Ferocious Tigers find formula for finals success

John Townsend

Normal service has resumed.

Claremont have qualified for the preliminary final after producing their most desperate and tenacious performance of the season to overcome a Perth team fuelled with enormous public goodwill. Only three weeks after giving up a nine-goal first term to the Demons, Claremont kept the same team scoreless in the first quarter of the gruelling first semifinal at Revo Fitness Stadium on Sunday. And the ferocious start foreshadowed a four-quarter effort that delivered a 39-point victory and identified the blueprint for success over the remaining finals.

Tested sternly at various times during the tough encounter on a slippery surface, Claremont’s 12.10 (82) to 6.7 (43) result ensured coach Ashley Prescott extended to nine seasons his remarkable record of winning finals every year at the Tigers. Prescott had an excellent day in the coaching box with a masterstroke in the permanent move of champion midfielder Jye Bolton to defence in a bid to generate faster ball movement from the backline.

Mitch Barron, Ben Elliott and the returning Bailey Banfield were strong contributors in the midfield while Bolton’s impact with ball in hand was substantial. The 33-year-old veteran was also swamped by his appreciative team-mates after a desperate lunge on the goal-line against overwhelming numbers forced a behind to sap Perth’s momentum just before half-time. The spirit and self-belief in the team were evident from that small sample.

Bolton and the other senior members of the Claremont team, including fellow Sandover medallists Bailey Rogers and Callan England, dynamic ruckman Ollie Eastland and spearhead Alec Waterman who kicked four vital goals in his best game since the 2020 finals campaign, set a clear standard for their team-mates. Waterman kicked the only goal of the first term but then landed three either side of three-quarter time as he ensured the scoreboard reflected the commitment and endeavour of his team-mates. The left-footer was also required to plug a gap in defence for an extended period when the three key defenders – Declan Hardisty, Jasper Peace and Max Minear – were off the ground simultaneously to have head knocks assessed and repaired.

Each defender returned to action with Peace completing a superb shutdown job on Perth full-forward Aaron Clarke while Minear blanketed Blake Schlensog until the big Demon was forced out of the game with a calf tear. Clarke had a remarkable match three weeks ago with five first-term goals but Peace had his measure this time, denying the Demon a touch until midway through the second quarter and limiting his influence for the rest of the contest.

Rogers was the most prolific player on the field, earning 27 possessions and twice kicking goals at important moments. And he nearly landed the goal of the season when his 40m soccer kick from midair alongside the boundary struck the base of the goalpost. Rogers was on target a few minutes later with a long left-foot bomb from heavy traffic that completed a five-goal second term and helped give Claremont a 25-point lead at the long break.

The Demons challenged strongly early in the second half and sliced the deficit to just 12 points as Schlensog and Clarke took their chances to allow the boisterous crowd to give voice to their Perth hopes. But Claremont resisted with all their might, Waterman negated the Perth pair with twin strikes of his own and the Tigers turned for home with a strong breeze at their backs and a 27-point lead on the board.

The intensity did not drop in the final term but Waterman soon extended the lead after claiming a strong mark within range while the energetic Talon Delacey, who had 15 disposals at 100% efficiency to complement his vigorous attack on the football, eventually guaranteed the result from a holding-the-ball free and 50m penalty.

The challenge will not get any easier against East Perth at Sullivan Logistics Stadium this Sunday but the formula for the preliminary final is simple – replicate the intensity of the first semifinal and the Tigers have every chance of progressing.

CLAREMONT 1.3 6.5 8.8 12.10 82
PERTH 0.0 2.4 4.5 6.7 43

GOALS – CLAREMONT: Waterman 4; Rogers, Delacey, Luscombe 2; Mountford, Mainwaring.
PERTH: Clarke 2; Schlensog, Parfitt, Johnston, Paton.

BEST – CLAREMONT: Waterman, Rogers, Peace, Eastland, Bolton, England, Alvarez.
PERTH: Byrne, Scoble, Taylor, Parfitt, Philip.