‘One Last Kick’ giving a voice to WA country football clubs gone but never forgotten

South West football legend Alan Crane knows more country football stories in WA than most people.

Throughout his time as a shearer, league coach, business owner and broadcaster, Crane has spent hours with his eyes and ears listening and learning from people at the coalface who keep country football going.

His passion is unrivalled — and together with Bunbury-based Lomax Media, the loveable larrikin has put together a special documentary series titled One Last Kick, which shares the stories of former clubs which were forced to close their doors.

So far, two clubs have been showcased — the Cranbrook and Cuballing Football Clubs — amid tremendous feedback from people in both towns.

“Country footy and towns are huge passions of mine,” Crane said. “I’ve had the idea (putting together a documentary) for years, but I didn’t know how to make it all happen.

“I had a bit of a discussion with Dean Lomax, who was a fan of the concept and could make it work.

“So we rang up the good people of Cranbrook and it went from there. The idea of it all is to bring back to life some of these clubs.

“Because there are so many stories out there to be told. And if we don’t get them recorded some way, they’ll be lost forever.

“The beauty is, I don’t go with a script — what you see on the screen in each town is me meeting everyone for the first time.

“It’s their story to tell and I let them tell it.”

During the Cranbrook episode, viewers learn how players of a bygone era at half-time used to treat themselves to a cup of tea and scone while wearing dressing gowns, along with how toilet and shower facilities occassionally left a lot to be desired.

Crane and Lomax are keen to hit the road and visit more clubs, should financial and time commitments allow.

“I’d do it full-time if I could,” Crane said. “I love it that much to tell you the truth. The stories and people you meet are amazing, but you do have to try and cover costs somehow.

“So we will be looking at ways we can cover those costs.

“We’ve got a website running if anyone would like to submit a club for us to visit in future. There’s already a couple on there — however, I’m keen to travel out to the Moulyinning Football Club (Moulyinning is located 18km west of Kukerin) for our next little visit.”