Claremont Football Club returns to Albany with WAFLW premiership coach Jack Schwarze for junior masterclass

More than 80 passionate young Great Southern footballers braved the wet and windy conditions at Retravision Stadium on Wednesday for Claremont Football Club’s school holiday masterclass clinic. The annual masterclass, organised by Claremont and featuring colts coach Ricki Smith and WAFLW premiership coach Jack Schwarze, aims to uphold the club’s ties to the Great Southern region and strengthen relationships with emerging talent in their catchment zone. Former Fremantle and Essendon key forward and Claremont football operations manager Kepler Bradley also attended the clinic to help with running drills and games. Fresh off his second WAFLW premiership at the weekend, Schwarze said the clinic was crucial for the club’s rural involvement and nurturing the talent in the region. “We have done our masterclass every year. . . with Year 5 to 9 and ultimately, it’s just making sure that we come down and provide to the region,” Schwarze said. “So it’s a little bit more than just a holiday clinic. We do skill development, game-sense drills, stoppage work, some forward entry, defensive exits and then we’ll do some little education around some game plan, and then we play games.” Former Great Southern Football League Women’s stars Laura Cinanni and Taylah Orzel played in Tigers’ premiership victory over East Fremantle on Sunday, highlighting the club’s strong regional connection according to Schwarze. “It’s super important, and it’s why we want to keep doing what we’re doing down here, and engaging with this area because there’s so much good footy down here . . . and we want to make sure that we’re seen as a visible pathway,” the 34 year-old said. “Especially in the girls, they didn’t know what the pathway was, it was really unclear. So just being here and having our colours and seeing us down at least gives them an idea of, ‘oh, that’s what Perth is like, and I can move up’.” “It’s really important for the likes of Taylah and Laura, but also the boys to come up as well.” After coaching in each of the last three grand finals with the Tigers and tasting success in two, a thrilled Schwarze said he had to “pinch himself”. “It’s awesome, It’s a great feeling,” he said. “I went through 28 years of my life before I managed to get to my first grand final, and I lost that. “Now I’ve had three in three years and won two of them, so definitely pinch myself at how lucky I am. “Seeing what the girls put in over off-season, throughout the pre-season, what they sacrifice and what they have to sort of go through, it’s just rewarding for them.”