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Claremont dominate Grand Final to win 14th colts premiershipSunday, September 27, 2015 - 11:32 AM - by Chris Pike
CLAREMONT'S standing as the best WAFL team in the REDiMED Colts has been further enhanced with the Tigers claiming their 14th premiership of the past 40 years with a 69-point grand final victory over Swan Districts at Domain Stadium.
Claremont had never made a grand final in the colts until 1976, but that started a run of four straight premierships, and since then the Tigers have now won 14 in total and only missed the finals on four occasions with three of those flags coming in the last seven years.
There was the added motivation entering this Sunday's grand final with the Tigers having lost last year's premiership decider to Swan Districts, and then both teams have been going neck and neck throughout this season.
Claremont ended up narrowly claiming the minor premiership and beat Swan Districts in the second semi-final to move straight into the grand final, while Swans had to win into the decider the hard way having played three finals with the Tigers having a week's rest either side of the second semi.
Claremont's team featured Tom Gajewski, Sam Petrevski-Seton, Bailey Rogers and Eddie Simpson from the team that lost last year's grand final against Swan Districts with the black-and-whites line-up still including premiership players Chad Daniels, Ben Gillard, Levi Ridley, John Shaw, Jarrod Shorter, Dylan Smith and Jake Taylor setting up a rematch both sides were excited for.
However, Claremont showed its standing as the best colts team of the season in the grand final by kicking the first three goals, and then the opening eight goals of the second half to end up winning 14.17 (101) to 4.8 (32).
Swan Districts didn’t kick a goal after the seven-minute mark of the second quarter until a second before the final siren.
Tom Gajewski received the Mel Whinnen Medal after being adjudged best afield after having 16 possessions and one goal for Claremont.
Declan Mountford was outstanding as well with 25 possessions, eight tackles, five inside 50s and two goals while Ryan Murphy picked up 23 disposals for Claremont, Bailey Rogers 21, Sam Petrevski-Seton 20, Matt Guelfi 19 (12 tackles), Bailey Banfield 19, Russell Wynne 18 and Jacob Sideris 18.
Jake Waterman also did well kicking three goals, Eddie Simpson two and Regan Smith two.
Brayden Hackett put in a big effort for Swan Districts finishing with 25 possessions while Brad Lynch collected 21 disposals, John Grimson 17 and Josh Cipro 17. Dylan Smith kicked two goals.
Claremont got off to a flying start in the grand final fresh off the break having won the second semi-final, and the Tigers were desperate to make up for last year's losing grand final.
Claremont kicked the first three goals of the game courtesy of Simpson, Regan Smith and Murphy, and in the opening 12 minutes it was a total domination by the Tigers with Swan Districts managing just five kicks and five handpasses in total in that time.
Swans eventually steadied and got on the board through Dylan Smith at the 15-minute mark, but Claremont ended up with the last goal of the opening quarter to Waterman to hold a 23-point advantage at quarter-time.
The black-and-whites started the second quarter strongly with an early goal again to Dylan Smith and then another to Chad Daniels at the seven-minute mark saw the reigning premiers right back in the contest trailing by 10 points.
That would be as they would get, though, with the Tiers kicking the last two goals of the first half firstly to Mountford and then Regan Smith with his second and the minor premiers were in control leading by 24 points at the main break.
It was a real arm-wrestle for most of the third quarter and it took 22 minutes for the first goal, but when that came to Claremont as Waterman nailed his second of the grand final, Swan Districts was really starting to lose touch.
Sideris then also nailed a goal just before three quarter-time for Claremont to stretch the lead to 37 points, and then that was out to 43 to start the final term with the sealer from Mountford as he nailed his second major of the day.
It then became a procession for Claremont with goals to Guelfi, Wilson, Waterman, Simpson and Gajewski as the lead grew out to 75 points before it ended up at 69 points with a late Swan Districts goal to Tim Yorkshire.
CLAREMONT 4.6 6.10 8.14 14.17 (101)
SWAN DISTRICTS 1.1 3.4 3.7 4.8 (32)
CLAREMONT – Goals: Waterman 3; R Smith, Simpson, Mountford 2; Sideris, Guelfi, Gajewski, Wilson, Murphy.
Best: Mountford, Guelfi, Gajewski, Rogers, Waterman, Sideris, Wynne.
SWAN DISTRICTS – Goals: D Smith 2; Yorkshire, Daniels.
Best: Hackett, Lynch, Grimson, Logue, Cipro.
MEL WHINNEN MEDAL – Tom Gajewski (Claremont)
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