After a relatively slow start – despite being competitive form its first season – East Perth after World War I went on to become one of the most powerful clubs in the West Australian league with the appointment of former Subiaco player Phil Matson as captain-coach.

Although the club garnered an undefeated premiership in the under-age WAFL competition in 1944, East Perth became very much a middle-of-the-road side after open-age WANFL football resumed until the emergence of champion ruckman Graham "Polly" Farmer in 1956.

That year, despite being held to the lowest WAFL score between 1946 and 2002[2] by Perth in torrential rain and genuine darkness at the WACA,[3] the Royals won fourteen of their nineteen games and beat South Fremantle twice in the finals.

During these years East Perth won 246 and drew one of 388 games for a success rate of 63.5 percent: clearly the highest in a competition that – at least during the first half of this period – was extremely even and characterised by very rapid fluctuations in teams' fortunes.

[5] By 1980, the club had made a submission to enter the VFL/AFL, however this was withdrawn, and from 1983 their fortunes declined abruptly: between 1985 and 1995 East Perth won only eighty and draw one of 235 games for a success rate of 34.26%.

[9] It repeated the dose emphatically in 2001, holding South Fremantle to 0.3 (3) after half time, and yet again in 2002, but fell off steadily in the following four seasons to win only six games in 2005.

The 2010 season of home and away matches ended on a high for the Royals, as they defeated minor premiers Clarement in a tense and physical round 23 encounter.

A week later East Perth met Swan Districts at Bassendean Oval for the chance to meet the top of the table Claremont in the Grand Final.

Swan Districts then went on to win the 2010 WAFL Premiership defeating Claremont in one of the great Grand Finals by 1 point at Subiaco Oval 8 days later.

Recent games have become even more bitter with the transfer of players Travis Knights, Caine Hayes and Paul Ridley to Subiaco under controversial circumstances.

Sandover Medallists: (19 total) 1923: William 'Digger' Thomas, 1925: George 'Staunch' Owens (1925), 1929: Billy Thomas, 1950: Frank Allen, 1956: Graham Farmer, 1957: Graham Farmer, 1958: Ted Kilmurray, 1960: Graham Farmer, 1969: Malcolm Brown, 1975: Alan Quartermaine, 1976: Peter Spencer, 1978: Phil Kelly, 1979: Phil Kelly, 1983: John Ironmonger, 1984: Peter Spencer, 1988: David Bain, 1997: Brady Anderson, 2001: Ryan Turnbull, 2023: Hamish Brayshaw Simpson Medallists: (7 total) 1958: Ned Bull, 1959: Graham Farmer, 1972: Ken McAullay, 1978: Ian Miller, 2000: Dean Cox, 2001: Ryan Turnbull, 2002: Ryan Turnbull Bernie Naylor Medallists: (10 total) 1909: Sam Sloss (30), 1924: Bonny Campbell (67), 1926: Bonny Campbell (89), 1927: Bonny Campbell (87), 1944: Alan Watts (101), 1958: William Mose (115), 1959: Neil Hawke (114), 1967: Phil Tierney (119), 1990: Glen Bartlett (69), 2006: Troy Wilson (74), 2013: Josh Smith (62) All Australians: 1956, 1958 & 1961: Graham Farmer, 1966: Kevin Murray, 1966: Keith Doncon, 1972: Mal Brown, 1972: Ken McAullay, 1979: Barry Cable[12] Tassie Medallists: (3 total) 1937: Mick Cronin, 1956: Graham Farmer, 1972: Ken McAullay JJ Leonard Medallists: (1 total) 2014: Brian Dawson The F.D.

In the competitions first year, 2011, the Royals defeated North Ballarat and NT Thunder to reach the semi-final losing to eventual premiers Williamstown.

East Perth were big 50 point winners over Norwood in the quarter-final but once again fell in the semi-final to VFL side Williamstown who once again went on to win the title.