Elliot Excels in Tagging Role

By Ken Casellas

There is no doubting the ability of the 2025 Sandover medallist Charlie Constable, but the determination of Ben Elliott to restrict the activities of the Perth midfielder played a significant role in Claremont’s 52-point victory at Lathlain Park on Saturday.

Constable was lively in the opening quarter with two marks, seven kicks and four handpasses before Elliott shone in his tagging role and kept his opponent relatively quiet for the next three quarters during which Constable took one mark and had eight kicks and four handpasses.

And apart from his defensive task, the left-footed Elliott was a productive and creative midfielder who finished with five marks, eleven kicks, 13 handpasses, six tackles and two inside 50s.

Claremont began in fine style, with goals to Zac Mainwaring and Dec Mountford in the opening five minutes, followed by goals from Kieran Gowdie, Max Spyvee and Sam van Rooyen in the next 11 minutes.

A left-foot kick forward from Bailey Rogers was marked by Gowdie, who shot truly from 40m out; Alec Waterman took a mark and played on with a handpass to Spyvee for the next major, and everything was falling into place for the Tigers with the powerful Gowdie leaping to soccer the ball in mid-air, and it fortuitously fell into the arms of Spyvee, whose pass was marked in the goalsquare by van Rooyen for another goal to give the Tigers the lead, 5.1 to 0.1.

Perth replied with their first goal 26 minutes into the quarter when full-forward Aaron Clarke received a free-kick for interference 15m out. And then the Demons caught the Tigers on the hop when they scored goals from Clarke, Lochlan Paton and Riley Wills in the space of eight minutes early in the second term to level the scores at 5.2 apiece.

However, Perth’s joy was short-lived and Claremont added 12.7 to 3.9 for the remainder of the contest.

Claremont for the second week in a row had 12 individual goalscorers, with van Rooyen showing the way with three. Waterman continues to provide an excellent influence in attack, and he was rewarded with a free-kick for his vigorous tackle on Matthew Taylor which resulted in Claremont’s eighth goal late in the second term.

Mainwaring is enjoying his time as a midfielder, and his appetite for hard work was exemplified in the middle of the third quarter when he applied fierce tackles on Wills and Phil Baxter in the space of ten seconds.

He finished the contest with seven marks, 15 kicks and seven handpasses. His tally of seven inside 50s was bettered only by Rogers, with eight among his total of 31 disposals.

The Claremont side remains unbeaten after six matches, during which first-year defender Samson Jennings-Hopkins continues to gain confidence and impresses with his cool play under pressure.

He was under notice half-way through the third quarter when he read the play expertly and marked a Perth kick out of defence and delivered an excellent pass which was marked by van Rooyen.

Moments later his deft handpass to ruckman Ollie Eastland set up an attacking move involving Waterman, whose shot at goal registered a behind. Soon after that the tireless Talon Delacey took a fine mark at left-half-forward and scored a goal from a few metres outside the 50m arc.

Unfortunately, Jennings-Hopkins suffered an injury to his right knee which kept him out of action in the final quarter. An errant knee to Gowdie’s sternum also forced him to the sidelines in the last quarter. Earlier, in the reserves match outstanding Claremont midfielder Ronin O’Connor suffered a serious injury to his left shoulder 22 minutes into the first quarter.

Details of the league match:

Claremont 17.9 (111) beat Perth 8.11 (59)

Scorers—CLAREMONT: S. van Rooyen 3.0; B. Rogers 2.1; J. Hunter, J. Musika 2.0; T. Delacey 1.4; Z. Mainwaring 1.2; A. Waterman 1.1; B. Elliott, D. Mountford, K. Gowdie, T. Headland, M. Spyvee 1.0; 1pt forced. PERTH: A. Clarke 3.1; C. Byrne, L. Paton 1.1; J. Edwards, J. Kluske, R. Wills 1.0; N. Cachard 0.3; A. Davis 0.2; S. Clark, K. Johnston, B. Parfitt 0.1.

Best—CLAREMONT: B. Elliott, Z. Mainwaring, B. Rogers, T. Delacey, S. Jennings-Hopkins, A. Pearce, S. van Rooyen, A. Davis, S. Alvarez, O. Eastland. PERTH: C. Byrne, A. Davis, R. Wills, M. Taylor, W. Tilbee, C. Dean, C. Constable, B. Parfitt, E. Scoble.