Golden Boot Gowdie Slots Seven

By Ken Casellas

Burly Kieran Gowdie stole the show at East Fremantle Oval on Saturday when he dominated the reserves scratch match against East Fremantle with a masterclass of strong marking and accurate kicking.

He took a dozen marks and booted seven goals, with his only blemish a slightly off-line shot which resulted in a behind late in the first quarter.

But Gowdie was upstaged in the opening moments of the second quarter when 19-year-old Jaezari Wynne soared skywards to take a spectacular high mark on the grandstand wing.

This was followed by a deft short pass by Sam Alvarez to full-forward Gowdie, who was pushed in the back and was awarded a free-kick for his third major. Gowdie also performed strongly when used in short bursts as a ruckman, and he and Alvarez were among the many stars in Claremont’s overwhelming 126-point victory over the desultory Sharks.

Unfortunately, neither Gowdie nor Alvarez will be able to play for the Tigers in either the league or reserves matches against Peel Thunder at Rushton Park next Saturday. They were suspended for one match when found guilty of indiscretions in the league first semi-final against Peel in Mandurah last September.

Vice-captain Bailey Rogers is recovering from an Achilles problem and will miss the match against Peel, and other players unavailable for this contest include Ben Clarke, Steve Miller, Kalin Lane and Aiden Hall.

Star forward Alec Waterman has recovered from an ankle injury which prevented him from playing in Claremont’s past two practice matches, and he will be ready to resume against Peel. Speedster Joel Western also is fit after a hamstring problem had sidelined him from the pre-season matches until he shone in last Saturday reserves scratch match against East Fremantle.

Tyron Smallwood maintained his outstanding form in practice matches with a superb performance in last Saturday’s reserves contest against the Sharks. Playing as a forward and on the ball, Smallwood scored five goals, and, as usual, was under notice with his strong tackling.

Claremont won the reserves scratch match against East Fremantle, 23.14 (152) to 4.2 (26), a massive margin of 126 points. This followed big wins over Swan Districts and Subiaco, scoring 23.12 (150) to the Swans score of 5.2 (32), and beating Subiaco, 20.18 (138) to 8.1 (49).

The reserves team, coached by Kepler Bradley, has scored 66.44 to the 17.5 by the opposition teams. The league team has won its three practice matches, beating Swans by 17 points, Subiaco by 24 points and East Fremantle by 29 points.

Once again, small forward Jack Musika excelled in the league practice game against the Sharks. His snapped goal after swooping on the ball at a stoppage late in the second quarter was a gem, and his precise passing and his spirited tacking were hallmarks of his all-round performance.