The annual pre-season camp in Geraldton is a highlight of the East Fremantle Colts program. Arriving on Friday, the boys were straight off the bus and into a clinic at Railways Football Club with 70 eager boys and girls. The session was full of smiles, high-fives, big speccies and some harder than expected bumps on the bags, which knocked a couple of our players around! Even better for the kids, they each got to take home a footy.

Following the clinic, the Midwest Academy of Sport players and the Midwest Colts Country Week side joined us for training. It was a great opportunity for the groups to connect. We then made our way upstairs for dinner kindly put on by the great hosts at Railways, where we were also welcomed by GNFL President Grant Russell.

Saturday morning saw us head out to Rovers Football Club for our scratch match against the Midwest side. We played six periods, allowing our 50-man squad to gain valuable match fitness. The Midwest showed great passages of play and individual brilliance to really take it up to us. The speed of the game was frenetic, which was felt by our umpire/coaches, Harry (12km) and Liam (190 HR!).

Saturday afternoon was spent cooling off at the beach, playing basketball and soccer at Nagle Catholic College, before heading back to the camp school for more games. Weary heads boarded the bus early on Sunday morning for the trip back to Perth.

The camp has grown year on year, and we were pleased to see a strong community turnout across both days. Saturday’s game was lined with cars, kids were having a kick during the breaks and the cheering for the local boys was loud and clear. It created a fantastic atmosphere. Both the GNFL and East Fremantle are already planning how to make it bigger and better next year.

A huge thank you to everyone who made this camp possible – our coaches, staff, and the Geraldton community for their outstanding hospitality.

A big thank you to:
Liam Clarkson
Harry Taylor
Grant Russell
Gerard Marquis
Casey Tours
Railways Football Club
Rovers Football Club
Nagle Catholic College