SFL: How Claremont is refusing to give in despite 2024 battles

After two games and two 200+ points defeats, Claremont have a percentage of just 2.07. Yet as JAMES BRESNEHAN discovers, the club has clear leadership to help return to the top.

Claremont is looking to re-establish the glory days.

It’s a proud club experiencing the “down” part of the dreaded footy cycle that comes for all clubs.

Claremont has traditionally been a football powerhouse of the northern suburbs, a feeder club for another legendary northern suburbs club Glenorchy, funnelling champion players to state league Magpies over the years — stars like Roland Curley, Danny Ling, Johnny Moles and Scott Lamont.

But for the past few years Claremont has struck hard times and president Dennis Bird and his team are working hard to turn that around.

The Magpies were held scoreless last weekend when Huonville Lions went on a goal-spree, kicking 54.25 (349) in their match at Huonville Oval.

A week earlier, Claremont was beaten by Sorell to the tune of 218 points.

It should be a call to arms for the football community to get behind the mighty Magpies.

“We’re not kidding ourselves. We know it is going to be a tough year,” Bird said.

“It’s a matter of retaining our players, doing the right thing by them, and we can improve over the next few years.”

Despite being mauled by the Lions, Claremont’s 22 players walked away with their heads held high.

“We got a flogging but our players got nothing but praise from the Huonville president,” Bird said.

“He said the way they played out the whole game right to the end, and the way they conducted themselves after the game, it was a credit to them and the cub.

“That’s the way we want to be looked at, a club that is respected.

“We got a flogging against Sorell as well, so we’ve just got to keep the kids positive, take the positives, not dwell on the negatives too much, and take away the small things that worked.”

Former coach Kim Excel and Nathan Brown celebrate a premiership. Picture: KIM EISZELE

SFL boss David O’Byrne said the league was keeping a close eye on the situation.

“It was a very tough day at the office for Claremont on the weekend, with some high player turn over the last few years, they came up against a very strong Huonville Lions club with a big point to prove this year,” he said.

“It was not that long ago that Claremont were dishing out punishment to others.

“Claremont are a proud club, and with hard work and commitment they will improve, the wheel turns in footy and reward for effort is always there.

“We are in regular contact with the club and have, and will continue to offer, all the help they need to get back on their feet and once again be in the hunt for finals and flags.”

When they were coached by one of the northern suburbs favourite sons, footy mastermind Kim Excell, it’s easy to forget that on its way to winning the Southern Football League premiership in 2015, Claremont belted Huonville by 123 points in round two and 101 points in round 11.

That season Claremont also hammered current reigning premier Cygnet by 181 points and 245 points in their two meetings that season, as well as Sorell (114 points), Hobart (121 points, and 177 points), Brighton (128 points), East Coast (152 points) and Dodges Ferry (103 points).

David Hunt took over from Excell in 2016 and coached Claremont to consecutive premiership.

Now Huonville and Cygnet are on top of the footy cycle, and Claremont is at the bottom.

Jye Bearman in action for Claremont last season. Picture: Chris Kidd

“The club had never won a flag in the SFL since it joined in 1996,” Excell said.

“We changed the culture and got the club on the right path and back to the success that we’d had in the previous amateur competitions.

“That was our objective and fortunately we were able to achieve it, and go further by winning three grand finals [senior, reserves, Colts] that weekend.

“It was a fantastic year all round and every single person at the club worked so hard to get that outstanding result.”

Excell, who played in a Claremont under-19s premiership “a thousand years ago” with Roland Curley and Danny Ling before they all went on to become senior premiership players at Glenorchy, credits the talent of the northern suburbs for making Claremont formidable.

“The northern suburbs is a proud working class area that traditionally has produced a lot of football talent,” he said.

“It’s disappointing to see the club in the situation it is at the moment, but clubs do have cycles and Claremont has been going through its cycle a little bit longer.

“We’ve got to give them some time and some space and some support as best we can and hopefully the club can get through this period.”

Claremont lost almost a complete senior team from last year — 10 alone to Old Scholars Club, St Virgils — Bird said and that left the Magpies a young team to represent it at the top level.

“Most of our senior team is our Colts [under-18s] of last year,” Bird said.

“We’ve only got four or five players above 20-years-old, the rest of them are under that.

“Losing so many players is sad but it is what it is, and we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and move on.”

Craig Bennett. PICTURE: MATT THOMPSON

Claremont also boasts the SFL’s longest-serving player, Craig Bennett, who has passed the 400-game milestone and is still playing.

Bird was a medical trainer at Glenorchy for many years before he joined Claremont in 2017.

He is the club’s president, head trainer, sometimes barman, and full-time troubleshooter.

“I do everything – whatever needs to be done, you do,” he said.

“There are a lot of people trying to get the club back on its feet.

“Unfortunately, we’ve lost our under-16 players for the past two years. They’ve all be taken down to Glenorchy and the biggest problem with that is the parents also go and they are our future committee and volunteers.

“We are struggling on all fronts, but the people here are working bloody hard and are good at what they do.”

Financially, Claremont is in a strong position.

“It’s just that on the field we’re not,” Bird said.

“If we can keep the kids together [current senior team] for two or three years, we’ll be back up where we should be.

“We’re a very proud club.”

Bryce Kaye has been an important part in the club's rebuild.

Brad Davies is leading the charge for Claremont this season.

Former Devils VFL coach and Tassie Mariners coach Mathew Armstrong, now AFL Tasmania’s talent pathways manager in the south, took the Claremont squad for training a few weeks ago.

It was an uplifting experience for the youngsters.

“He was impressed with the kids,” Bird said.

“He said they’ve obviously got a long way to go but they were eager to listen and learn.

“We’ll be a different side in the second part of the season, and there are some players who want to come back to the club.

“The wheel turns, we’ve just got to wait our turn.”