Claremont Football Club
continued its marvellous tradition of producing exciting young talent as the most successful West Australian Football League club in last week’s AFL National Draft.
Four wonderfully talented Claremont teenagers were snapped up in the draft and there is a strong possibility that more youngsters from the club will be chosen in the rookie draft in mid-December.
Picked in the AFL draft were 18-year-olds Nat Fyfe, Gerrick Weedon, Travis Colyer and Nick Winmar (pictured), all of whom shone in Claremont’s 67-point grand final victory over Peel Thunder in the WAFL colts grand final at Subiaco Oval in September.
Fyfe, a strong-marking
forward, was taken at No. 20 by the Fremantle Dockers; Weedon, a powerful
midfielder-forward,
was taken at No. 22 by the West Coast Eagles; Colyer, a
quicksilver rover, went to Essendon as the No. 26 selection; and Winmar, a
smooth-moving and agile utility player, went to St Kilda at pick No. 32.
This meant that, in a remarkable feat, Claremont had four players drafted in the top 32. The only other club with four draftees in the top 32 was the Geelong Falcons.
A total of 13 WA players were chosen in the draft, with Claremont proudly leading the way. Behind the Tigers, each with two drafted players, were Peel Thunder, East Fremantle and East Perth.
Players drafted from Peel
were Anthony Morabito (to Fremantle) and Aaron Black (North
Melbourne). Brad Sheppard (West Coast) and Kane Lucas (Carlton) were East Fremantle’s draftees, while Mitch Duncan (Geelong) and Ben Stratton
(Hawthorn) were chosen from East
Perth.
Other players drafted from WAFL clubs were Lewis Jetta (Swan Districts to Sydney), Joel Houghton (Perth to Fremantle) and Trent Dennis-Lane (Subiaco to Sydney).
Since 1989 when the WAFL clubs were first involved in the national draft, Claremont has clearly shown the way with just under 75 players drafted. This is a massive endorsement of Claremont’s youth policy, the club’s well-organised development squads and the quality of coaches at these junior levels in both the metropolitan and country zones.
The drafting of Weedon takes
the number of Claremont
players from the club’s Kimberley
zone to eight, following the drafting of Carl Peterson, Clint Benjamin, Josh
Hill, Liam Bedford, Warren Benjamin, Alroy Gilligan and Casey Sibasado. The Kimberley was not zoned
to a WAFL club until it was granted to Claremont
in November 2004.
Fyfe, Weedon, Colyer and Winmar were all members of the unbeaten WA under-18 side in the national carnival this year. Colyer, who played school football with Trinity College and was a member of Claremont’s under-age development squads, was chosen in the all-Australian under-18 side this year.
He gave a sample of his class when promoted to play in three league matches with the Tigers late in the 2009 season.
Weedon, who hails from Broome and has come through the Clontarf academy, is extremely hard at the ball, a young man who tackles with ferocious power. He loves kicking goals and also is a highly efficient player in the midfield.
He should develop into a fine player for the Eagles. But before he becomes a regular AFL player, he will be a most welcome acquisition in Claremont’s league side. Also likely to play league football for Claremont is Fyfe as he develops his skills to earn selection in the Dockers side.
Claremont supporters congratulate the four drafted players and wish them every success. Colyer’s development at Essendon, and that of Winmar at St Kilda, will be watched with keen interest.
Fyfe, an outstanding high mark, kicked eight goals for the Claremont colts in a match against East Fremantle in the 2009 season and excelled with six goals in the grand final against Peel. He comes from Lake Grace and attended Aquinas College.
Winmar, smooth as silk, has progressed in fine style with the Claremont colts in the past two seasons. He has shone both as a wingman and as a half-back flanker. He also is a graduate of Claremont’s development squads.
Unlucky not to have been drafted from Claremont is speedy and highly-creative rover Ryan Neates, who capped a wonderful season with a superb best-on-ground display in the colts grand final. He should certainly be snapped up in next month’s AFL rookie draft.
Other Claremont players with prospects of being chosen in the rookie draft include Joel; Coyne, Lewis Broome and Damien Crispin.