Flat Tigers Face Sudden Death Decider

John Townsend

Claremont can thank Declan Hardisty for staying so close for so long.

The gritty defender produced one of the best displays in his 143 matches for Claremont but his superb shutdown job on a dangerous East Perth forward was not enough to keep the Royals at bay in the qualifying final arm wrestle at Revo Fitness Stadium on Saturday.

The Tigers will host Perth in the sudden death first semifinal this Sunday after one of their flattest performances of the season allowed East Perth to win by 13 points.

Overwhelmed in the midfield by a more ferocious and precise combination, and unable to find a match-winning forward, the 10.6 (76) to 7.11 (53) result was Claremont’s first loss to East Perth at home in eight seasons.

They did not lead at any stage of the contest and while the margin was kept to single figures in each quarter, skill errors, poor decision–making and an inability to connect with the key forwards proved fatal.

East Perth jumped quickly with the first two goals before Jye Bolton struck from long range to get Claremont underway.

Ruckman Ollie Eastland shaded his giant opponent Scott Jones but the East Perth on-ballers, including Sandover medallist Hamish Brayshaw, WA captain Christian Ameduri and Zac Raykos found more time and space to operate than their highly-credentialled Claremont opponents.

Ben Elliott played a lone hand in the early stages, and his goal late in the opening term, followed by Zac Mainwaring’s conversion of a free for a strong tackle on Ameduri, squared the scores.

Hardisty had kept Tom Medhat to just one hand-ball by that stage and he maintained that pressure all day with the Royal restricted to six touches and no score. And Hardisty has not won more than 13 possessions since his 100th match two years ago.

Medhat and Sebit Kuek were East Perth’s leading goal-scorers this season but Hardisty, and Jasper Peace, did excellent jobs in keeping both players off the scoreboard.

A similar pattern played out in Claremont’s attacking zone with Kieran Gowdie, who converted three long set shots from limited opportunities, the only forward to provide an effective target.

Jaiden Hunter hurled himself into packs but could not impose himself and his day ended early when he crashed heavily to ground in a marking attempt. His concussion diagnosis means he is unavailable for selection until the grand final.

Claremont dominated most of the second term, locking the ball in their forward line and repelling East Perth whenever they got within scoring range.

Their eagerness to take risks to use the corridor was a notable feature of their best football of the match.

But the Tigers could not convert their chances with six consecutive behinds, half of them from marks inside 50, leaving them vulnerable to a counter-attack.

Ameduri broke the deadlock with a running goal but Elliott immediately replied to make the deficit only one point at half-time.

East Perth played the game on their terms in the third quarter, nearly doubling Claremont’s possession count and claiming 27 uncontested marks to just 12 as they controlled the tempo of the contest.

Gowdie’s twin goals ensured the margin remained within reach but no player had more than Hardisty’s four possession as the momentum ebbed away from the home team.

Claremont coach Ash Prescott urged his players to play “moment by moment” in the last quarter.

Captain Dec Mountford responded with a blistering attack on the football that galvanised Callan England and other players to lift their rating but the output in endeavour was not complemented by increased efficiency.

Ameduri stretched the lead to 20 points early in the last quarter and while Claremont had their moments in the final 20 minutes, they could not grasp enough momentum to challenge the visiting team.

CLAREMONT 3.2 4.8 6.9 7.11 53

EAST PERTH 4.1 5.3 8.4 10.6 66

GOALS – CLAREMONT: Gowdie 3; Elliott 2; Bolton, Mainwaring.

EAST PERTH: Hille, Burgiel, Ameduri 2; van Diemen, Brayshaw, Scott, Peak.

BEST – CLAREMONT: Hardisty, Elliott, England, Peace, Mainwaring, Baldwin.

EAST PERTH: Brayshaw, Ameduri, Raykos, Willcocks, Watts, Scott.