The 2001 WAFL season was the 117th season of the various incarnations of the West Australian Football League. Following the off-season "Fong Report" by WAFC President Neale Fong which was written as a response to the problems then faced on-and off-field by AFL and domestic football in Western Australia,See the league reverted to calling itself the "WAFL" because it was acknowledged "Westar Rules" was painfully contrived and did not reflect the history or traditions of the local game.
2001 also saw the abandonment of the "double-header" system of playing finals that began with the replay of the 1989 First semi-final, and also an unsuccessful experiment of giving each club four byes during the home-and-away season rather than three.
East Perth continued on from their dominance of the 2000 season to win a second successive premiership for the first time in forty-two seasons, thrashing a South Fremantle team that came from third position – after along with minor premiers Claremont completely dominating the season up to the end of May – to the Grand Final. Former West Coast Eagle regular Ryan Turnbull became the second player in four seasons to complete the Sandover/Simpson double. 2000 Grand Finalists East Fremantle, after having the best WAFL/Westar record during the 1990s, fell to second-last ahead of only financially crippled Swan Districts and were to play only one final during the rest of the decade. Peel Thunder, after advancing to four wins in 2000, advanced further despite the "Fong Report" recommending the withdrawal of their licence and at one time looked a chance for the finals, but the off-field pressure caused them to falter severely in the run home.
Home-and-away season Round 1
Round 2
Round 3 (Easter weekend)
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10 (Foundation Day)
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Round 17
Round 18
Round 19
Round 20
Round 21
Round 22
Ladder
Finals
First semi-final
Second semi-final
Preliminary final
Grand Final
Notes
References
External links Official WAFL website West Australian Football League (WAFL), 2001