| 1930 WAFL season | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 7 |
| Premiers | East Fremantle 15th premiership |
| Minor premiers | East Fremantle 17th minor premiership |
| Sandover Medallist | Ted Flemming (West Perth) |
| Bernie Naylor Medallist | Frank Hopkins (West Perth) |
| Matches played | 66 |
The 1930 WAFL season was the 46th season of the West Australian Football League in its various incarnations, and the last before it changed its name to the ‘Western Australian National Football League’. The season saw East Fremantle win the premiership for the third consecutive season, marking the second time that the club had achieved the feat; the club was never seriously challenged as the best team except during the interstate break and achieved the unusual feat of being the only club with a percentage of over 100.[a] Jerry Dolan said in retrospect that East Fremantle's 1930 team was the greatest he had ever played in or coached – including even the unbeaten team of 1946.[1]
As with the VFL, the 1930 WAFL season saw a major innovation with the introduction of a ‘nineteenth man’ who could replace players either injured or out of form.[2] This was changed to a nineteenth and twentieth man in 1946 and to the current interchange system in 1978. A controversial new holding the ball rule, which required the ball to be kicked or punched when tackled,[3] was introduced for this season, but was regarded as unsatisfactory[4] and replaced by the old rule, where a player could kick or drop the ball when tackled, in Victoria from 14 June[5] and throughout Australia from 5 July, with the rule being officially re-amended two weeks later[6]
For 1930 the WAFL reconstituted the seconds competition, which had been inaugurated five seasons beforehand, as the ‘Western Australian National Football Association’ (W.A.N.F.A) and required the teams in this competition to play league players when dropped through loss of form or return of top players.[2]