{xtypo_dropcap}T{/xtypo_dropcap}he 1964 grand final not only provided one of the biggest upsets and gripping last quarters in the annals of  WAFL finals  football, but was a fairy tale climax to a career of excellence from one of Western Australian football’s most admired players.  Even disappointed East Fremantle supporters wouldn’t have begrudged Kevin Clune his moment of glory in his two hundredth game.

It was only in the first semi final of that year, after scraping into the four with a win in the last qualifying match, that Clune had his first taste of WANFL finals football , against Subiaco.  To add to the drama, he had left Claremont to play for Northam Towns the previous season, with the advent of the astute Jimmy Conway as  coach luring him back to the fold. 

Yet Kevin Clune would not have imagined it would be so hard to taste finals success when he first ventured onto the league football stage.

At the age of sixteen he was a part of wheatbelt town Carnamah’s 1951 premiership, and two years later won the country club’s fairest and best award. It was during his National Service stint that he was invited  down to Claremont Oval and was chosen to replace the retired Sandover Medallist Gordon “Sonny” Maffina at centre for the first game of the 1954 season against East Perth, where he lined up against Tommy Everett.

So began the football career of one of the most tenacious and tough centremen to play the game in Western Australia. By his own admission, Clune was not over endowed with pace. But it was his ballgetting ability, coupled with a relentless and hard at it style of play that made him one of the best competitors of his day, and not only was he a Claremont crowd favourite but a respected player among other team’s supporters.

In a rare show of bi partisanship by a South Fremantle crowd in a tight game, he was applauded solidly one day when he gained possession of the ball in a back pocket and ran the length of Fremantle Oval to kick an inspirational goal. It was a typical  Clune effort, and one that has stuck in the memory of this football supporter ever since.

Kevin Clune won two fairest and best awards for the Tigers, the most significant of those being in the premiership year, 1964. He captained the side in 1958 and 1960, and would surely be selected in any Claremont Team of the Century side. The hard bodywork he did over his career finally took it’s toll, and he was so hampered by injury in 1965 that when he broke down again midway through the following season he decided to hang up the boots.

Clune had no hesitation in naming Ray Sorrell of East Fremantle as his hardest opponent, with an honorary mention to Subiaco’s Peter Amaranti. “You had to play Sorrell really close,” Kevin said. “ Give him space and he’d kill you.” Another tough in and under player in Les Mumme got the nod for best he’d played with.

After retirement, Clune’s services were in demand at several clubs. He was reserves coach at Swan Districts with John Todd for four years, a position he also held at Perth for two seasons, returning to Claremont in 1976 to coach the Tigers reserves to their first ever premiership. Earlier this season(2009), Kevin Clune presented the Guernseys to the Claremont Colts.     

Like a lot of country players of the past, Clune had to travel to and from Perth each weekend, and for many it wasn’t always as straight forward as today’s football follower might imagine.  At one stage, Kevin and his brother, Colin, decided to go halves in an FJ Holden from the now long gone Sydney Atkinson Motors. Kevin would drive the car the 191 miles from Carnamah to Perth each Saturday then do the return trip on Sunday.

Kevin related: “One weekend Colin needed the car, so I said,”that’s ok, I’ll get a lift.”  There was no trouble getting a ride down to Perth, but it wasn’t so simple going back. Having playing a typically tough four quarters of footy, I decided to thumb it after getting a lift to Midland on the Saturday night.  After being fortunate enough to arrive at Moora with five minutes to go before the pubs shut at 9 pm, my luck ran out.”

 “I legged it for two hours in the dead of night , and anyone who has been in that part of the world at night will know how apprehensive you can feel with the whitegums and salmon gums standing eerily in the night and the ghostly noises of the bark flapping adding to the scenario.” 

“I was at the point of exhaustion when a car came along and drew to a halt. The driver opened the door. “Look mate,” was the greeting, “ I really don’t want to pick you up. I don’t want company and I’ve got a loaded .22 rifle in the back.”  I’d had enough, so I jumped in anyway.”

“He dropped me off at Carnamah, I walked the few miles home, then jumped on the tractor at six am.”

These days, Kevin Clune likes to attend Claremont games as often as possible, and is a Fremantle Docker supporter, going to their home games when he can. He feels that the handball is way overdone in today’s AFL football. “It’s getting to be like rugby,” he joked.

Kevin Clune is enjoying life back in the country air with his wife, Jean,  although it’s south of Perth on the coast rather than the midwest, and enjoys keeping fit by walking or weights, plays tennis, and has travelled the country twice. The Clunes  have raised five children, but only one, Paul, tried to carry on the Clune name in football, but was cut down early with injury while playing at Subiaco.

A good gauge of a sportsman’s ability is the respect he holds among his peers and competitors, and, if the feedback from the stars of the fifties and sixties interviewed for “Memory Lane” is any indication, Kevin Clune was one of the best.

“The Carnamah Kid”, “Tiger”, “Mr Claremont”, whatever you like to call him, Kevin Clune remains one of the most revered players ever to pull on a football boot at Claremont Oval.