Welcome to the third in our series of Grand Final scoreboards. This week we include a sepia-tinged beanie from 1997, a solid brick scoreboard built in 1965, a scoreboard made from a wire door, and a fair few rusty numbers in Ballarat.
1997 Western Australian Football League, Subiaco Oval
Derby grand finals always create a bit of interest. In fact the biggest crowd ever at Subiaco Oval was 52,781 when East Fremantle beat South Fremantle in the 1979 grand final.
In 1997 (in front of a crowd of 32, 371) the Sharks led the Bulldogs by 17 points at three quarter time but South kicked five goals to one in the last quarter to win by a goal. Warren Campbell kicked the winning goal, David Hynes (pictured with Rod Willett from ABC TV) won the Simpson Medal and John Todd was the premiership coach. Jon Dorotich and Peter Worsfold were the co-captains of the Bulldogs.
South Fremantle included a number of names familiar to footy fans all over the nation – Fremantle youngsters Heath Black and Jess Sinclair; future AFL players Dean Rioli, who kicked four goals, and Clem Michael; West Coast premiership players Peter Sumich, David Hart and Hynes; and the 35-year-old Dorotich.
Les Everett
2010 Great Southern Football League, Denmark Oval
The scoreboard at McLean Park in the very southern Western Australian town of Denmark told the story of a famous victory on Sunday 12 September 2010.
The Denmark-Walpole Magpies won their first premiership in 32 years when they beat Albany team Royals by 42 points in the grand final of the Great Southern Football League. The Maggies’ playing coach was former Royal James McRae.
On the Saturday the Denmark-Walpole-Peaceful Bay Magpies won the under-15 grand final by a point. Celebrations in Peaceful Bay may have been a little raucous.
Les Everett
2011 Victorian Women’s Football League, Coburg City Oval
Coburg City Oval hosted the grand finals of the Victorian Women’s Football League on Saturday 27 August 2011. Both the reserves and seniors were between the Darebin Falcons (who won the reserves by 26 points, see above scores) and the VU St Albans Spurs (who won the seniors by 13 goals, stopping the Falcons’ run towards a sixth consecutive premiership).
More, much more, about Coburg City Oval scoreboard
2011 Reclink Cup, Peanut Farm, St Kilda, Victoria
The scoreboard for the three Reclink Cup Grand Finals in St Kilda on Wednesday 14 September was fashioned out of a wire screen door. In the day’s first game the Blues, a team of players from drug-rehabilitation centre Odyssey House started brightly, with the first goals of the match, but the Western Storm, in Bulldogs colours, proved too nimble for their bigger-bodied opponents.
The Reclink Cup provides support, friendship and direction for people living hard. In 2011 the competition had 48 teams across Australia, playing across five states and territories.
More details about The Reclink Cup
Scoreboard pressure will be doing a separate story about the Peanut Farm Oval soon.
2011 Ballarat Football League, Eastern Oval, Ballarat
Photo by Stanley ‘Digger’ Roberts
“This was a real good game,” ” said Ballarat football stalwart Digger Roberts. “It went right down to the wire, and the umpies put the whistle away in the last few minutes.
“The scoreboard is not that flash but better than nothing.”
Ladder-leaders Sunbury had only lost one game before the Grand Final but second-placed Redan hoisted the premiership cup for the sixth time in ten seasons. Redan were 22 points down half-way through the final quarter.
“The boys kept on picking themselves up and having a crack,” victorious coach playing Brendan Peace told the Ballarat Courier.
Next week will be our final collection of Grand Final scoreboards for this year, including several 2011 Grand Finals from local leagues.
Scoreboard pressure 
I attended the 1992 WAFL Derby Grand Final between East Fremantle and South Fremantle at Subiaco, while on holiday in Perth. I had an East Fremantle supporter sitting on one side of me and a South Fremantle supporter on the other side. Their reactions were as interesting as what was happening on the field!
That was an interesting game. Ken Judge coached the Sharks and Mal Brown the Bulldogs. At quarter time Brown made a beeline towards the East Freo huddle and “mimed” a kick at East player Steve Bilcich. At the time I thought it changed the game. East Freo won by 24 points. You would have fun at that game Graham as an uncommitted.