Dominant East Kimberley strut their stuff in front of WAFL scouts at Kimberley Colts Football Championship

Football players from around the Kimberley were last week given the chance to strut their stuff in-front of top WAFL recruiters as part of the 2021 Kimberley Colts Football Championship. Organised by the Claremont Tigers in partnership with Garnduwa, the competition involved players from across the three Kimberley football leagues descending on Broome Recreation and Aquatic Centre in representative teams and battle it out to see who’s best. East Kimberley, buoyed by brother of Claremont WAFL player Jahmal Stretch, Treyvon Stretch, emerged victorious after demolishing Central Kimberley 64-14 and West Kimberley 70-12. West Kimberley managed to finish in second place after besting Central Kimberley 49-11, with Mason Sear the stand-out man for Wests. Jerrick Paddoon received the award for most valuable player of the tournament, while Jac Coltman was named the rising star. Rohan Watts, originally from Alice Springs but currently at Yiramalay/Wesley Studio School, was the most valuable player from the Central Kimberley. Claremont Football Club talent manager Jordan Smith said the speed, excitement and enthusiasm that all the boys played with was a highlight. “After what’s been a tough period for football in the Kimberley and across Australia in recent times, it was great to see the carnival able to go ahead this year thanks to the tireless work of many staff and volunteers,” he said. “The carnival is an important event on the calendar for us as it provides a great opportunity to see the most talented players from all over the Kimberley region in the same place at the same time, which allows us to identify some suitable candidates for future opportunities in the talent pathway moving forward. “We currently have over a dozen Kimberley boys down in Perth with our Colts Program at Claremont, and the carnival is a critical step in the pathway for the next batch of boys to hopefully one day be able to come down and have a crack at WAFL Football with Claremont.”