Jacob Van Rooyen, Jaxon Hayden, Joel Western, Cameron Anderson, Liam Henry, Jack Buller, Ronin O'Connor, Callum Jamieson

The WA State Academy has made its initial selections for the State 16s & 18s Squads with 8 Tigers currently making the cut and a number of players still in the mix as the squad is finalized over the next month.

The Claremont Football Club would like to congratulate the following players who will now compete in a string of trial matches leading into the National Championships throughout June/July.

WA State 16s: Jacob VAN ROOYEN | Jaxon HAYDEN
WA State 18s: Liam HENRY | Jack BULLER | Joel WESTERN | Callum JAMIESON | Ronin O’CONNOR | Cameron ANDERSON

When asked to comment about the two 16s inclusions in Jacob Van Rooyen and Jaxon Hayden, Claremont Futures Coach Tom Curren said that he was “really happy to see the two (Futures) boys given the opportunity to represent themselves and the club at State Level”.

“Both are obviously talented players, but more importantly both have been a pleasure to coach and are more than deserving of this opportunity”.

“Jaxon is the sort of player who will do whatever he can to contribute and help the team win. Whenever he is given a role, you know that he will give you 100% effort and get the job done which highlights his selfless nature”.

When speaking about Van Rooyen, he said “the most frustrating thing for me when coaching Jacob is that you are left wishing you had 2-3 more of him out on the field. He is a developing tall player who has great athletic traits which allow him to play anywhere on the ground and shows the ability to influence the game no matter what the circumstances”.

The Claremont Colts Squad continues to provide a great platform for talented players to develop and continue their journey through the WA Talent Pathway. 9 players were selected from the CFC Squad to travel to Adelaide for the WA State 18s Academy Selection Camp with the 6 successful players being selected at the conclusion of that weekend.

Claremont Talent Manager Warren Parker said, “we have always been blessed with a large number of talented players from our Metro, Kimberley and Great Southern Zones coming into our Colts Squads over the years. To see a number of this year’s crop now in line to represent WA in the National U/18s Championships is extremely pleasing. It’s a credit to the players and also the coaches who are doing a great job”.

“As always, with selections come non-selections and we are mindful of the players within our squad who have aspirations to play higher levels of football that have missed out on this opportunity. Our focus quickly turns to supporting those players and working with them to ensure that they are playing their best football over the coming months”.

“Yes, it’s disappointing, but you only need to look back 18 months to Wil Powell and his story of missing the WA State 18s but going on to be selected in the Top 20 of the AFL Draft later that season. Anything is possible if you have the right mindset”.

When speaking about the selected players, he noted that “each of them bring something unique to the table and we are excited to see how far they can take their football”.

“Liam Henry is an exciting prospect from Derby in the Kimberley region who is schooling at Christ Church Grammar School and has been very impressive throughout the beginning of this season. He is skillful, smart, knows where the goals are and more importantly, knows who to kick them”.

“Fellow CCGS graduate Jack Buller has a lot of upside as a key position player who can play through the ruck position. He is mobile, aggressive around the ball, has a good set of hands and reads the ball well in the air”.

“Callum Jamieson is a developing ruckman who came through North Beach JFC. He is skillful and athletic for his size, has a great set of hands along with great character traits which is very important at this footy club”.

“Ronin O’Connor played majority of the season with the Marist JFC last season and really impressed us at Colts level during the back end of last season. He has backed that up and has had a great preseason. He is a 191cm inside midfielder who not only shows the ability to win the contested football but kicks the ball well and with penetration”.

“Joel Western is a bottom aged player at just 17 who has played with the Western Tigers JFC for the last few years and has been great for us since coming into the team after the 16s National Championships last season. Has elite speed which he uses to his advantage during matches and shows the ability to play forward or through the inside and outside midfield roles”.

“And finally, Cameron Anderson who is in Year 12 at Wesley College and played with the Wembley Downs JFC has shown a lot of ability as a rebounding defender or wingman at Colts level this season. He is quick, evasive, clever and loves to run and carry the ball while looking for scoring opportunities”.

The Claremont Football Club would like to congratulate these players and wish them all the best of luck throughout the 16s and 18s National Championships set to begin in June.