Claremont Football Club
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| Full name | Claremont Football Club |
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| Nickname | Tigers |
| Strip | Navy Blue Guernsey with a Gold CFC monogram |
| Founded | 1921 |
| Sport | Australian rules football |
| League | West Australian Football League |
| First season | 1926 |
| Ground | Claremont Oval, Claremont |
| Club song | Tigerland |
| President/Chair | Ken Venables |
| Coach | Roger Kerr |
| Captain | Anthony Jones |
| 2007 | 2nd of 9 |
The Claremont Football Club is an Australian rules football club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). It is nicknamed the "Tigers", and its official colours are navy blue and gold.
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[edit] History
It was formed as the amateur Cottesloe Beach Football Club in 1906, and joined the peak amateur competition, the Western Australian Football Association the following year. The club dominated the WAFA from the outset, winning premierships from 1907-1910, and in 1908 it beat WAFL club Subiaco in a challenge match.
Applications by the club to join the WAFL were rejected for many years. In 1919, the Cottesloe Beach club merged with a consortium from Claremont which was also attempting to gain entry to the WAFL and had no contracted players, but claimed to have secured use of the Claremont Showgrounds, as a home ground. In 1921, the club was admitted to the WAFL "B" Grade competition, as Claremont-Cottesloe, using the same blue and gold colours as the local swimming club. It was finally admitted to the senior league in 1926.
The inaugural captain-coach was former South Fremantle and Richmond player Norm McIntosh, who was the only player with senior experience. McIntosh's young squad could only win one game in their first season.
In 1927, the club moved to Claremont Oval, where it has been the club's home ground, with the exception of 1945 and 1946, where, due to the grandstand burning down in 1944, and the condition of the playing surface, the club shared with Subiaco Oval with the Subiaco Football Club.
Between 1926 and 1935 Claremont won just 40 and drew 2 of 183 games for an overall success rate of 22.4%. The nearest they came to qualifying for the finals was in 1929 when, with 8 wins and 10 defeats, they finished just 4 points plus percentage behind 4th placed Subiaco. Even when Swan Districts was admitted to the competition in 1934 Claremont-Cottesloe continued to underachieve, ending up with the wooden spoon for the 7th time in 9 seasons.
In 1935 the club officially dropped 'Cottesloe' from its name, becoming simply 'Claremont', and with the return of George Moloney in 1936 following his five seasons with Geelong Football Club in Australian football's 'big league' the VFL Claremont enjoyed its best WANFL season to date, winning 12 and losing 8 of its home and away matches to qualify for the finals in 2nd place. A 5 point 2nd semi final defeat of minor premier East Fremantle Football Club then earned Claremont premiership favouritism, a state of affairs which intensified still further when it was learned that their grand final opponents would not be Old Easts, but the Royals (East Perth Football Club), which had finished the minor round in 4th place, but had surprisingly overturned East Fremantle in the preliminary final by a solitary point. The 1936 WANFL grand final attracted 20,874 spectators to Subiaco Oval, who witnessed East Perth reaching a 11.5 (71) to 9.6 (60) victory.
Claremont again finished runners-up a year later after raising hopes, first by finishing the home and away rounds with a 13-5-1 record to qualify for the finals as minor premiers, and then by overcoming East Fremantle in the 2nd semi final by 14 points. However, when the stakes were raised a fortnight later against the same opponent Claremont was found lacking, eventually going under by 10 points.
In 1938 the club replaced coach Dick Lawn with Johnny Leonard, a former Sandover Medallist, who had already coached successfully at Ballarat, Geelong and West Perth. The club qualified for the finals in 2nd place and scored a 2nd semi final victory over East Fremantle, winning, 17.19 (121) to 13.18 (96). The grand final, again against East Fremantle however resulted in a draw, only the second time in WA(N)FL history. In the subsequent grand final replay Claremont won by 22 points, 14.17 (111) to 11.13 (79), breaking their premiership drought. 1939 although the club lost the 2nd semi final against East Perth it won the preliminary final against East Perth saw the club win its second premiership, 10.17 (77) to 11.5 (71). In the grand final re-match with East Fremantle, Claremont went on to win 14.11 (95) to 11.10 (76) obtaining its second premiership.
1940 saw Claremont again reach the finals, losing the 2nd semi final against the South Fremantle Football Club before the club prevailed against East Fremantle in the preliminary final. In the grand final Claremont went on to beat South Fremantle obtaining their third premiership. Due to the war making greater and greater inroads into clubs' playing resources (between 1942 and 1944 the WANFL operated on a limited, under age only basis) Claremont's best finish was 4th place in 1941.
Between 1953 and 1963 Claremont never finished higher than 6th, never won more games in a season than it lost, and finished last on three occasions.
In 1964 after claiming the wooden spoon in 1962 and 1963 Claremont appointed a complete outsider as coach, former East Fremantle rover Jim Conway. At the end of the season Claremont scraped into the finals in 4th place. The club went on to beat Subaico in the 1st semi final, which was then followed by a win against the Demons (Perth Football Club) in the preliminary final, with Claremont winning 14.18 (102) to 15.8 (98) against East Fremantle in the grand final and securing the club's fourth premiership.
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[edit] 2007 season
Claremont ended the season strongly, claiming the minor premiership, but lost to Subiaco in the WAFL Grand Final on 23 September 2007. Coach Ashley Prescott left the club at the end of the season to take up an assistant coaching role with Essendon. Prescott's replacement is former assistant coach, Roger Kerr, who has been given a two year contract.[1] Claremont also won the 2007 Rodriquez Shield (the team which has the best League, Reserves and Colts record combined).[2]
[edit] 2008 season
Claremont's 2008 campaign kicked off on 22 March against West Perth at Claremont Oval, which Claremont won by 14 points. [3] It was Roger Kerr's first game in charge of the club. He took the reins of the club, following the loss of experienced players such as Daniel Bandy (retired), Rowan Jones (retired), Luke Toia (retired), as well as Mitch Morton (Richmond) and Cale Morton (Melbourne). Other less notable losses include Luke Dwyer (retired), Darren Harper (retired), Aaron Jarvis (retired), Trent Martin (East Perth), Tim Nelli (East Fremantle), Tom Matson (overseas) and Rory Walton (overseas).
[edit] Club Song
Tigerland is the official club song of the Claremont Football Club.
[edit] Lyrics
- Oh! We're from Tigerland
- A fighting fury, we're from Tigerland
- In any weather you will see us with a grin
- Risking head and skin
- If we're behind then never mind
- We'll fight and fight and win
- For we're from Tigerland
- We never weaken 'til the final siren's gone
- Like the Tigers of old, were strong and we're bold
- For we're the Tigers, the old gold and blues
- We're from Tigerland
[edit] Achievements
WAFL Premierships': 10; 1938-40, 1964, 1981, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996
Sandover Medalists: 1932: Keith Hough, 1933-34: Sammy Clarke, 1936: George Moloney, 1949: Gordon Maffina, 1967: John Parkinson, 1984: Michael Mitchell/Steve Malaxos, 2005: Jaxon Crabb, 2007: Anthony Jones
All Australians: 1966 & 1969: John McIntosh, 1979 & 1980: Ken Hunter, 1986: Steve Malaxos, 1986; 1985 & 1986: Michael Mitchell
AFL Draftees: 64 (not including rookies)
League Top Goalkickers: 1940: George Moloney (129), 1943: R. Farmer (97), 1976: N. Uncle (91), 1981: Warren Ralph (127), 1982: Warren Ralph (115), 1983: Warren Ralph (128), 1991: J. Hutton (100), 2001: Paul Medhurst (78)
Highest Score: 39.20 (254) vs. Perth at Claremont Oval in round 17 1981
Most Games: 1979 to 1995: Darrell Panizza (274)
Record home attendance: 18,268; May 7, 1983; v. South Fremantle.
[edit] Current squad
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ WA Football. http://www.wafootball.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&Itemid=19&task=view&id=952
- ^ Bouncedown (2008). "Official Guide to the 2008 Season", pg. 71.
- ^ FootyGoss. http://www.footygoss.com/main/club_news/claremont/view/tigers_demons_notch_up_wafl_wins/
[edit] External links
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