Almanac Obituaries: Vale Warren Ralph (Who Stood On My Head)

 

 

 

As we were about the same age, I knew Warren Ralph as a junior footballer.

 

Warren played for Floreat Park in the Claremont Junior Council and was one of a talented bunch of players of that age, for that club, who included Michael Aitken (Claremont/Carlton) and Wayne Bradshaw (Claremont).  Jeff Clifton, a few years before us, went straight from playing Under 18s for Floreat to playing for Collingwood in the VFL. Claremont legends, the Reynolds boys (Wayne, Russell (STK) and Brad), all hailed from Floreat Park.

 

Warren and I  probably played against each other in the Under 18 finals of 1976, when Claremont juniors won an epic final by a point, eliminating Floreat, but only until we were ourselves eliminated during the week because one of our players had played only 5 qualifying games  (not more than 5). I have blanked most of the details out but I reckon Floreat, reinstated, went on to win the grand final.

 

When Warren left school he went to play for Dalwallinu in the country for a couple of years so I didn’t come up against him playing in the amateurs in my early years there.

 

It is said in his bios that he was also a fast bowler in local cricket and, although I recall plenty of games against Floreat and Subi-Floreat (notably with Glenn Hughes)  I don’t recall facing Warren. But he did kick some cricket scores later in his footy career!

 

After playing in Dalwallinu, Warren returned to Floreat Park (maybe they were Floreat-Marist by then) and was kicking huge bags of goals at full forward. Claremont came calling and a long career in the WAFL and VFL (and SANFL) beckoned.

 

His last game for Floreat before  going to Claremont was against Collegians at Dalkeith Oval (now ‘the Shank’ after David Cruikshank, former Mayor). We figured the only way we could be sure of winning was to keep Ralph quiet and so some considerable responsibility for that was bestowed on our full back.

 

Ah, yes, that was me.

 

So, that day, and for one last time, we resumed our junior football contests and for a while it went really well. By half time ‘Wobba’ had not goaled and we were well placed. Still goalless into the third I think I was beginning to become complacent.

 

Anyway, Floreat mounted another attack down the clubrooms side heading to the Swan River end. The ball was kicked high towards me, and I figured I had Ralph covered as I was a few yards ahead of him. I set myself to mark when I felt this crunch at the top rear of my head. “That’s gotta be a high free kick to me” I immediately reasoned as I catapulted forward, but, turning slightly, I suddenly realized that the source of the blow was Warren’s football boots on the top of my head. I hit the ground some moments before he landed with the ball safely on his chest and was, correctly, paid the mark. I was also vaguely aware of woahing and hooting and a clamour of car horns as the spectators realized they had been treated to one of the best marks they would ever see in Amateur footy ranks.

 

Of course such marks -standing on full back’s heads-  became one of Ralph’s signatures in the WAFL where he took several similar marks which have become legendary reminders of his great skill. On each occasion, although thrilled as a Claremont fan with the aerial artistry, I felt an empathy and sympathy for Ray Holden, Stan Nowotny and others when they provided the same mark-assists that I had involuntarily provided in his last Amateur game.

 

Warren went back and kicked the goal that day after standing on my head.

 

However, he only kicked one more and so I was forever able to argue that I had kept Warren Ralph to just 2 goals in his last game before his glittering professional career ensued.

 

There were plenty of opportunities for me to point that out as well, as Warren kicked  82 goals in his first season with Claremont in the WAFL.  He kicked 564 goals for Claremont in 123 games (averaging 4.5 per game played) and won the Bernie Naylor medal for leading WAFL goalkicker in 1980, 1981 (120 goals). 1982 (105 goals)  and 1983 (123 including one bag of 16 against Subiaco – the club his Dad, Bill had played for).

 

He went to Carlton in 1984 and kicked an amazing 9 goals in his first VFL game and  72 in 21 overall; He played in Claremont premierships in 1981, 1987, 1989.  He represented his state 6 times. He was inducted to the WAFL Hall of Fame in 2019 and in Claremont’s inaugural intake to its HOF last year.

 

In 1988 after a pay dispute with the Claremont Tigers, Warren signed with Glenelg and played 14 games with them, kicking 40 goals.

 

In a curious footnote to his time in Adelaide (and the pay dispute), Warren was lucky enough to win the lotto main prize of $800,000.

 

After struggling with a fractured ankle, he returned to Perth and in 1989 went with some mates to the first WAFL game, enjoying as he disclosed in his interview for the Hall of Fame  (You Tube) “a few cold beers” on the banks at Subiaco Oval.  But the enjoyment lasted 10 minutes into the game before  he realized he should be back out there playing and so he  went to Gerard Neesham and as a consequence ended up playing in a third premiership with Claremont that year.

 

I did later bump into Warren on a social occasion. He said he remembered me from junior footy and some of my cases  as a lawyer which had received publicity. And so I was able to tell him the story of his last game in the ammos about  which we had a good laugh. I also expressed my admiration for what he had achieved in his footy and the pleasure he had given me as a Tigers fan. I asked him what he was doing with himself. He said “Not much. I won the lotto”.

 

I saw him a couple more times over the years and he was a genuinely nice guy, modest in his achievements and interested in others. He told the Hall of Fame he had just been out there enjoying playing footy and having fun.

 

Farewell Warren Ralph.

 

I am glad I had the chance to tell my story and express my gratitude and admiration to Warren, as he died suddenly this week aged 66 (see my piece on this site ‘Graeme Watson (Don’t leave it too late)’).

 

As will be obvious from the fact we were in  the same junior footy age group, we were similarly aged men, and  so Warren’s passing  is more confronting to me than most.

 

It emphasizes our mortality.

 

It also reminds me that the glorious days in which we soared through the air for high marks (or were soared upon) and in which we campaigned with our mates to win (or try to win)  sporting premierships are now longer ago than I had previously acknowledged or recognized or cared to accept.

 

That our footy heroes of days gone by, who wore the colours we supported and whose remarkable skills and achievements rendered us astonished and admiring and gave us such great enjoyment are now not so young any more. Or are, increasingly, leaving us.

 

There must be a word for such an age. A name for such an awakening.

 

Maybe it’s ‘old’. Maybe it’s ‘wisdom’.

 

Maybe it’s life.

 

 

To read more by John Gordon click HERE.

 

 

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