Eastland inspiration ensures record comeback

by John Townsend

Forget Lazarus with a triple bypass.

This was Lazarus with a heart transplant, full blood transfusion and miracle cure rolled into one.

Ollie Eastland was the miracle medic as he produced the single most important act of his splendid career to help Claremont make the biggest comeback in WAFL history and secure a home qualifying final.

Down a record 50 points at quarter-time to a Perth team that channelled the 1980s with rapid and precise ball movement to a fast-leading full-forward, the Tigers erased the deficit by early in the third term at Mineral Resources Park on Saturday.

But the Demons were still alive late in the game and coming hard when Eastland dashed into attack and took a powerful contested mark about 50m from goal.

The ice-cool ruckman then drilled his long-range set shot to close the gate on the home team.

Eastland added an almost identical goal a moment or two later before Claremont guaranteed second placewith the 13.8 (86) to 11.7 (73) win.

It means they will host East Perth at Revo Fitness Stadium on the last weekend of the month, a week after taking on the same team in a dead rubber when players can be managed or rested to prepare for the finals.

No WAFL team in the league’s 140-year history has ever overcome a bigger first-term deficit after Claremont gave up nine goals with spearhead Aaron Clarke kicking five from marks inside 50.

East Fremantle equalled that 50-point mark against South Fremantle in 1941 while there may be an omen in Claremont’s previous biggest comeback from 47 points against Perth in the 1940 premiership season.

The frenetic opening was set up by rookie Perth ruckman Tristan Jacques who got the better of Eastland and gave quality midfielders Brandan Parfitt and Corey Byrne a clear path into attack.

Clarke was the major beneficiary with five goals but Perth’s defensive pressure was also first-class.

The Demons had 84 to 54 disposals in the first term, laid 20 tackles to nine and entered the forward 50 21 times to four.

Jye Bolton was the only Claremont player to touch the ball more than five times in the first term but was suffocated every time he approached it.

Coach Ashley Prescott was highly animated at the break but may have emphasised to his charges that the opening blitzkrieg had happened so quickly that considerable time remained for a turnaround. So it proved.

Dec Hardisty replaced Jasper Peace on Clarke and took him out of the game, Zac Mainwaring was moved into the midfield where his verve and energy provided an immediate spark and Bailey Banfield did a superb job to close down one of the Sandover Medal favourites in Charlie Constable.

But Eastland played the biggest role in the momentum shift.

Stung by his four-game opponent’s start, the big left-footer responded with a dynamic term that produced 10 hit outs and 10 disposals and helped his team-mates generate a remarkable change in the contest.

Talon Delacey hauled in a contested mark close to goals to get the scoring underway, the lively Jack Musika pounced on a ground ball then Jaiden Hunter imposed himself to ensure the scoreboard reflected the changing tide.

Hunter landed a set shot from the boundary, followed it with a conversion from a powerful mark then impressive aerialist Rory Luscombe, in his third game, landed his first major when he converted a spectacular goal-square mark.

When Mainwaring snapped accurately, and Bolton launched a 50m bomb from heavy traffic, Claremont were within touching distance.

Perth were kept to just one behind in the second quarter, and two in the third, as the prospect of an extraordinary comeback moved from hope to expectation.

Kieren Gowdie squared the ledger early in the second half to reward Mainwaring’s hard-running from defence before Delacey galloped through the corridor and kicked truly to give the Tigers the lead only 35 minutes after they trailed by 50 points.

It was a grind for the rest of the term, and much of the last, before Eastland’s twin strikes ensured Claremont wrote a new chapter in WAFL history and provided breathing room before the finals campaign.

CLAREMONT 1.1 8.3 10.8 13.8 86

PERTH 9.3 9.4 9.6 11.7 73

GOALS – CLAREMONT: Hunter 3; Delacey, Eastland 2; Bolton, Gowdie, Musika, Mainwaring, Banfield, Luscombe.

PERTH: Clarke 6; Wills, Byrne, Johnston, Davis, Paton.

BEST – CLAREMONT: Eastland, Banfield, Mainwaring, England, Bolton, Hunter, Hardisty, Musika.

PERTH: Parfitt, Clarke, Cachard, Byrne, Jacques, Constable.