Unbeaten
Scarborough’s Dennis Bullied and Tim McCallum speaks to Chris Egan
While it does happen from time to time in the Perth Football League, it is still a rarity that a team can complete an unbeaten season. So many things have to go right for a team to complete what is regarded as the perfect season. And while it is rare across the Perth Football League as a whole, it is close to impossible to complete the perfect ‘A Grade’ season.
In the past 60 years there has been just one. The Scarborough side of 1995.
Unprecedented for the most part of Perth Football League history, the feat was all the more memorable for those associated with the Scarborough Football Club, given that it was their first ‘A Grade’ premiership.
Having been involved with the club since its inception in 1970, Scarborough Football Club Life Member Dennis Bullied was one of those that took a sense of pride in seeing the club breakthrough for ‘A Grade’ premiership success.
“It was the ultimate, it was what we strived for years,” Bullied said.
“After starting in 1970, it was a long haul to get there.”
Like many great feats in football though, the 1995 season of Scarborough was to an extent born out of the heartache of Grand Final defeat. Former Scarborough President and club patron Tim McCallum reflects back on the previous year’s defeat and the pride in then winning the premiership a year later.
“Losing the 94 Grand Final, when we should have won,” McCallum said.
“To be the only club to have done it undefeated since 1960 and done it is a true amateur club.”
That 1995 season would be the start of an iconic run for Scarborough that saw the Gary Armstrong coaches sides become the powerhouse of Perth Football League football. Scarborough would go on to play in five straight Grand Finals adding back to back premiership wins in 1997 and 1998 to their undefeated run of 1995.
Flashing forward 20 years, the club has embarked in a similar premiership run. Following some lean years and dark days, the club had to climb back from ‘C Grade’ level from 2011. McCallum was installed as President and instigated a club wide turnaround in 2014 that saw the club win promotion back to ‘A Grade’ in 2015.
“A lot of work from a lot of people to turn it around,” McCallum said.
“The whole premise, didn’t matter what grade you played for, you played for Scarborough.”
This hard work and mentality has gone on to deliver two of the last three premierships for Scarborough. 20 years after their third ‘A Grade’ premiership in 1998, in 2018 they made it a fourth ‘A Grade’ premiership. Then in the COVID affected 2020 season, it was Scarborough who climbed from fourth, to win a fifth premiership.
The current mountain top of ‘A Grade’ football in this historic centenary year, the Scarborough Football Club.