Shaun McManus, Michael Walters, Ben Cousins and Mark LeCras reveal favourite western derby memory

Fremantle greats Shaun McManus and Michael Walters, and West Coast champions Ben Cousins and Mark LeCras reveal their favourite memories from western derbies they played in. Shaun McManus There are two memories that stand out. First, is the very first derby we played in round seven, 1995. We were the new team in the AFL competition, against the West Coast Eagles, who were coming off a premiership. The hype and the build-up. It was the very first one, so it was history in the making. It was incredible to be a part of that. I was extremely nervous because the entire state was now watching this one game. Coming from East Fremantle, I knew the relevance of playing in derbies and what it means to play against cross-town rivals and this was the very first time it was ever going to be played. The prime minister of the day came over to watch the game and that was a big deal so it was quite incredible to be a part of. Big-name players in the opposition and they were a fantastic team. I really appreciated John Worsfold, Guy McKenna and Peter Sumich at full forward, they were all household names. For me, I came onto the ground and I think I lined up on Craig Turley and Peter Matera on a couple of occasions in that game, which was quite amazing. Standing next to people you’ve seen on TV for so long. The second memory for me was the demolition derby, when we drew the line in the sand against the Eagles. That was so intense and so physical. We had been beaten comprehensively in the first derby of the year. And we came back from, at one stage, 42 points down to win. What I loved about it, in coming back from that far down to get over the top of them, the will to win was enormous and the game was a really massive spectacle. To this day, it’s still one of those games that people always talk about. Ben Cousins There’s one that sticks out when I get asked about my favourite derby memory. It was the next time we faced Fremantle after the infamous demolition derby the previous season and all the eyes of the state - and beyond - were on us. Round four, 2021. I think I was only 22 at the time. Fremantle were winless and we were coming off a pretty poor first season the year before under Ken Judge, where we slipped to the bottom half of the ladder. The game itself is remembered for the collision between Shaun McManus and David Wirrpanda but overall, it was a great contest at Subiaco Oval. Scores were locked at 68 points each at three-quarter time. That’s how close the game was. I managed to kick a couple of goals in the last and my great mate Michael Gardiner kicked four in the last and we got up and won that day, by 24 points in the end. There’s just something about western derbies and about facing the Dockers. Kicks were always hard to come by against Fremantle. Over the course of my career, it was almost the hardest side to get a kick against for myself. But I had a couple of games where I got on the end of it, that being one of them. Michael Walters One of my favourite western derbies took place in round three in 2023 when we beat the Eagles by 41 points. I had a good day with four goals including two in a tight first-quarter in what would be one of my last games against West Coast and my first full game of the year after I began the season injured. But I also remember it for being a game where some of younger players began to establish themselves and we’re seeing the benefits today. Matthew Johnson made his debut, coming on as the sub and had an impact. Forward Jye Amiss kicked two big goals in the opening term in only his fifth game, while the likes of Hayden Young, Michael Frederick, Sam Switkowski and Heath Chapman had all played less than 50 games at the time. We broke the game open in a four-goal second term after being down by a point at the main break but led by only eight heading into the final term. After losses to St Kilda and North Melbourne to start the season, we needed a victory and to kick six goals to one in the last quarter to ensure victory was important for the entire club. Later that year, we would belt the Eagles by 101 points in our biggest western derby victory ever and finish with 10 victories for the season to show our rebuild was well and truly on track. Caleb Serong also established himself as a derby superstar with his second Glendinning-Allan Medal with 35 touches, 12 inside 50s and eight clearances. And at the time was one of only six Dockers to win the award multiple times. Yet the one thing that stands out above all else from that game is the backflip from Michael Frederick in the dying minutes after he kicked a goal, stunning the more than 50,000 fans. Mark LeCras I was front and centre for arguably the greatest western derby finish of all time. Round 18, 2011. My teammate Matt Rosa punched the ball out of bounds, called deliberate by the umpire, and Fremantle got a free kick after the siren and a chance to win the game. Hayden Ballantyne took the kick from 52 metres out on the tightest angle and gave it a roust. It looked to be going through and he started celebrating like they’d won before the umpire called a behind. A goal would have snatched victory for the Dockers, instead we won by a point. A great escape really, given we kicked 8.17 (65) to 9.10 (64). I was actually one of the first people to let Ballantyne know it hadn’t gone through and was the first Eagle to shake his hand after the game. It was an unbelievable 30 seconds of football. We were on the right side of the result but I think even those barracking for Fremantle that day can appreciate the finish for what it was. Two teams split by the smallest of margins. We finished in the top four that year, and the Dockers didn’t make the eight but that didn’t matter in a derby. It was always on. Another good memory was another game that if Freo won, it would have brought them level on all-time wins and losses with West Coast. I remember that stat flashing up on the big screen at Subiaco Oval during the warm-up. Pridda (Matt Priddis) and I saw it and he turns to me and says ‘we can’t have that on our watch’ and pulled the group oin and said ‘no way can we let that happen with the history of the club’. We ended up going on a derby winning streak after that.