Gridiron West
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| Sport | Gridiron |
|---|---|
| Founded | NA |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country | Australia |
| Official website | gridironwest.com |
Gridiron West is the governing body for gridiron (American football) in the state of Western Australia, Australia.[1] There are currently seven Senior teams.
History[edit]
Gridiron was first played in Western Australia after a recruiting effort was organised in 1988. This also sparked interest in the local area leading to the formation of the Western Australian Gridiron Football League (WAGFL).
WAGFL 1988-1997[edit]
Originally meant to only consist of two teams, the Northside Chargers and the Southside Seahawks, there was enough interest to start the league with 3 teams as the Bassendean Broncos (now Perth Broncos) team was formed as well.
The first organised Gridiron game to be played in Western Australia took place between the Southside Seahawks and Bassendean Broncos at Jubilee Oval in September 1988. The final score of the game was 2-0 in favour of the Broncos, the only score being on a safety.
After a brief 3 team season in 1988 WAGFL kick started again in February 1989 with a 4th team, the Claremont Jets, being added to the league.
WAGFL would also later include teams such as the Mount Lawley Bengals, Forrestfield Falcons, East Perth Vikings, West Coast Buccaneers, Westside Steelers, Wanneroo/Joondalup Bears and the Hyde Park Giants.
Separation of gridiron in WA[edit]
In 1994 a second league was formed leaving two separate four-team leagues running.
The WAGFL remaining teams at this point were:
- Claremont Jets
- Mount Lawley Bengals
- Westside Steelers
- Southside Seahawks
Gridiron West 1994-Current[edit]
Gridiron West was formed as a breakaway competition in 1994, which is also a current member of Gridiron Australia.
The original Gridiron West teams were:
- Bassendean/Perth Broncos
- Hyde Park Giants
- Curtin Saints
- Wanneroo/Joondalup Bears
- Rockingham Dolphins
Gridiron West later included the Southern River/Armadale Panthers, Bunbury Raiders and the West Coast Buccaneers.
Due to the WAGFL folding in 1996, the Claremont Jets and Westside Steelers joined Gridiron West, with the Rockingham Dolphins merging with the Southside Seahawks to become the Rockingham Vipers and Gridiron West is now WA's only Gridiron league.
Three further teams have since joined Gridiron West, those being Perth Blitz (renaming of Perth Giants), The West Coast Fire (based in Gosnells) and the West Coast Wolverines (based in Scarborough).
Junior gridiron in western Australia[edit]
Gridiron West introduced junior-level gridiron in 2004. Originally introduced in a seven-man format, junior gridiron in Western Australia is currently played as nine-man football.
Western Australian Raiders[edit]
The Western Australian Raiders is the representative team for Western Australia at National level. This also includes the Junior Raiders who are Western Australia's under—18 team.
The Western Australian Raiders were crowned National Champions in 2001 and have followed this result up with consistent performances finishing no lower than 3rd at National Championship Competition.
The Western Australian Junior Raiders placed 4th in their only campaign in 2007. The Raiders finished 3rd at NCC at the Gold Coast in 2009 and a very close 2nd place at the NCC at Narrabeen, Sydney in 2011.
In 2012 the Senior National Championship Competition was changed to the Australian Gridiron League (AGL) a bi-annual Home & Away series which the Raiders won convincingly 3-0 against Vic, Qld & NSW.
The Junior NCC remains unchanged and will be held in ACT in early 2013.
Current gridiron teams in Western Australia[edit]
- Claremont Jets
- Curtin Saints
- Perth Blitz
- Perth Broncos
- Rockingham Vipers
- West Coast Wolverines
- Westside Steelers
Previous gridiron teams in Western Australia[edit]
- Northside Chargers
- Southside Seahawks
- Mount Lawley Bengals
- Forrestfield Falcons
- East Perth Vikings
- West Coast Buccaneers
- Wanneroo/Joondalup Bears/Joondalup Gators
- Southern River/Armadale Panthers
- Hyde Park Giants
- Rockingham Dolphins
- Bunbury Raiders
- West Coast Fire
WA Raiders[edit]
The WA Raiders represent Western Australia at National competitions in both seniors and juniors.
In 2001 the WA Raiders won the seniors National Championship held in Canberra. In 2005, 2006 and 2008 WA Raiders finished 3rd in the National Championship.
On 13 May 2007 The WA Raiders Junior Team played their very first game against ACT in the Junior Nationals held in Queensland. The team lost to ACT and NSW but played very well in their last two games beating Victoria 41-0 and just narrowly losing to tournament champions Queensland 8-6 in their last game of the tournament.
2003 Gridiron Australia Senior Nationals
| Game | MVP |
|---|---|
| Vs NSW | Justin Rogers #21 |
| Vs | Rory Bannon #20 |
| Vs SA | Ashley Chaulk #85 |
2006 Gridiron Australia Senior Nationals
| Game | MVP |
|---|---|
| Vs NSW | Aaron Allingham #24 |
| Vs VIC | Nathan Brown #84 |
| Vs SA | Jason Noble #40 |
2008 Gridiron Australia Senior Nationals
| Game | MVP |
|---|---|
| Vs NSW | Les Edwards #37 |
| Vs VIC | Luke Munachen #87 |
| Vs QLD | Lauchlan Thompson #19 |
2010 Gridiron Australia Senior Nationals
| Game | MVP |
|---|---|
| Vs SA | Ben Gastarov #13 |
| Vs NSW | Luke Fredericks #83 |
| Vs ACT | Ben Gastarov #13 |
Awards[edit]
| Season | MVP | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Luke Middleton, RB | Westside Steelers |
| 2004 | Justin Rogers, RB | Perth Broncos |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
| Region | |
|---|---|
| Leagues | |
| National teams | |
| Governing bodies | |
| Other articles | |
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