Wheatley in elite Royals group
Rod Wheatley joined a select field of WAFL players when he made his league debut in a final, the utility player lining up for his first senior game when East Perth lost the 1992 preliminary final to East Fremantle by four points.
Wheatley was added to another elite group on Wednesday night when he was inducted into the 107-year-old WAFL club's Hall of Fame.
Part of the Royals' hat-trick of premiership wins starting in 2000, he was co-captain in 2002 and 2003 and won the fairest-and-best awards of 2000 and 2001.
Runner-up to ruckman Ryan Turnbull in 1999, Wheatley shared the club champion award with Aaron Marley and David Swan in 2000 and the following year was the winner of the FD Book Medal.
Wheatley, raised in Bridgetown, played 169 league games for the Royals as well as two State matches.
He was selected in the State Schoolboys team of 1989 and played for WA in the national under-18 championships two years later, before lining up in his first senior game in 1992
A regular in the East Perth league side from 1995, Wheatley retired in 2003.
The 38-year-old said he was thrilled to be recognised in the Royals' Hall of Fame.
"It was amazing," he said yesterday. "Very humbling and a great honour.
"You look back now and it's recognition of your career and, for me, there's no higher accolade."
Other players to be inducted to the Hall of Fame on Wednesday included Gary "Flea" Gillespie, Richard Thomas, Brian Ryan and Charles McKenzie, along with former president Jim Haines and club historian Bill Forrest.
McKenzie (1919-20), Thomas (1936) and Gillespie (1972) were all members of premiership teams.
Gillespie played 197 games for East Perth (1963-75), Thomas 207 (1935-41, 1945-48), Ryan 204 (1929-41, 1945-46) and McKenzie 148 (1908-15, 1919-22).
Haines played 106 games for the Royals between 1965 and 1970. He was club champion in 1968, before taking on off-field roles as general manager (1974-75), board member (1980-82) and president (1995-98).
Forrest has been involved with East Perth for more than 50 years.
A member since 1960, he played an integral role in the publication of the club's 100-year history book and the establishment of the Royals' Hall of Fame in 2010.
He was awarded life membership of East Perth in 1983 and of the WA Football Commission in 2001.
EAST PERTH HALL OF FAME
Player: Ernest Allen, Frank Allen, Mal Atwell, Jeremy Barnard, Reginald Brentnall, Mal Brown, Hugh Campbell, Derek Chadwick, Mick Cronin, Stephen Curtis, Lawrence Duffy, Graham Farmer, Wally Fletcher, George Fogarty, Harold Gepp, Gary Gillespie, Dobbie Graham, Jack Guhl, John Hayes, William Hebbard, Arthur Hesford, Phil Kelly, Laurie Kennedy, Ted Kilmurray, Ken McAullay, Kevin McGill, Phil Matson, Charles McKenzie, George Owens, Ray Perry, Brian Ryan, Herb Screaigh, Jack Sheedy, Henry Sherlock, Brad Smith, Val Sparrow, Peter Spencer, Ray Starr, Richard Thomas, Billy Thomas, William Thomas, Ryan Turnbull, Hans Verstegen, Ben Wallish, Jim Washbourne, John Watts, Albert Western, Rod Wheatley.
Officials: Fred Book, Francis Bray, Jack Clayton, Tom Guthrie, William Haynes, Cyril Norton, Hec Strempel, Jim Haines, Bill Forrest, Henry Mann.
