List of WAFL wooden spoons
The wooden spoon is the imaginary and ironic "award" which is said to be won by the team finishing in last place in the West Australian Football League. No physical wooden spoon award exists, other than those brought by opposition fans to taunt struggling teams, nor is such an award officially sanctioned by the WAFL. However, most betting agencies will take wagers on the wooden spoon.
West Perth with a record of 7 win and 14 losses in the 1992 season, have the highest numbers of wins out of all wooden spoon teams since the start of the competition in 1885. Perth with a percentage of 92.13% (from 6 wins and 9 losses) in the 1921 season, has the highest percentage out of all wooden spoon teams since the start of the competition in 1885.
Criteria
[edit]The team which finishes on the bottom of the ladder wins the wooden spoon. This is determined by:
- Fewest premiership points (four points for a win, two points for a draw)
- Lowest percentage (the ratio of points for to points against if on same numbers of points) (1898–Present)
No countback exists if teams finish equal on points but with a different number of wins.
1885–1897
[edit]From 1885 to 1897 teams on the ladder were ranked by competition points, then match points differential (for and against). From 1885 to 1896 only goals scored were included in the total score, and teams were awarded two points for a win and one point for a draw.[1]
High School withdrew from the competition due to lack of players two rounds into the inaugural season, and therefore are the inaugural "winners" of the wooden spoon.
Wooden spoons by season
[edit]| Season | Wooden spoon | Wins | Losses | Draws | Game Difference/Percentage | Points |
| 1885 | High School | 0 | 1 | 0 | -4 | 0 |
| 1886 | Unions | 2 | 7 | 0 | -17 | 4 |
| 1887 | West Australian | 2 | 6 | 0 | -7 | 4 |
| 1888 | West Australian (2) | 1 | 7 | 1 | -14 | 3 |
| 1889 | Metropolitan | 1 | 6 | 3 | -9 | 5 |
| 1890 | Rovers | 3 | 4 | 2 | -8 | 8 |
| 1891 | East Perth (I) | 1 | 9 | 2 | -32 | 4 |
| 1892 | East Perth (I) (2) | 0 | 12 | 0 | -67 | 0 |
| 1893 | Rovers (2) | 0 | 12 | 0 | -39 | 0 |
| 1894 | Rovers (3) | 2 | 9 | 1 | -37 | 5 |
| 1895 | West Perth | 2 | 13 | 0 | -67 | 4 |
| 1896 | Rovers (4) | 3 | 11 | 2 | -54 | 8 |
| 1897 | Rovers (5) | 1 | 7 | 2 | -24 | 4 |
| 1898 | East Fremantle | 1 | 15 | 0 | 51.76 | 4 |
| 1899 | Rovers (6) | 0 | 8 | 0 | 37.82 | 0 |
| 1900 | Perth | 2 | 10 | 0 | 82.37 | 8 |
| 1901 | Subiaco | 4 | 11 | 0 | 52.19 | 16 |
| 1902 | Subiaco (2) | 0 | 15 | 0 | 37.44 | 0 |
| 1903 | Subiaco (3) | 1 | 14 | 0 | 35.02 | 4 |
| 1904 | South Fremantle | 1 | 14 | 0 | 35.02 | 4 |
| 1905 | Subiaco (4) | 0 | 10 | 0 | 21.09 | 0 |
| 1906 | Subiaco (5) | 1 | 16 | 0 | 40.75 | 4 |
| 1907 | Subiaco (6) | 2 | 15 | 0 | 47.34 | 4 |
| 1908 | Subiaco (7) | 2 | 14 | 1 | 52.44 | 10 |
| 1909 | Midland Junction | 1 | 15 | 1 | 46.00 | 6 |
| 1910 | Midland Junction (2) | 3 | 14 | 0 | 53.05 | 6 |
| 1911 | East Perth | 2 | 10 | 0 | 59.31 | 8 |
| 1912 | Perth (2) | 2 | 10 | 0 | 75.29 | 8 |
| 1913 | East Perth (2) | 2 | 10 | 0 | 68.46 | 8 |
| 1914 | North Fremantle | 1 | 13 | 0 | 59.35 | 4 |
| 1915 | North Fremantle (2) | 1 | 20 | 0 | 43.32 | 4 |
| 1916 | Subiaco (8) | 2 | 10 | 0 | 65.59 | 8 |
| 1917 | Midland Junction (3) | 0 | 12 | 0 | 29.02 | 0 |
| 1918 | West Perth (2) | 2 | 13 | 0 | 48.11 | 8 |
| 1919 | West Perth (3) | 3 | 12 | 0 | 55.01 | 12 |
| 1920 | South Fremantle (2) | 3 | 12 | 0 | 79.12 | 12 |
| 1921 | Perth (3) | 6 | 9 | 0 | 92.13 | 24 |
| 1922 | Perth (4) | 3 | 11 | 0 | 76.20 | 12 |
| 1923 | Perth (5) | 1 | 12 | 1 | 67.82 | 6 |
| 1924 | West Perth (4) | 3 | 12 | 0 | 84.23 | 12 |
| 1925 | South Fremantle (3) | 3 | 11 | 1 | 68.81 | 14 |
| 1926 | Claremont | 1 | 17 | 0 | 55.59 | 4 |
| 1927 | Claremont (2) | 1 | 17 | 0 | 61.92 | 4 |
| 1928 | Claremont (3) | 5 | 13 | 0 | 86.48 | 20 |
| 1929 | East Perth (3) | 2 | 16 | 0 | 66.52 | 8 |
| 1930 | West Perth (5) | 6 | 11 | 1 | 90.47 | 26 |
| 1931 | Claremont (4) | 3 | 15 | 0 | 72.21 | 12 |
| 1932 | Claremont (5) | 4 | 14 | 0 | 72.32 | 16 |
| 1933 | Claremont (6) | 5 | 13 | 0 | 80.83 | 20 |
| 1934 | Claremont (7) | 2 | 19 | 0 | 56.34 | 8 |
| 1935 | Perth (6) | 4 | 14 | 0 | 81.15 | 16 |
| 1936 | South Fremantle (4) | 6 | 14 | 0 | 86.05 | 24 |
| 1937 | Subiaco (9) | 4 | 17 | 0 | 76.53 | 16 |
| 1938 | West Perth (6) | 3 | 17 | 0 | 76.62 | 12 |
| 1939 | West Perth (7) | 1 | 19 | 0 | 59.22 | 4 |
| 1940 | Swan Districts | 2 | 18 | 0 | 57.72 | 8 |
| 1941 | Swan Districts (2) | 3 | 17 | 0 | 70.44 | 12 |
| 1942 | Perth (7) | 3 | 9 | 0 | 64.72 | 12 |
| 1943 | South Fremantle (5) | 4 | 13 | 0 | 51.97 | 16 |
| 1944 | South Fremantle (6) | 0 | 19 | 0 | 28.00 | 0 |
| 1945 | Claremont (8) | 2 | 18 | 0 | 57.77 | 8 |
| 1946 | Claremont (9) | 3 | 16 | 0 | 68.45 | 12 |
| 1947 | Subiaco (10) | 3 | 16 | 0 | 74.48 | 12 |
| 1948 | Swan Districts (3) | 2 | 17 | 0 | 58.59 | 8 |
| 1949 | Subiaco (11) | 2 | 16 | 0 | 68.11 | 8 |
| 1950 | Subiaco (12) | 5 | 16 | 0 | 67.78 | 20 |
| 1951 | Swan Districts (4) | 1 | 20 | 0 | 64.12 | 4 |
| 1952 | Swan Districts (5) | 2 | 18 | 0 | 50.84 | 8 |
| 1953 | Subiaco (13) | 2 | 19 | 0 | 55.38 | 8 |
| 1954 | Subiaco (14) | 4 | 16 | 0 | 67.82 | 16 |
| 1955 | Subiaco (15) | 4 | 16 | 0 | 68.98 | 16 |
| 1956 | Swan Districts (6) | 4 | 15 | 0 | 83.59 | 16 |
| 1957 | Swan Districts (7) | 4 | 17 | 0 | 77.41 | 16 |
| 1958 | Claremont (10) | 2 | 19 | 0 | 54.56 | 8 |
| 1959 | Swan Districts (8) | 5 | 16 | 0 | 80.88 | 20 |
| 1960 | Swan Districts (9) | 2 | 19 | 0 | 67.72 | 8 |
| 1961 | South Fremantle (7) | 5 | 16 | 0 | 81.63 | 20 |
| 1962 | Claremont (11) | 4 | 17 | 0 | 72.65 | 16 |
| 1963 | Claremont (12) | 4 | 17 | 0 | 79.60 | 16 |
| 1964 | East Perth (4) | 3 | 18 | 0 | 70.85 | 12 |
| 1965 | South Fremantle (8) | 5 | 15 | 1 | 81.83 | 22 |
| 1966 | South Fremantle (9) | 6 | 15 | 0 | 79.60 | 24 |
| 1967 | Subiaco (16) | 3 | 18 | 0 | 75.53 | 12 |
| 1968 | Swan Districts (10) | 1 | 20 | 0 | 63.93 | 4 |
| 1969 | South Fremantle (10) | 5 | 16 | 0 | 77.10 | 20 |
| 1970 | Swan Districts (11) | 4 | 17 | 0 | 69.77 | 16 |
| 1971 | Swan Districts (12) | 4 | 16 | 1 | 72.08 | 18 |
| 1972 | South Fremantle (11) | 6 | 15 | 0 | 83.22 | 24 |
| 1973 | Claremont (13) | 4 | 17 | 0 | 88.08 | 16 |
| 1974 | West Perth (8) | 6 | 15 | 0 | 86.43 | 24 |
| 1975 | Claremont (14) | 3 | 18 | 0 | 67.93 | 12 |
| 1976 | Subiaco (17) | 4 | 17 | 0 | 64.04 | 16 |
| 1977 | Swan Districts (13) | 3 | 18 | 0 | 70.07 | 12 |
| 1978 | Swan Districts (14) | 4 | 17 | 0 | 75.11 | 16 |
| 1979 | Subiaco (18) | 3 | 18 | 0 | 61.91 | 12 |
| 1980 | Subiaco (19) | 2 | 19 | 0 | 59.37 | 8 |
| 1981 | Perth (8) | 3 | 18 | 0 | 64.97 | 12 |
| 1982 | Subiaco (20) | 1 | 20 | 0 | 73.36 | 4 |
| 1983 | Perth (9) | 3 | 18 | 0 | 76.93 | 12 |
| 1984 | Perth (10) | 5 | 16 | 0 | 79.01 | 20 |
| 1985 | East Perth (5) | 5 | 16 | 0 | 88.64 | 20 |
| 1986 | Swan Districts (15) | 5 | 16 | 0 | 83.02 | 20 |
| 1987 | South Fremantle (12) | 3 | 18 | 0 | 75.19 | 12 |
| 1988 | Swan Districts (16) | 4 | 16 | 1 | 75.85 | 18 |
| 1989 | East Perth (6) | 3 | 18 | 0 | 66.36 | 12 |
| 1990 | West Perth (9) | 6 | 15 | 0 | 70.23 | 24 |
| 1991 | West Perth (10) | 5 | 16 | 0 | 69.04 | 20 |
| 1992 | West Perth (11) | 7 | 14 | 0 | 80.96 | 28 |
| 1993 | Perth (11) | 6 | 15 | 0 | 73.00 | 24 |
| 1994 | Perth (12) | 5 | 16 | 0 | 75.40 | 20 |
| 1995 | Swan Districts (17) | 2 | 19 | 0 | 61.61 | 8 |
| 1996 | Subiaco (21) | 6 | 15 | 0 | 63.74 | 24 |
| 1997 | Peel Thunder | 1 | 19 | 0 | 39.19 | 4 |
| 1998 | Peel Thunder (2) | 1 | 19 | 0 | 53.87 | 4 |
| 1999 | Peel Thunder (3) | 0 | 20 | 0 | 46.61 | 0 |
| 2000 | Perth (13) | 1 | 17 | 0 | 63.31 | 4 |
| 2001 | Swan Districts (18) | 3 | 15 | 0 | 72.28 | 12 |
| 2002 | Swan Districts (19) | 1 | 17 | 0 | 61.92 | 4 |
| 2003 | Peel Thunder (4) | 1 | 19 | 0 | 40.93 | 4 |
| 2004 | East Fremantle (2) | 3 | 17 | 0 | 74.62 | 12 |
| 2005 | Peel Thunder (5) | 3 | 17 | 0 | 59.94 | 12 |
| 2006 | East Fremantle (3) | 4 | 16 | 0 | 74.82 | 16 |
| 2007 | Perth (14) | 3 | 17 | 0 | 77.27 | 12 |
| 2008 | East Perth (7) | 6 | 14 | 0 | 72.19 | 24 |
| 2009 | Peel Thunder (6) | 5 | 15 | 0 | 71.11 | 20 |
| 2010 | Perth (15) | 2 | 18 | 0 | 70.35 | 8 |
| 2011 | Peel Thunder (7) | 5 | 15 | 0 | 79.12 | 20 |
| 2012 | Peel Thunder (8) | 5 | 15 | 0 | 70.51 | 20 |
| 2013 | Peel Thunder (9) | 3 | 17 | 0 | 70.07 | 12 |
| 2014 | Perth (16) | 3 | 17 | 0 | 75.77 | 12 |
| 2015 | Perth (17) | 2 | 18 | 0 | 59.40 | 8 |
| 2016 | Swan Districts (20) | 2 | 18 | 0 | 58.30 | 8 |
| 2017 | Perth (18) | 3 | 17 | 0 | 63.84 | 12 |
| 2018 | East Fremantle (4) | 2 | 16 | 0 | 52.51 | 8 |
| 2019 | Swan Districts (21) | 4 | 14 | 0 | 68.93 | 16 |
| 2020 | Peel Thunder (10) | 0 | 8 | 0 | 48.17 | 0 |
| 2021 | West Coast | 4 | 14 | 0 | 65.21 | 16 |
| 2022 | West Coast (2) | 1 | 17 | 0 | 48.95 | 4 |
| 2023 | West Coast (3) | 0 | 17 | 1 | 39.17 | 2 |
| 2024 | West Coast (4) | 4 | 14 | 0 | 57.23 | 16 |
Wooden spoons by club
[edit]| Club | Total Wooden Spoons | Years of Wooden Spoon |
|---|---|---|
| Subiaco | 21 | 1901, 1902, 1903, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1916, 1937, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1967, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1996 |
| Swan Districts | 21 | 1940, 1941, 1948, 1951, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1988, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2016, 2019 |
| Perth | 18 | 1900, 1912, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1935, 1942, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2017 |
| Claremont | 14 | 1926, 1927, 1928, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1945, 1946, 1958, 1962, 1963, 1973, 1975 |
| South Fremantle | 12 | 1904, 1920, 1925, 1936, 1943, 1944, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1972, 1987 |
| West Perth | 11 | 1895, 1918, 1919, 1930, 1938, 1939, 1964, 1974, 1990, 1991, 1992 |
| Peel Thunder | 10 | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2020 |
| East Perth | 7 | 1911, 1913, 1929, 1964, 1985, 1989, 2008 |
| Rovers | 6 | 1890, 1893, 1894, 1896, 1897, 1899 |
| East Fremantle | 4 | 1898, 2004, 2006, 2018 |
| West Coast (R) | 4 | 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| Midland Junction | 3 | 1909, 1910, 1917 |
| West Australian | 2 | 1887, 1888 |
| East Perth (I) | 2 | 1891, 1892 |
| North Fremantle | 2 | 1914, 1915 |
| High School | 1 | 1885 |
| Unions/Fremantle (II) | 1 | 1886 |
| Metropolitan | 1 | 1889 |
| Fremantle (I) | 0 | N/A |
| Victorians | 0 | N/A |
| Imperials | 0 | N/A |
| Centrals | 0 | N/A |
Bold indicates clubs currently playing in the WAFL.
Longest wooden spoon droughts
[edit]| Club | Seasons | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Fremantle | 106 | 1898 | 2004 |
| Claremont | 49 | 1975 | - |
| Perth | 39 | 1942 | 1981 |
| South Fremantle | 37 | 1987 | - |
| East Perth | 35 | 1929 | 1964 |
| West Perth | 32 | 1992 | - |
| Subiaco | 28 | 1996 | - |
| West Perth | 26 | 1939 | 1965 |
| West Perth | 23 | 1895 | 1918 |
| East Perth | 21 | 1964 | 1985 |
| Subiaco | 21 | 1916 | 1937 |
Active wooden spoon droughts
[edit]| Club | Last Wooden Spoon | Years since |
|---|---|---|
| Claremont | 1975 | 49 |
| South Fremantle | 1987 | 37 |
| West Perth | 1992 | 32 |
| Subiaco | 1996 | 28 |
| East Perth | 2008 | 16 |
| Perth | 2017 | 7 |
| East Fremantle | 2018 | 6 |
| Swan Districts | 2019 | 5 |
| Peel Thunder | 2020 | 4 |
| West Coast | 2024 | 0 |
Consecutive Wooden Spoons
[edit]Ten clubs have finished last in 3 or more consecutive seasons.
| # | Club | Sequence of Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Subiaco | 1905 – 1908 |
| Claremont | 1931 – 1934 | |
| West Coast | 2021 - 2024 | |
| 3 | Subiaco | 1901 – 1903 |
| Perth | 1921 – 1923 | |
| Claremont | 1926 - 1928 | |
| Subiaco | 1953 – 1955 | |
| West Perth | 1990 – 1992 | |
| Peel Thunder | 1997 - 1999 | |
| Peel Thunder | 2011 - 2013 |
References
[edit]- ^ Gauci, Ric. "1885 Scores and Results". WAFL Footy Facts. Ric Gauci. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ Gauci, Ric. "Seasons". WAFL FootyFacts. Ric Gauci. Retrieved 7 July 2022.