GSFL 2023: Tigers bid for historic three-peat hits bump with young key forward Clay Michael out for season

Railways have lost a second key forward to a serious knee injury — this time Clay Michael — adding a further twist to their bid to win three straight league premierships. Michael went down with a knee injury while playing for the Great Southern Storm at the recent Great Southern Colts Carnival, where he kicked seven goals in two games. Scans have revealed the talented teen, who has played two WAFL colts games for Claremont this season, will miss the rest of 2023. The Tigers lost dual Kleemann medallist and powerful midfielder-forward Matt Palfrey after winning back-to-back Great Southern Football League premierships last year. Palfrey made the switch back to the WAFL and was training with East Perth when he went down with an ACL injury. The loss of a second key forward will be a significant test for the reigning premiers in the back half of the year. Michael had kicked 16 goals in just six league games this season, including a bag of five against Mt Barker in round two. The promising left-footer made his league debut in 2021, and played 10 senior games last year, booting 23 majors. He kicked two goals in the Tigers’ grand final triumph over Albany. Palfrey was a joint winner of the Great Southern Football League’s fairest and best honour in 2022 after a dominant season. The former Claremont forward booted 61 goals in the Tigers’ premiership campaign, four of those on grand final day. Tigers coach Mark Bayliss said they wrapped their arms around the 17-year-old after the tough news and admitted the loss of another big forward was a tough pill to swallow. “Clay has done a knee, which is gutting for such a talented young player,” Bayliss said. “We have two key forwards out for the year, which is hard to take. “But we’ve got Zak (Hortin) and Shep (Kane Shephard) and a few other blokes that can play roles up there. “We are lucky we have got a few blokes we can throw around a bit and play them in various positons.” Kane Shephard and Joel Want, both Kleemann Medal winners, have played mostly forward this season. Want is second on the league’s goal kicking standings with 28 majors, and Shephard has only played six matches but is averaging two goals per game. Veterans Zak Hortin and Haydn Sproxton played important roles in the attacking half for the Tigers in their victory over the Sharks on Saturday. Bayliss also confirmed mid-season recruit Ray Daniels wouldn’t return for this week’s clash with bottom side Denmark-Walpole. Daniels, who made his first appearance in the GSFL in round seven, is expected to play the final round of fixtures after the general bye for the Country Football Championships. Defender Mitch Green (hamstring) and ruckman Josh Duffield (finger) are also set to play after the bye and Bayliss said the club was confident Claremont senior player Bailey Bennett would return for the final couple of games. The Tigers have conceded however it is unlikely speedster Henrick Alforque, who is with Swan Districts, will play any more games in their title defence. After their impressive win over the Sharks, the Tigers are on top of the ladder ahead of their home clash with the Magpies on Saturday. The club is chasing an elusive league three-peat, having never won three straight premierships in their long history. Michael’s injury is big blow for the Storm as well, ahead of next week’s big test in the colts division of the Country Football Championships in Perth.