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| Team information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Sandgropers Black Swans | |||||
| Governing body | West Australian Football League | |||||
| First game | ||||||
 Victoria 14.10 (94) – 8.11 (59) Western Australia  1904[1] | ||||||
The Western Australia Australian rules football team is the state representative side of Western Australia in the sport of Australian rules football.
Western Australia has a proud history in interstate football, having a successful historical record and winning three Australian Championships and a State of Origin Carnival Championship, in the State of Origin era. While the senior team no longer plays, it continues to contest the underage men's (5 division 1 titles) and underage women's championships.
Western Australia has a long and intense rivalry with Victoria.[2] The 1986 game between Western Australia and Victoria is "regarded by many people as one of the greatest games – not just in State of Origin – but in the 150 years of Australian Football".[3]
The team has been known as the "Black Swans" after the Black swan which is the state symbol emblazoned on their guernsey; however, they are more popularly known by their rivals as the "Sandgropers" after the West Australian insect, a nickname also more generally used for West Australians.
- ^ "Fullpointsfooty.net". Archived from the original on 31 October 2002.
- ^ "Cornes leads SANFL with pride in jumper at forefront". WA Football. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ "The greatest State of Origin game ever, WA v Victoria '86". The Roar. Retrieved 5 March 2016.