Former WAFL Premiership Coach Tony Micale believes East Fremantle needs to take matters into their own hands regarding the ongoing delays in returning to their home ground. 

For a second consecutive season, East Fremantle has not had access to its home ground, with no confirmed end date in sight for when they would finally return to its redeveloped facility. 

As a result of the delays, East Fremantle played a ‘home’ final at Revo Fitness Stadium despite earning the right to host Sunday’s Elimination Final against Claremont at their home ground. 

This had a major impact on their premiership defence, with Claremont knocking East Fremantle out of finals by 24-points. 

“I’m starting to get a bit worried about it….I can’t believe that the supporters aren’t screaming out asking what is going on,” Micale told SportFM. 

“That’s why I wouldn’t level any criticism at their performance yesterday. I know people tried to derail them last year with a salary cap issue, that I think finally all of this stuff has got to them. 

“They had a ludacrious situation, that East Fremantle played a final in an opposition’s front yard because they had to. They just get flicked around from pillar to post.” 

With no end in sight for the situation at East Fremantle and it having an impact on the premiership defence, Micale believes figures at the club need to take action as speculation some players may retire or move on has emerged. 

“People are sick and tired of hearing the same rhetoric about what’s happened, and the negative comments about what needs to be fixed, but I’m asking the question now, what’s being done about getting this right?” he said. 

“If I was Bill Monaghan, and Brad Dodd, I’d be virtually going to the club and saying, unless you’ve got this sorted out and we’re back on the Oval… forget me. 

“To add to that, the real concerns, as far as a footy club’s concerned, is that there’s even talk that players are looking to move on or even retire. It was even mentioned to me from somebody inside the club last night after the game. 

“I don’t know the reasons why there’s a number of players retiring. But some of the stuff that is of major concern, and these questions haven’t been answered, and this is major.”

East Fremantle last played at their home ground three years ago before the $34 million project to upgrade their home ground commenced. 

While a majority of the facilities are open, including a cafe and recreation spaces, East Fremantle’s return to Shark Park has been halted due to unresolved licensing agreements and turf approvals.

East Fremantle Football Club and the Town of East Fremantle have also clashed because of clauses in the licensing agreement, including service agreements, boardroom usage and the lack of a fence surrounding the grounds.

Despite East Fremantle suffering majorly, Micale believes both sides are responsible for the debacle to an extent. 

“It seems that what’s happened, and there’s been allegations made against the council that because it’s a community-based club, they’ve virtually pushed East Fremantle into the background,” he said. 

“You’ve got the council virtually saying, we’re not all that fussed whether you’re here or not. You’ve got East Fremantle going, we’ve been traditionally here and been the guts of East Fremantle district for 150 years, and then you’ve got the government who’ve put in $26 million towards the development of this new facility. 

“All of these things have happened, and one’s blaming the other, and I’m saying surely you’re all responsible in a way. 

“East Fremantle are the ones copping the brunt of it, but they deserve to cop the brunt if they’ve sat down on the heads of an agreement and gone we haven’t even got a social club in this facility, so they should have spoken up then.”

IMAGE: Belgravia Leisure