West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Wednesday 20 March 1929, page 7


SPORTING NEWS.

FOOTBALL MEETING. EAST PERTH CLUB. Growth of Interest in the Game.

There was a small but enthusiastic gathering of members at the Protestant Hall-, Beaufort-strrut, last night, when the East Perth Football Club held its annual

meeting. The patron (Mr. Ju. it. IJutt) occupied tbe chair, and among the visitors were several from other clubs and representative league oflicials. The report of the president for 1928 congratulated the East Fremantle Club on its premiership victory, and gave that team great credit for the standard of football played in the deciding match, particularly during the second quarter, when, the report said, 'the East Fremantle team unfolded play which has rarely, if ever, been equalled in a football match in this State.' The report also gave great credit to the umpires of last season and to the various players and officials of the club who, in many ways, had worked to make the season a success. To the ladies' committee who, throughout the year, ably assisted in making the social activities of the club successful, a graceful tribute was paid, and those who had worked in connection with social activities were heartily thanked for the manner in which they fulfilled that part of the year's programme. It was reported that action was being taken to improve training facilities and clubrooms, and the groundsman at the Perth Oval was congratulated on the condition of the ground. The players from the club, who represented the State in interstate matches, were congratulated on their good showing, and the 'B' grade team commended for the admirable way in which they carried on through the season. ? 'The severest blow dealt the club for many seasons,' the report continued, 'was the untimely death of your coach, the late Phil Matson. Never before in the history of the club was such a gloom cast upon members when it became known that he had passed. away. The loss was not only felt by the club, but by the whole football world in general. The deep respect in which he was held was reflected in the huge attendance of footballers and representatives of other sporting bodies of the community at his funeral. The club realises that it will be impossible to replace the man -who made . history for the team, for it was the accepted opinion of all that he was the greatest coach that Australia had ever produced. Not only a3 a footballer and a football coach was he respected, but as a man he was held in the highest esteem.' The financial statement of. the ,club showed that the revenue totalled £1.324. as against £092. for the previous year, while the expenditure was £1,427, as against £1.545. Air. L. R. Butt congratulated the East Fremantle Club on its premiership win/ It was a good thing, he thought, to have the title move round. The game should always be played for the game's sake. The report and balance sheet were adopted. In proposing the toast of the W.A. Football League, Mr. H. Mann, M.L.A., said that, as a member of the Centenary committee, he would like to thank the league for arranging such attractive football fixtures by securing Eastern States senior and schoolboy teams to play here. Football followers had to thank the league for a great deal in bringing the game to its present high Btandard. The president of the league (Mr. A. A. Moffatt) agreed that it was in the best interests of the game to have the premiership title moving round. While he gave East Fremantle every credit for winning, he would like to have seen one of the more unsuccessful clubs, which had not won the title for many years, obtain the honour. The fact that the East Perth and East Fremantle teams drew over £1,000 each from the league last season was an indication of the growth of interest in the game. Harmony Among Members. Essential. Mr. J. J. Kenneally, M.L.A., proposed the toast of the club, and in doing so quoted its excellent record. This record, he said, had been built up on harmony and it should be remembered that harmony among membere was essential to the life of any club. 'We have had a 'rotten' time in this 3Jub for the past feiv years/' said .the president (Mr. W. R. Haynes), in responding to the toast, 'but now we seem to be on the right track. We have started to clean ;hingB up, and we are going to have a good, .'lean, sociable club this season: We might lose players, but we will- get together some of our younger men and have a good, gentlemanly crowd. I think that we will have a better time than we have had for the, past three years.' He referred to the death of Mr. P. Matson, and the gathering stood silent as a mark of respect. The secretary (Mr. L. K. Telford) supported Mr. Haynes, and appealed to members to pull together harmoniously for the ?ood of the club as a whole. The toast of 'Kindred Clubs' wa8 proposed by Mr. C. H. Plunkett, and responded to by representatives from other clubs. During the evening individual and collective items were rendered by the members of the 'Specialty Four.' The election of officers resulted as follows: — President, Mr. W. R. Haynes; vicepresidents, Messrs. T. M. Guthrie. H. McCrae, and C. H. Plunkett; leauue delegates, Messrs. S. Glance and L. K.. Telford: auditor, Mr. J. Mitchell; committee. Messrs. R. R. Reid, C. Percival, H. Sherlock, and D. Forsyth. The following trophies were presented by Mr. Mann: — Fairest and best player (presented by S. A. Smith), and winner of the Guthrie gold medal, W. Thomas: most consistent player (presented by Westralian Hotels, Ltd.), C. Mitchell; most serviceable player (presented by Mr. J. J. Kenneally, M.L.A.), L. Duffy; best team man (presented by T. Nolan )., G. Owens; consistent play (presented by A. Franklin), W. Glew: all-round play (presented by I. Masel), T. Sparrow; most improved junior (presented by H. Townsend), A. Davies; most regular attendant at training (presented by Andy Phillips), J. Morgan; player who trained best (presented by Andy Phillips), W. Thomas. -