Great Southern talent on show in grand finals

There will be a significant Great Southern flavour when Claremont’s two grand final teams roll out at Optus Stadium for the WAFL grand finals on Sunday.

Claremont reserves will be hot favourites after losing one game all year and advancing straight through to the grand final after downing West Perth, a side that featured eight Great Southern players, by 77 points in their semifinal a fortnight ago.

In the reserves, Bailey Bennett (Railways), Jesse Lauire (Denmark-Walpole), Tom Balwin (Royals), Tyron Smallwood (Royals, Boxwood Hill, Albany), Lewis Davis (Borden), Addison Dew (North Albany), Corey Hitchcock (North Albany) and Jordan Reid (Mt Barker) all played in the semifinal win.

The Tigers colts will tackle Peel Thunder in their decider, with local quartet Anthony Davis, Jye Clark, Jacob Blight and Ted Batchelor in the selection mix after all played in last week’s 21-point preliminary final win over West Perth.

Borden junior Davis featured in the best players with 17 touches, six marks and two goals.

Railways products Clark (17 disposals) and Blight (one goal), along with North Albany’s Batchelor (11 disposals), all played their part.

At Monday night’s Sandover Medal, Clark was named on the interchange in the WAFL Colts Team of the Year.

Claremont’s league team fell to South Fremantle by 30 points in last Saturday’s preliminary final.

Great Southern products Declan Mountford (North Albany), Matt Palfrey (Railways) and Dylan Smallwood (Albany) all played in the losing affair.