Mel Whinnen


Allan Melvyn Whinnen MBE is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Perth Football Club in the Western Australian National Football League from 1960 to 1977. Whinnen played 367 premiership games for West Perth, a WAFL record, playing in four premiership sides and finishing runner-up in the Sandover Medal on two occasions, as well as winning West Perth's best and fairest award, the Breckler Medal, on a record nine occasions.
He was inducted into the West Australian [Football Hall of Fame] in 2004, and elevated to 'legend status' in 2023.

Career

Educated at North Perth Primary School and Perth [Boys High School], Whinnen debuted for West Perth in 1960 and was a reserve in the club's 1960 premiership win over at Subiaco Oval. Playing mainly as a centreman, Whinnen established himself in West Perth's league team, winning the Breckler Medal in 1962 and 1964 as the club's best and fairest. He also finished second in the Sandover Medal in 1964, polling 22 votes to finish one vote behind Barry Cable, the winner. Whinnen made his state debut for Western Australia [Australian rules football team|Western Australia] against the Victorian Football Association in 1963. Whinnen won West Perth's best and fairest award in both 1967 and 1968, and again in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1975. In total, Whinnen won the Breckler Medal a record nine times between 1962 and 1975.
Whinnen again played in premierships in 1969, 1971 and 1975. In 1975, he was awarded the Simpson Medal as the best on ground in West Perth's premiership defeat of. Whinnen was appointed as captain of West Perth for the 1977 season and retired at the end of the year.
Whinnen's 367 career premiership matches are both a West Perth club record and a WAFL record as of 2022. Whinnen also played 14 Interstate matches in [Australian rules football|interstate and carnival] football matches for Western Australia, and four night series matches for West Perth which are considered senior by the WAFL, for a total of 385 senior career games.

Honours and awards

Whinnen was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in June 1976, for "services to sport", along with former teammate Bill Dempsey. In October 2000, he was named in the centre in West Perth's Team of the Century. Whinnen was an inaugural inductee of the West Australian Football Hall of Fame in March 2004. One of the entrance gates at Subiaco Oval is named after Whinnen, and a grandstand at Arena Joondalup, West Perth's home ground since 1994, is named the Whinnen–Dempsey Stand in honour of the two players' contribution to the club. Since 1998, the Mel Whinnen Medal has been awarded to the player judged best on ground in the grand final of the WAFL's colts competition. Notable winners have included Paul Hasleby, Scott Stevens, Jacob Surjan and Matthew Leuenberger.