Gridiron West was formed from the WAGFL in 1994 and the Curtin Saints was one of it’s founding members. Junior Football was introduced in 2004 and was originally a seven man format however with the growing increase in the sport the switch was made to nine man football several years ago. Our Club has a proud and strong history having experienced both the highs of Championships and the lows of mediocre seasons. Currently our Club is experiencing enormous growth on the back of some hard off field work and excellent recruiting and we look forward to creating a future with your involvement.
1994/95: CLUB FORMS – The Curtin Saints were formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the Eastside “Vikings” and the Curtin “Razorbacks”. Club colours of White, Black and Gold were chosen by a team vote and in their first season the Saints found immediate success in making the League Grand Final. A missed field goal in the dying seconds caused them to fall just short of victory however finishing Runners Up.
1995/96: CHAMPIONS – The 95/96 season saw another trip to the finals for the Curtin Saints, and this time we were able to capture that final big win and became the Gridiron West Champions.
1996/97: CHAMPIONS – Looking for a repeat of the previous season, The Saints got off to a great start and made their way back into the finals. They made the Grand Final and were once again able to reign victorious becoming two time Gridiron West Champions.
1997/98: FINALS – We proved our might by once again making our way to the post season however it would not result in the championship with the team being knocked out in the finals.
1999/00: RUNNER UP – 1st (W10-L1) The new millennium had The Saints in good stead losing only once through the entire regular season. They made their way to the Grand Final, dispatching the Claremont Jets in the Semi Final, overwhelming favourites, but couldn’t bring home victory in the big game.
2000/01: Saw a rise to prominence for American Football in Western Australia, where the WA Raiders won the National Championship. Curtin Saints running back Ron “Rookie” Winkler was a member of the team.
2002/03: 6th (W2-L9) This season saw a bundle of great individual performances for the Saints. Running Back Matt Durant won the Gridiron West League MVP, and Saints Utility player Dean Cooper finished fourth runner-up in the voting. Jay Puskuchen, Warren Linton and Mark McPharlin went on to represent WA at the National Championships, where the Raiders finished 3rd overall.
2004/05: FINALS – The Saints had a decent year with a trip to the finals, but unfortunately were knocked out in the first round. Jay Puskuchen, Warren Linton and Mark McPharlin represented the WA Raiders at the National Championships. Warren Linton and Mark McPharlin then went on to be named to the Australian Squad.
2010: Saints players Luke Fredericks, David Oliveri, Vernon Brockway, Mark McPharlin, Cameron Smith, Nathan Randall, Ian Bellinge and Stephen Bleach all represented WA at the National Championships. Luke Fredericks was named the runner-up MVP of the Competition and from his efforts got named to the Australian World Cup Team. Head Coach of the WA Raiders was Saints player/coach Craig Wilson.
2010/11: The Saints narrowly missed the finals on this occasion, but became much more of a successful club both on and off the field.
2011: Saints Wide Receiver Luke Fredericks represents Australia in the IFAF Senior World Championship in Austria versus America, Germany and Austria. No more than 10 minutes after setting an I.F.A.F World Cup Record for the longest punt fake. Australian Outback Punter / Wide Receiver Luke Fredericks sets a record for the longest punt. 74 yards officially…..BOOM !
Record Fake Punt – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paV6JvERJGI
Record Punt – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJs7p2OywPU
2011: Flag Football West begin the first Flag Football League. A total of six teams begin in this first Season of non-contact football establishing a base for the future Premier League competition.
The Curtin Saints Under 19s team is formed and entered into the 2011 GW competition. Coaches Gareth Weinbrecht and Ben Newman take the team to the finals with a 5-5 record losing in the Semi Final game.
2011/12: The Saints Senior team improved the team record with 8-6 result, the first winning record in a number of years and finished the regular season one place out of a playoff spot. The club continued to grow on and off the field with the second ranked offense and 5th ranked defense.
2012/13: The Saints finished the season with the U19′s State championship with an undefeated season. This massive result is a large part of the clubs foundations moving forward into the future. The Saints seniors team made its first appearance in finals since 2005 with a very competitive 6-6-1 season. Many first, second & third year players rising as the momentum is building at the Saints.
2013/14: The Saints make the play-offs again and finish the season with an 8-5 record. Numerous Saints play in the Raiders victory versus the Philipines coached by Saints Head Coach Nigel March.
2014/15: The Saints reach the WestBowl but fall to to the Rockingham Vipers to finish the season at 10-3-1. The Under-19, in re-building mode, fail to make the finals. AJ Wright & David Olivieri make the Australian Outback squad for the IFAF World Cup. Daniel Strickland does too and is named in the all-tournament team!
2015/16: Saints go 10-2 in the regular season, but lose a shoot-out in the Semi-final to the Perth Broncos. The Under-19 make progress but don’t make the play-offs. Numerous Saints play in the Raiders victory versus South China All-Stars. Strong representation in the Raiders Squad that just failed to win the National Championship including Coach March on the defensive side of the ball. The executive is increased to cater for the increased demand for flag with a new vice-president responsible for flag created.
2016/17: The Saints go one step better this season with the men’s team making it the West Bowl final but falling to Rockingham Vipers. During the regular season the men’s team finished with an 11-1 record which was equal best in the league. The under 19’s team continued their rebuild notching up 4 wins and finishing just outside of the finals.
2017/18: A bit of a downturn from the year before but another finals appearance with a winning record, this time losing in the Semi-Final to the Rockingham Vipers
A historic year with the Women’s competition starting and Saints entering a team in the inaugural year. The women’s team started strong in the first ever Women’s game with a 50-0 victory and enjoyed a strong first season before eventually falling in the semi-final to the eventual champs.
Grace Honda was awarded league co-MVP, and Chelsea Gray took home the Offensive Player of the Year during the league awards.
A tough year in regards to the win column for the Under 19’s but a lot of promise from a very young team finishing at the bottom of the table.
2018/19: Identical record and finishing position to the previous season but a stronger showing in the Semi Final rematch against the Vipers, defense held on well but it was another loss to Rockingham Vipers.
Second season of the Women’s competition and the league was expanding to include another team. The women booked another semi-final berth before being outdone by the Perth Blitz. After finishing 4th on the table in the regular season.
2019/20: Saint’s Men finished 3rd on the ladder (7-6-2) an improvement from last two seasons which helped them avoid the Viper semi-final matchup. They came up against the Titans but unfortunately the season ended once again just a step away from the West Bowl.
The Women’s team kept on their improvement and once again it came down to a semi-final match vs Perth Blitz. Saints led for the majority of the game but the Blitz squeaked over the line at the end to put a stop to a great season.
Saints Under 19’s were strong all season, the boys had to deal with a bunch of game cancellation due to heat. The team still managed to go 7-2 and made it to the West Bowl for the second time in their history. The grand final was a nail-biter and both teams put on a show for the crowd, Saints came down on the losing side and hope to continue their resurgence by going one better this upcoming season.
To commemorate 25 years of the Curtin Saints the club held its first Homecoming Game and event which was highlighted by David Olivieri being awarded life membership for his great service. The day also recognised the clubs greats from the last 25 years with a team of the quarter century being named. The worthy members of the squad are:
