Claremont captain Declan Mountford insists his side’s push for finals will rely heavily on an exciting crop of young players, which includes Great Southern talent emerging at Tigerland.

The former West Coast and North Melbourne midfielder whose family resides on a farm in Manypeaks, appeared in Albany last month for the triumphant return of the Albany Sportsperson of the Year awards.

He and partner Nina Kennedy, an Olympic pole vaulter, made the journey south to attend Albany’s sporting night of nights and to share their wisdom and career journeys at the Great Southern Sports Forum held at Retravision Stadium on February 16.

The 27-year-old believes his side boasts promising youth who will be necessary in their push for finals in the upcoming 2024 WAFL season.

“We’ve been pretty strong the last few years and we’ve definitely lost a few senior heads around the place over the last few years,” he said.

“But there’s a lot of young talent coming through who are going to leave a bit of a mark this year.

“Bailey Banfield just came up from the colts — Drew Banfield’s son so bit of a famous name.

“Another famous one is Zac Mainwaring, who got a bit of a taste of league football last year.

“Anthony Davis is a local boy from Borden, he sort of showed what he can do last year and he’s looking bigger and better and faster this year so super excited to watch him this year.”

The Tigers have qualified for finals every year since 2018, but are yet to savour the taste of ultimate success including decider heartbreaks in 2020 and 2022.

“100 per cent we want to be playing finals and I guess that’s why everyone keeps coming back and doing what we do,” Mountford said.

“We’ve been pretty close the last few years where we sort of lost two in the last four but everyone’s still super hungry and pushing for a flag.”

Mountford endured an injury-ravaged 2023 season managing just 12 games and did not feature in the Tigers’ finals series after suffering a hamstring setback in round 19 on a comeback from a rib injury.

“My body is feeling really good. I sort of had my injury troubles last year but I’ve managed to get myself on the park this pre-season,” the Tigers skipper said.

“So it’s obviously a bit of a long one that seems to drag out year on year but my body’s feeling fit and healthy and ready for the year.”