The 1976 WANFL season was the 92nd season of the Western Australian National Football League in its various incarnations.
After a half-decade in which the fortunes of all WANFL clubs, with the exception of East Perth, fluctuated severely, 1975 and 1976 saw a return to more stability, with Perth establishing themselves along with East Perth and South Fremantle as the top three of the league. Claremont, six games clear on the bottom in 1975, began with seven wins from ten matches but won only once more, whilst 1975 premiers West Perth had a disastrous start with injuries but recovered in June and July to clearly re-establish themselves as one of the top bracket.
Under coach Ken Armstrong, the Demons won their first premiership since Mal Atwell's great team from 1968 – remarkably not one 1968 premiership player appeared eight years later.[1] At the other end of the ladder, 1950s cellar dwellers Subiaco and Swan Districts returned to that position, with the Lions winning only two of their first nineteen games as they lost with no adequate replacements all but twelve of their 1973 senior players to either the VFL, retirement or, with Mick Malone,[2] cricket commitments.[3]
The scoring in 1976 increased to a record average score of 108.05 points per team per game beating the previous record of 101.21 from 1970, a figure to be exceeded in each of the next eleven seasons. From the eighth home-and-away round the WANFL followed the VFL in introducing a second field umpire, a move instantly regarded as a success.[4] Another innovation, in this case five years ahead of the VFL, was playing two games on Sunday afternoons for the first time. Although rated a success, it was not repeated until 1982.
^East, Alan (2004); From Redlegs to Demons: A History of the Perth Football Club; pp. 122-148
^‘Malone Decides to Hang Up His Boots’; The West Australian, 26 April 1976, p. 58
^Spillman, Ken; Diehards: The Story of the Subiaco Football Club 1946-2000; pp. 178-185 ISBN 0-9578185-0-5
^‘Thumbs Up for Two Umpires’; The West Australian, 24 May 1976, p. 46
The 1976WANFLseason was the 92nd season of the Western Australian National Football League in its various incarnations. After a half-decade in which...
The 1965 WANFLseason was the 81st season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. Source: WAFL Footy Facts Rules...
The 1975 WANFLseason was the 91st season of senior Australian rules football in Perth and the forty-fifth as the “Western Australian National Football...
The 1977 WANFLseason was the 93rd season of the Western Australian National Football League in its various incarnations. It followed on from the previous...
The 1973 WANFLseason was the 89th season of the Western Australian National Football League. It is most famous for Subiaco breaking the longest premiership...
The 1932 WANFLseason was the 48th season of the Western Australian National Football League. The premiership was won by West Perth for the first time...
The 1943 WANFLseason was the 59th season of the Western Australian National Football League. Source: WAFL Footy Facts Rules for classification: 1) points;...
The 1963 WANFLseason was the 79th season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. Source: WAFL Footy Facts Rules...
The 1968 WANFLseason was the 84th season of senior football in Perth, Western Australia. It saw Perth, after having won only two premierships in its first...
The 1946 WANFLseason was the 62nd season of senior football in Perth, Western Australia. With the background of the Pacific War almost entirely removed...
100 Years of Tradition: East Fremantle Football Club 1898-1997; p. 354 Official WAFL website Western Australian National Football League (WANFL), 1974...
The 1960 WANFLseason was the 76th season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. Source: WAFL Footy Facts Rules...
The 1955 WANFLseason was the 71st season of senior football in Perth, Western Australia. Source: WAFL Footy Facts Rules for classification: 1) points;...
The 1945 WANFLseason was the 61st season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. During the 1944 season, participation...
The 1953 WANFLseason was the 69th season of senior football in Perth, Western Australia. Source: WAFL Footy Facts Rules for classification: 1) points;...
The 1951 WANFLseason was the 67th season of senior football in Perth, Western Australia. Source: WAFL Footy Facts Rules for classification: 1) points;...
The 1961 WANFLseason was the 77th season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. Source: WAFL Footy Facts Rules...
The 1958 WANFLseason was the 74th season of senior football in Perth, Western Australia. Source: WAFL Footy Facts Rules for classification: 1) points;...
The 1967 WANFLseason was the 83rd season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. Its most salient feature was...
The 1934 WANFLseason was the 50th season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. Following upon numerous unsuccessful...
The 1936 WANFLseason was the 52nd season of the Western Australian National Football League. The most conspicuous features were the rise of Claremont...
The 1933 WANFLseason was the 49th season of the Western Australian National Football League in its various incarnations. It was the last year of a seven-team...
The 1978 WANFLseason was the 94th season of the Western Australian National Football League in its various incarnations, and the second-last under that...
The 1948 WANFLseason was the 64th season of senior football in Perth, Western Australia. Source: WAFL Footy Facts Rules for classification: 1) points;...
The 1957 WANFLseason was the 73rd season of senior football in Perth, Western Australia. Source: WAFL Footy Facts Rules for classification: 1) points;...
The 1959 WANFLseason was the 75th season of senior football in Perth, Western Australia. Source: WAFL Footy Facts Rules for classification: 1) points;...
The 1966 WANFLseason was the 82nd season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. Source: WAFL Footy Facts Rules...
The 1952 WANFLseason was the 68th season of senior football in Perth, Western Australia. During the season, the Avon Valley Football Association applied...
The 1949 WANFLseason was the 65th season of senior football in Perth, Western Australia. Source: WAFL Footy Facts Rules for classification: 1) points;...
Global Information