Simply Energy Preliminary Final Colts WrapSunday, September 15, 2019 - 1:12 PM - by Chris Pike

CLAREMONT has long been the powerhouse of the WAFL Colts competition and the Tigers are into another Grand Final in 2019 booking their place against Peel Thunder with a preliminary final win against West Perth.

Claremont and West Perth did battle in the preliminary final at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Sunday morning and even though they had to come from behind, the Tigers ended up beating the Falcons 9.12 (66) to 6.9 (45).

The win sees Claremont advance to next Sunday's Grand Final against Peel Thunder at Optus Stadium in what shapes as a tremendous decider for the 2019 colts premiership.

Claremont's last premiership in the colts came in 2016 with the Tigers a remarkably consistently high-performing team in the competition which now continues with the Grand Final appearance in 2019.

The Tigers won back-to-back flags in 2015 and 2016 on top of also winning the 2013 premiership in a run of playing in four successive Grand Finals and then again making it last year in a loss to East Fremantle. 

Going back further, Claremont will be playing in its 17th Grand Final next Sunday since 1976. The Tigers had never reached a Grand Final in the colts until 1976, but that sparked a run of four consecutive premierships with Claremont having only missed the finals five times in that period.

Claremont will come up against a Peel team in the Grand Final who has been the standout team in 2019 in the colts and who went straight through following a win against Claremont in last Sunday's second semi-final.

Peel will be attempting to win their third premiership in the colts to go with the flags of 2004 and 2005.

Claremont and West Perth had met in the first week of the colts finals series with the Tigers beating the Falcons by five points.

From that, Claremont took on Peel in last Sunday's second semi-final with the Thunder prevailing by 34 points to move into the Grand Final while the Tigers had the double chance to move into the preliminary final.

West Perth booked its spot in the preliminary final with a 33-point win against East Perth in the first semi-final.

And then on Sunday at a sunny Fremantle Community Bank Oval for the preliminary final, West Perth started impressively with five scoring shots to two and kicking two goals to one to head into quarter-time with an eight-point advantage.

Claremont then managed to kick three goals in the second term but West Perth managed two more themselves and that was enough for the Falcons to still hold a two-point edge by half-time.

Things remained tight in the third quarter but Claremont did assume the lead kicking two goals to one and that saw the Tigers six points to the good by three quarter-time.

Claremont then control the last quarter kicking three goals to just one from West Perth to end up winning 9.12 (66) to 6.9 (45) and advance to next Sunday's Grand Final against Peel Thunder at Optus Stadium.

Kade Lines and Anthony Davis kicked two goals apiece for Claremont with Davis also finishing with 17 possessions and six marks.

Jack Cooley finished with 21 possessions for the Tigers while Louis Passera gathered 21 disposals, Ronin O'Connor 17, Jye Clark 17, Charlie Malone 14 and Max Spyvee 14.

Ewan Brazier was the only multiple goalkicker for West Perth kicking two from seven kicks while also laying seven tackles.

Tyron Hindmarsh put together an impressive display for the Falcons gathering 31 possessions while Callum Johnson picked up 27 disposals, Koopah Todd 25, Ben Johnson 21 and Tom Menaglio while Zak Patterson had nine touches, six tackles and 36 hit outs in the ruck.
 

SIMPLY ENERGY WAFL COLTS PRELIMINARY FINAL

CLAREMONT        1.1    4.3    6.7    9.12    (66)
WEST PERTH        2.3    4.5    5.7    6.9    (45)

CLAREMONT – Goals: Lines, Davis 2; Anderson, Buller, Blight, Malone, Spyvee.
Best: Davis, Cooley, Passera, O'Connor, Lines, Spyvee, Malone, Clark.
WEST PERTH – Goals: Brazier 2; C Johnson, Menaglio, Todd, Rewell.
Best: C Johnson, Hindmarsh, Todd, Menaglio, Patterson, B Johnson, Ryan.