 season. then took the team to the Grand Final which they won over Claremont by a single point. Andrew Krakouer won the Simpson Medal on top of winning the Sandover Medal for 2010, he accumulated 42 possessions during the grand final and kicked the last goal of the game ensuring Swan won the flag. Josh Roberts will be remembered as the premiership skipper in his first year as captain.
Greg Harding was appointed as senior coach for the 2011 season. The club had a poor season finishing the season with only 6 wins from 19 games and finishing second from bottom of the league ladder.
Read more about this topic: Swan Districts Football Club
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