2007… The last year the WCC Senior Boys Football Team made it to the CIS Football Cup Final, an incredible feat considering the cutthroat nature of this statewide competition. However, our predecessors fell short at the final hurdle losing the Cup to Newington College. . . Would WCC ever reach these heights again or perhaps exceed them? 

2022… Wednesday, 30th March. After a first-round win gifted by forfeit, several postponements due to rain, and a venue change to Bernie Mullane, the William Clarke boys in blue were more than ready for their first CIS Cup match in over a year. However, this was going to be no easy task. Mr Sen’s Men were facing previous CIS Cup finalists SEDA College: a sports-dedicated school, who had won their first fixture by a whopping 12 goals against WCC’s local rivals Pacific Hills. It was certainly a David vs Goliath match. . . 

Although not playing at their beloved “Morris Groval” (Grove Oval), a crowd of Year 12 students replicated the home-match atmosphere at Bernie Mullane. This was more than a team – this was an army, ready for war. Preceding the start of the match, WCC huddled in a strong, united fashion, whilst SEDA stood separated, impatiently waiting for the match to begin.  

Not long after, the referee blew his whistle to commence 90 minutes of intense, end-to-end football. Josh led an unstoppable WCC backline, with Luke keeping every SEDA attacker in his back pocket, and fullbacks Daniel and Liam dominating the wings, winning every duel there was to be won. And for the rare occasion where the defense was broken through, goalkeeper Joel made sure they didn’t go any further, demonstrating world-class composure and cat-like reflexes to stop every attempt at goal from SEDA. The centre of the field held a heated midfield battle, with Hugh, Jazz and Luka relentlessly working hard to win challenges and play their way forward. Joel and Liam made life difficult for the SEDA defense with darting forward runs and venomous strikes on goal, complimented by the flair and trickery of Aaron who even scored near the end of the half, but was ruled offside.  

SEDA certainly showed their talent throughout the half, but ultimately, the hard work, heart and desire of William Clarke was unmatched. Although there were no goals to separate the two sides in the first half, William Clarke had certainly rattled their opposition, who perhaps underestimated the strength of WCC’s resolve. 

Inspiring words from WCC coach and elite tactician Mr Sen fired up the boys for the second half. Coming out with the eye of the tiger, they were working twice as hard, winning duel after duel, dominating every inch of the field. SEDA constantly found themselves in their own back-third, running out of options. 15 minutes into the half, a misplaced SEDA goal kick was capitalised by WCC captain Luka, who won the ball near the box. His first touch perfectly split the remaining SEDA defenders, setting himself up for the best chance of the game. With ice-cold composure, Luka slotted the ball into the bottom corner, and every WCC student and teacher erupted in celebration of the decisive goal. William Clarke : 1, SEDA : 0.  

But the job was not done yet – there was still much of the game to be played. Mr Sen’s Men knew that they had to defend for their lives, and this would require covering all bases of their defensive half. However, such a task is physically demanding, and cramps began to detriment the legs of the WCC players. 

Coming off the bench, Zach’s superb first touch and vision brought a new level of class to the midfield, complimented by Jackson, who won header after header, and darted past defenders with speed. At a crucial stage of the match, Archie stepped up and composed the tempo with reliable and trustworthy plays, and Eren showed what it truly means to play for the badge, winning every battle there was to be won and even making a double slide tackle. 

Tension began to heat up in the closing minutes of the game. Each school had their sights on victory, but there could only be one winner. SEDA pushed and pushed but heroic saves from WCC goalkeeper Joel kept them at bay. . . 

Finally, the referee blew the final whistle.  The boys in blue played with their hearts on their sleeve, and left absolutely everything on the pitch – literally, Luka even vomited in the centre circle as soon as the whistle sounded. Whilst SEDA were 11 footballers, William Clarke was a united team. They won their individual battles, took their chances, and most of all – they wanted to win more. As the great Sean Dyche once said, “I love the relentless nature of a side that never gives up”. 

Setting their sights on the next game against GPS School St. Ignatius College Riverview, the William Clarke Senior Boys Football Team will be aiming to repeat this masterclass of a performance. With 3 games to go until the final, the boys will be dreaming of following in the footsteps of that ‘07 team, and perhaps one-upping them, earning them the title ‘The Golden Generation’.  

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