Eagles greats to gather for Mainy tribute

Subiaco Oval will host its last AFL match on Sunday, and West Coast great John Worsfold will farewell the ground in his own special way.

Subiaco Oval

John Worsfold and his West Coast premiership teammates will farewell Subiaco Oval on Sunday. (AAP)

John Worsfold and his West Coast premiership teammates will farewell Subiaco Oval in their own special way when they hold a memorial for the late Chris Mainwaring in October.

Subiaco Oval, which is now called Domain Stadium, will host its final AFL match on Sunday when West Coast play Adelaide.

All AFL games in WA will shift to the new 60,000-seat Perth Stadium from next year.

Subiaco Oval has hosted Australian rules football since 1908, with the first AFL match at the venue being West Coast's debut in round one, 1987.

Worsfold knows the venue well, having spent half of his life there.

He played 209 games over 12 years for the Eagles, before spending 12 years as the club's coach.

The 48-year-old now coaches Essendon but he will fly back to Perth in October for a reunion with his 1992 and 1994 West Coast premiership teammates.

As part of the day, the group will head to Subiaco Oval, where they will gather on the Chris Mainwaring wing to pay tribute to their good friend.

Mainwaring died in 2007 from a suspected drug overdose.

"The Chris Mainwaring wing is a significant thing for us," Worsfold said.

"I was talking about catching up as a group - a bit of a reunion with a day at the races. And I suggested that going to the Chris Mainwaring wing might be a nice way to start the day."

Worsfold has plenty of fond memories of the ground - and delivered plenty of shirtfronts there during his playing days.

His most memorable one was against Hawthorn's Dermott Brereton at the city-end pocket in 1991.

"I was only three or four metres away," Worsfold recalled.

"I knew he only had one way to turn, and I just came in and got him before he straightened up ... and put him on his backside."

Worsfold's last visit to the ground came in round seven this year, when his Bombers lost to Fremantle by 37 points.

"I was quite nostalgic, knowing it was my last involvement in a game at Subiaco Oval," Worsfold said.

"It will be missed, and I've got great memories there. Those memories will always hold.

"But I think it's time to move on. We need a new stadium. I'm really pleased we've got that."

As a coach, one of Worsfold's most memorable games at Subiaco was the 74-point semi-final win over the Western Bulldogs, which played a vital role in propelling the Eagles to their third premiership.

The WAFL grand final will be played at Subiaco Oval on September 24, while the venue will also host Australia's International Rules clash with Ireland on November 18.


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Source: AAP



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