The period of Western Australian football following the
Second World War was dominated by four teams: , , , – those teams having occupied the top four positions in all but one season between 1947 and 1955. On this occasion, South Fremantle (16–4) was minor premier ahead of East Fremantle (16–4) on percentage; Perth (14–6) was third and West Perth (13–7) was fourth. East Fremantle defeated South Fremantle by 19 points in the second semi-final to qualify for the grand final; Perth defeated West Perth by 22 points in the first semi-final, then defeated South Fremantle by 12 points in the preliminary final to qualify. East Fremantle was historically the most successful club in the competition, having won 21 premierships up to this point, which was ten more than any other club, although it had not won one since 1946. Perth, despite its post-war period of success, remained one of the least successful clubs in the competition, having won only one premiership previously, in
1907; it had finished runner-up on seven occasions, most recently with grand final losses against West Perth in 1949 and South Fremantle in 1950. ==Match==