WA Over Yonder

Azzurri once again proved beyond doubt that they are the best team in Western Australia with a convincing Division One championship win. A seven-point winning margin suggests everything went their way, however, that was far from the case with Duncan MacKay’s side slipping to eighth early on.

But by round six Azzurri had climbed to the summit, a position they never relinquished. Their performance against old foe East Fremantle Tricolore – who were scuppered 3-0 at Wauhop Park – “was a display of nonchalant skill as good as any they have ever given” according to the Federation yearbook. Even Tricolore supporters conceded Azzurri should have won by a much greater margin.

That win sealed Azzurri their eighth Division One championship, despite there still being three games to play. Their success was based on youth and experience with Gordon McCulloch and George McMillan amongst the former while Peter Holt, Alan Cooney and Dave Brady demonstrated the value of club loyalty.

While Azzurri stayed largely out of the transfer market, other clubs including Morley Windmills, Floreat Athena and Inglewood Kiev spent up big in the search for success. Of the three, only Windmills saw something for their money. They started the league well and occupied second place for much of the second half of the season.

Athena were a big disappointment considering the talent in their line-up. Spearwood Dalmatinac were one of the best performing teams, proving miserly in defence with the best record of any side. Another side to perform well was Ascot, who had to rely on whatever talent could be found to fill the gaps from their youth ranks.

Kiev bounced in and out of the top four for much of the year and just when a final berth seemed secure they lost points for having played an unregistered player. Tricolore has a proud history in the game but 1976 was a year they would prefer to forget. Their defence was the weak link, while the attack failed to function sufficiently to tip the scales in the club’s favour.

Kwinana United played in the shadow of relegation for much of the winter and it was only a late season defeat of Azzurri that kept them in the top flight. Olympic should have done better given the calibre of players at the club but, once again, they lacked the ingredient necessary for success – good team work. Croatia North Perth found that success in second tier doesn’t necessarily translate into success in the top flight.

Coming up from the second tier are Rockingham United. They had a long battle with Macedonia United for almost every round of the competition before taking the title by three points. The third tier went to Canning Corinthians, who were involved in a tough battle with Sorrento. Both move up at the expense of Subiaco City and Swan Valley.