Mel Whinnen

Mel Whinnen
Personal information
Full name	Mel Whinnen
Date of birth	?
Place of birth	?
Position(s)	Centreman
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1960-77	West Perth	371
1 Playing statistics to end of season .
Career highlights

Mel Whinnen is a former Australian rules footballer who played with West Perth in the West Australian National Football League (WANFL) during the 1960s and 1970s. His 371 senior games for West Perth is a club record and also league record for any one club.

Although he never won a Sandover Medal, Whinnen always polled well and finished in the top five on six occasions. He was runner up to Barry Cable in 1964 and to David Hollins at the 1971 count.

No player has won more West Perth 'Club Champion' awards than Whinnen, who took home the Breckler Medal nine times, including four in a row from 1970 to 1973.

He was a member of four premiership teams at West Perth, the first of which came in his inaugural season when he acted as 19th man and substituted Don Marinko in the 1960 Grand Final. Further premiership success came in 1969 and 1971 while in 1975 he was a Simpson Medalist for his part in a Grand Final thrashing of South Fremantle.

In 1977 he acted as captain and retired at the end of the year after West Perth lost the Preliminary Final. In addition to his long league career he also represented Western Australia at interstate football 14 times with appearances at the 1966 Hobart Carnival and 1972 Perth Carnivals.

Whinnen is a centreman in West Perth's official 'Team of the Century' and in 2002 was one of the inaugural inductees into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame.

References

• Full Points Footy: Mel Whinnen

Persondata
Name	Whinnen, Mel
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth	?
Date of death
Place of death