CLAREMONT has secured its sixth WAFL Colts Grand Final berth in seven years after knocking off East Fremantle in Sunday’s prelim at Leederville Oval. In what was a low-scoring affair impacted by sheeting rain, the Tigers were resolute in defence and mounted a clearance advantage of 46-29.

A heated, scrappy contest saw Claremont kick four of the five goals between quarter time and the opening minute of term four. It helped set up an unassailable 27-point advantage, with the final margin sitting at 15 points after the Sharks doubled their goal tally in the closing 20 minutes.

The stacked Tigers side will go on to face minor premiers South Fremantle in the final match of the season, slated for Sunday afternoon at Optus Stadium. A win would see Claremont clinch its third consecutive Colts premiership, having dominated the competition in recent history.

EAST FREMANTLE 1.0 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 4.5 (29)
CLAREMONT 2.1 | 4.2 | 5.6 | 6.8 (44)

GOALS:
East Fremantle: K. Ormerod 2, K. Wilson, B. Wood
Claremont: S. Jennings-Hopkins 2, C. Cossom, C. Curtin, V. Davies, S. Gallagher

BEST:
East Fremantle: R. Evans, J. Artemis, T. Grylls, K. Summerell, J. Nathan
Claremont: H. Mellody, B. van Rooyen, J. Hopkyns, M. Hansen-Knarhoi, C. Banfield

GRAND FINAL:
South Fremantle vs. Claremont
Sunday September 21, 2:10pm @ Optus Stadium

EAST FREMANTLE:

#8 James Artemis
Wing | 179cm | 05/03/2009

Stats: 20 disposals, 2 tackles, 2 inside 50s

Playing his ninth Colts game as a 16-year-old, Artemis again proved up to the level and was one of East Fremantle’s best players afield. The wingman operated like an extra rover at stoppages with his ability to fold in on the contest before working into space. While winning clean possession was difficult in the conditions, Artemis was strong over the ball and looked to either use his speed, or link up with teammates to move forward. He’ll be a prime mover for the Sharks in the next two years.

#9 Kaiden Summerell
Midfielder/Defender | 180cm | 05/03/2007

Stats: 18 disposals, 3 marks, 10 tackles

Starting on-ball before shifting into defence, Summerell did much of his work facing forward and helped propel attacks with his unique kicking style. The top-ager wasn’t afraid to go long or inboard, taking risks to put East Fremantle on the front foot. He also popped up with a couple of intercept marks and was willing to get his hands dirty to lay 10 tackles.

#15 Rhama Evans
Midfielder | 180cm | 02/01/2007

Stats: 21 disposals, 2 marks, 6 tackles

Topping the Sharks’ disposal charts alongside Josh Nathan, Evans was clean at the contest and looked to create effective exits. He showed good poise and agility in traffic, able to bide his time on the ball to find the right target and steer clear of would-be tacklers. Evans’ core strength was another asset when doing exactly that, making him difficult to contain.

Others:

Tom Grylls (20 disposals, 15 tackles) and Josh Nathan (21 and six) were both up for the fight, holding their own physically in a tough midfield battle. Over-ager Jye Sander played a key role in shutting down Cody Curtin once again, while also chopping out in the ruck alongside Kye Ormerod. The latter booted two goals to help keep his side in touch, playing with presence.

CLAREMONT:

#5 Joseph Hopkyns
Key Defender | 193cm | 12/09/2006

Stats: 13 disposals, 4 tackles, 3 inside 50s

A real tone-setter down back, Hopkyns was central to Claremont’s robust defensive performance. He spent time on East Fremantle’s bottom-age talls and fared well in one-on-one situations, applying great physicality both in the air and at ground level. He was seldom beaten when the ball entered his area and helped build a high wall to lock it in the Tigers’ front half. Hopkyns also leant on his booming left-foot to deliver long and direct, proving no-fuss in the conditions.

#6 Charlie Banfield
Midfielder | 191cm | 18/07/2007

Stats: 21 disposals, 7 tackles, 2 inside 50s

The scrappy style of play theoretically suited Banfield, though he didn’t have it all his own way on Sunday. The big-bodied midfielder applied himself physically with heavy tackles and looked to break open packs through sheer force. Such method saw him caught in possession on occasion, though he still handled the ball cleanly in close quarters and was able to clear the contest.

#20 Benji van Rooyen
Ruck | 203cm | 17/09/2008

Stats: 17 disposals, 7 tackles, 34 hitouts

The most dominant bigman afield, van Rooyen owned the ruck battle and compounded his impact on the follow-up. He was one-touch despite the conditions, able to pluck the ball cleanly out of the air and feed his midfielders at ground level. The bottom-ager also dropped back to support the defence and was a capable interceptor, while applying tackle pressure to round out what was a balanced performance. At comfortably over 200cm, he’s an exciting talent for next year.

#22 Heath Mellody
Defender | 181cm | 27/07/2008

Stats: 28 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles

A key member of Claremont’s promising bottom-age crop, Mellody was best on ground across half-back. He seemed to mop up everything in the defensive half, proving clean at ground level and productive on the way forward. He even got into good spots to intercept up the ground and made crafty decisions when using the ball. Mellody’s side-step gave him extra space to free up his boot and go long, seemingly doing so on repeat in a ‘brought his own footy’ kind of performance.

#24 George Gale
Wing | 187cm | 06/09/2008

Stats: 15 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles

Gale was once again among Claremont’s most stylish ball users, operating as a mainstay on the wing. He took little time to find the ball and showed great composure in possession, often side-stepping opponents or shrugging tackles before getting the ball off. He swept behind the play nicely and proved capable of intercepting before launching the Tigers into attack.

Others:

Max Hansen-Knarhoi shook off a foot injury in the second term to be one of Claremont’s best, notching 25 disposals, seven tackles and seven inside 50s. Up forward, Samson Jennings-Hopkins was lively with 2.2 from 11 touches, while Harper Banfield brought his usual intensity to post 17 disposals and 11 tackles. Meanwhile, Cody Curtin was held to one goal and went without a mark.