SUMMARY 1997

FIRST GRADE Second in competition. Grand Finalists. Despite losing half the 1996 Premiership team to other clubs, Jamie Hohapata's '97 first grade surprised the experts by proving very competitive, based on a powerful forward combination. They lost only two games in the competition, both to their '96 grand final opponents, Associates. They lost to Soaks again in the major semi-final, overcame Palmyra in the preliminary final, but had no answers to a comprehensive Associates effort in the Grand Final. An extremely creditable year given the player losses.

SECOND GRADE Fourth in Competition. Semi Finalists. Alan Hill's second grade lost just one game in the first round but dropped away later in the second round to scrape into the top four on percentage, before losing badly to Palmyra in the minor semi final.

THIRD GRADE Fifth in Competition. Barry Winter's third grade had a consistent year of average success, leaving them a game or two short of the finals.

FOURTH GRADE Fifth in Competition. Mike Jones' fourth grade enjoyed a good first round and a slightly less successful second round, finishing a couple of points adrift of the finals. A good performance from the unsung heroes in the less glorious grades.

FIFTH GRADE Fourth in Competition. Preliminary Finalists. Fantastics Fifths, under the incisive leadership of Cliff Richard, stormed home to the finals of this five team competition with a couple of wins over unfortunate ARKs, and giving away some record-setting scores to some of the more fancied sides in an entirely unsuccessful attempt to wear them out. They went from strength to strength, or more importantly from bar to bar, in defeating Uni in the minor semi final but narrowly lost to Soaks in the preliminary final so they could hear that marvellous song about jam, crackers and orifices.

COLTS Perth-Bayswater did not field a colts team in 1997 due to the number of superior pursuits available to the flower of Australian youth in these enlightened times, such as sitting around on ones arse, watching TV or hanging out at the mall.