2015 WAFC Hall of Fame

Eight of Western Australia’s football greats will be inducted to the NAB West Australian Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday, July 15.

One Hall of Fame member will also be elevated to ‘Legend’ status on the night, becoming the 16^th Legend along with Haydn Bunton Jnr, Barry Cable, George Doig, Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer, Stan ‘Pops’ Heal, Denis Marshall, Phil Matson, Merv McIntosh, Steve Marsh, George Moloney, Graham Moss, Jack Sheedy, John Todd, WJ ‘Nipper’ Truscott and Bill Walker.     

The West Australian Football Commission established the WA Football Hall of Fame in 2002 to honour players, coaches, umpires, administrators and media representatives who have made a significant contribution to the game in this State. Since the WA Football Hall of Fame's inauguration, 153 individuals across four eras have been inducted.

2015 East Fremantle inductees:

Con Regan

Player 1953-1965
Games 269 (East Fremantle 262, WA 7)
Goals 148 (East Fremantle 146, WA 2)
Honours: East Fremantle premiership player 1957; East Fremantle Leading Goal kicker 1955, 1962;
East Fremantle club games record holder 1964-1988; Life Member East Fremantle 1963; East Fremantle Hall of Fame 2012; EF Team of the Century 1997; Fremantle Hall of Legends 1997

Football versatility was never better exemplified than in Con Regan, a legend of Fremantle football whose position on the field was the one where the team most required him and whose extraordinary durability, longevity and character made him a clubman par excellence. After retirement as a player with the record number of club games, Regan made an outstanding ongoing contribution to football as a coach, junior development officer, administrator, team manager and general worker for the betterment of the game.
Cornelius John Regan was born in Palmyra with football in his genes. His mother was a member of the Miller clan which has contributed 12 WAFL league players in the Regan, Neesham, McManus and Kerr families and his ancestral uncles included Harry Duggan and Theodore (Phaedra) Miller, significant Fremantle players of yesteryear. He learnt the game in Fremantle and graduated through the old Fremantle Ex Scholars competition to East Fremantle in 1953, making his debut in the opening round against Claremont in the role of high leaping follower. He did well enough to elicit positive comment in the Round 2 Football Budget which stated “Regan shows considerable promise in the role of follower”
Con Regan played all but 2 games in his debut season. Thereafter he was very seldom out of the very strong East Fremantle team for the following 12 seasons, playing finals in every one of them. His durability was demonstrated by the fact that the minimum number of games he played in any of his 13 seasons was 16 and his versatility was a major asset from the outset. Perhaps Cons greatest attribute was his excellent high marking ability but he was also fast, strong and a fine kick either from defence or when kicking for goal. He came to be recognised mostly as a full back who could play a valuable negating role on some of the excellent forwards around at the time headed by Bernie Naylor, Ray Scott, Ron Tucker and later, John Gerovich. Regan won a full back competition conducted by the Daily News in 1960 when he played 23 games including finals for an average of less than 2 goals per match kicked against him.
Although mostly required at full back, Con Regan enjoyed the opportunity to go forward and twice headed his clubs goalkicking list (1955 and 1962). His performances in 1955 (64 goals) placed him 4th in the competition and gained for him a first representative match for a WA second eighteen against the touring Essendon team. Some of his most memorable performances were at other than full back including the 1957 grand final (centre half back) and the 1962 preliminary final (9 goals at full forward).
Having a predilection for odd years (1955, 1957, 1959 and 1961), Con Regan went on to represent his state on 8 occasions. His versatility was much valued by the state selectors as he started these games variously at full forward, in the centre, back pocket, full back and
centre half forward (in the memorable deciding 1961 Carnival game against Victoria). Con considered his greatest achievement in football to be the 1961 Carnival victory but he played in an extraordinary 27 final round matches for East Fremantle including 7 grand finals and the 1957 premiership.
As a policeman, Con Regan was transferred to Katanning after the 1965 season. His magnificent overall contribution to football continued when he was appointed captain coach of local club Wanderers and co-founded the Central Great Southern Junior Sports Council. Later when in Donnybrook, he took the local side to a premiership and after returning to Fremantle, also won a flag as coach of the East Fremantle Sunday League Football Club.
When the Fremantle Dockers were formed in 1995, Con Regan became the inaugural team manager and did not miss a match or training session for nearly 10 years after the club was formed. In this role he was a valued mentor and confidant to the aspiring AFL players.
In later years a number of honours were bestowed upon Con Regan. The City of Fremantle Hall of Fame (1996) and Fremantle Football Club Hall of Legends (1997) were followed by the AFL’s prestigious Jack Titus Award in recognition of his 50 years involvement with football (2003). He was the first West Australian to be so recognised.
In May 2007, Con Regan passed away suddenly while holidaying in Vancouver, Canada. The tributes that flowed liberally and the immense crowd who attended his funeral at Fremantle Cemetery bore powerful testament to the quality and impact of Con Regans life. He was synonymous with football in Fremantle and his outstanding character shone out in all he did. Membership of the East Fremantle Football Club Hall of Fame (2012) and now the West Australian Football Hall of Fame add lustre to an outstanding life in football.

Paul Hasleby

Player 1999 – 2011 (Fremantle 2000-10, East Fremantle 1999, 2007, South Fremantle 2011)
Games 244 (Fremantle 208, East Fremantle 19, South Fremantle 16 WA 1)
Goals 174 (Fremantle 131, East Fremantle 18, South Fremantle 24 WA 1)
Honours: East Fremantle Fairest and Best 1999; All Australian 2003; AFL Rising Star 2000; Ross Glendinning Medal 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009; International Rules Representative 2003;
Fremantle FC Life Member 2007

He may have lacked the lightning speed of Chris Judd and the aerobic capacity of Ben Cousins but for pure football skill – the ability to read the play, win the hard ball and dispose to team advantage - Paul Hasleby was up with the best in the modern era. His innate ability as a ball winning inside midfielder and his mental toughness enabled Hasleby to achieve a rare level of consistency in 10 seasons in the AFL. A disposal average of 21.6 disposals per game compares favourably with the 22.9 achieved by Judd, the 22.6 of Cousins and the 22.8 of Peter Bell and exceeds recognised champions such as Chris Mainwaring, Maurice Rioli and Ben Allan. After a brilliant debut season, Hasleby become just the second West Australian after Cousins to win the AFL Rising Star Award and he was a top five placegetter in Fremantle’s Doig medal in an outstanding 6 of his 10 AFL seasons.
Paul Hasleby was born in Geraldton and grew up playing football in Northampton, 470 kilometers to the north of Perth. Moving to the city to attend secondary school at Mazenod College, he displayed a precocious talent for the Australian game and represented WA in both the Under 16’s and Under 18’s National Championships. Disappointed to miss the 16’s All Australian team and the opportunity to join one of the first AIS camps, he came back to be outstanding in the 1999 Under 18 carnival and won the Larke Medal for best player in Division One. At the beginning of the 1999 season Hasleby had joined East Fremantle and achieved immediate success at WAFL senior level, playing 18 games and winning the Lynn Medal (League Fairest and Best award) despite missing 3 games in mid season whilst at the U18 carnival.
Entering the 1999 National draft as one of the hottest prospects, Hasleby was selected by Fremantle with the second overall selection behind Josh Fraser (Collingwood) and he made his AFL debut in Round 1, 2000. In an extraordinary debut performance against Geelong at Subiaco, Hasleby gathered 16 kicks and 14 handballs and kicked 1 goal 2. His 30 disposals earned him the first nomination for the 2000 Norwich Rising Star award and had his performance being compared with the greatest debuts of the past such as those of Greg Williams and John Coleman. With confidence high he had an outstanding season, playing all but the final game (missed after sustaining a back injury in the Round 21 “demolition derby”) and he was runner up to Troy Cook for the Doig Medal. The back injury unfortunately restricted his pre-season in 2001 and his second year was disappointing, although he still averaged more than 19 possessions a game playing mainly at half forward.
Stung by somewhat unfair criticism he applied himself to a rigorous training and fitness regime and returned to peak form in the midfield in 2002. Averaging more than 22 possessions, he lead the team in hard ball gets and inside 50’s and was fourth in the Doig Medal. This high level was maintained for the following 3 seasons when he did not miss a game and was denied a Doig Medal only by the presence of the outstanding Peter Bell and
Matthew Pavlich. In the 2003 season Hasleby was rewarded with All Australian selection and represented Australia in the International Rules series. In both 2003 and 2004 he ranked in the top 10 in the AFL for total disposals (kicks plus handballs).
After a solid 2005 season Hasleby’s tough training program caught up with him, and his 2006 season was restricted by groin problems. This unfortunately coincided with the Dockers best season in which they finished 3rd after the qualifying rounds and had their first win in a final round game. Hasleby was forced to miss both the winning semi and losing preliminary final after undergoing groin surgery. He had a steady 2007 but then suffered a season ending knee injury in Round 1 of the 2008 NAB Cup. A tackle by two opponents resulted in torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments. The full season spent on the sidelines was put to good effect from a learning and preparation perspective and Hasleby came back strongly in 2009 to play every game and finish 5th in the Doig medal. The evolution of the game in the areas of pressure and speed saw Hasleby converted into a goalkicking forward in 2010 but sensing the increased requirement for athleticism, he announced his retirement at the end of the season. In Round 13 against Carlton at Etihad Stadium, he had become just the fourth Fremantle Docker to achieve 200 AFL games.
Paul Hasleby continued to serve Australian Football by playing for South Fremantle in 2011 and at the end of that season he was appointed senior coach of the club after the resignation of John Dimmer. He did not enjoy great success in his 3 seasons in this role winning 20 out of 60 games, but his passion for the game shone through and will likely continue to keep him involved in the game in some capacity.
Paul Hasleby will remain a revered figure at Fremantle Football Club as one of its most highly skilled and consistent players. He was one of their very best ball winners in heavy traffic and a highly skilled handball exponent under pressure as well as being a very good mark for his size. His Round 15, 2005 mark of the week against Western Bulldogs will remain a club favourite. As an All Australian and Rising Star winner and a four time winner of the Glendinning Medal for outstanding performances in Western Derbies, his place in West Australian football history is assured. He joins Ben Allan and Peter Bell as the third Fremantle Football Club member of the WA Football Hall of Fame.