After a very competitive first half, the Claremont Colts have finished strongly to claim a 76pt victory over the Kimberley Spirit in the annual KRSP Cup held this past weekend in Broome.

The KRSP Cup sees the Claremont Colts side travel to the Kimberley to experience a weekend in the region visiting communities, meeting the locals and playing a match against the Kimberley Spirit.

The Spirit consists of talented young developing footballers from across the Kimberley region who come together in Broome over 3 days to complete various football, career and life skills educational sessions before meeting Claremont on the field in an exhibition match.

Many of these players have aspirations of joining the WAFL Talent Pathway and joining Claremont in coming years as players before them have done such as recent AFL Draftees Francis Watson (WCE) and Sam Petrevski-Seton (CARL).

The KRSP Cup gives these developing Kimberley players an opportunity to play against high quality opposition and meet potential future team mates as well as giving the Claremont players an opportunity to see where our Kimberley zoned players are from and how they play in their own backyard.

The first quarter was very competitive with both sides displaying great competitive passages as they looked to win the contested ball and get the upper hand early. Claremont went into break having capitalised on multiple opportunities, leading the Spirit 4.4.28 to 1.1.7

The second quarter saw the Spirit adjust to the flow of the game and play with great flair, taking the opportunity to move the ball quickly and hit the score board. Claremont wouldn’t go away though and as the teams headed to the half time break with the margin still at 21 points, Claremont 7.7.49 Spirit 4.4.28.

The third quarter saw Claremont flex their muscle and play to their strengths, moving the ball with precision and converting opportunities in front of goal. The Spirit worked hard to stem the flow but could not as Claremont scored 6 goals to nothing finishing the 3^rd quarter leading by 58 points.

Both sides were focussed on finishing the game strong and putting in big 4^th quarter efforts and they did not disappoint. Claremont continued to play to their strengths and the Spirit went back to playing the way they did in the 2^nd when they matched the Claremont side.

When the final siren blew on a very entertaining match the final scoreboard read Claremont 20.8.128, Spirit 8.4.52 as Claremont finished 76-point victors. Although the game finished with an 11+ goal margin, the Spirit can hold their heads high with the way they played which was much more competitive than the scoreboard suggests.

Post-match saw the two sides come together for presentations and dinner where coaches, staff and players from each side sat together to discuss the game and learn a little more about where they came from and the inside details of each squad.

Garnduwa CEO Mick Albert conducted presentations where Claremont Coach Ross McQueen presented the Spirit’s Cain Shaw with and award on behalf of Claremont for his performance and Spirit Coach and Coordinator Shaun Norman presented Claremont’s Lewis Daisley with an award from the Spirit for his efforts during the game.

Mick then presented Ross with the KRSP Cup and Claremont’s Brock Wardwith the Keifer Yu Medal, a medal which honours Claremont’s Keifer Yu as one of the most successful Kimberley players to represent the Claremont Football Club, to the player judged Best on Ground.

The KRSP Cup weekend was a great success for both sides with the Claremont Colts having the chance to experience life in the Kimberley and meet some of the players who are aiming to join the club in the coming years and the Spirit being exposed to life skill that will assist their potential relocation to Perth in the coming years and see the brand of football that comes with the next level.

A huge thank you must go to KRSP for their ongoing support of the endeavour which would not be possible without them, the Garnduwa staff who facilitated everything from a Kimberley perspective, the Claremont FC staff who were fantastic over the weekend, and the Claremont and Spirit players who carried themselves with high distinction over the weekend and represented their squads and regions very well.

We all hope that this concept continues to be a feature of the Claremont Football Club’s player development pathway calendar for years to come.