Warrior Eastland Monsters East Fremantle

John Townsend

Ashley Prescott described Ollie Eastland as an “absolute warrior” after Claremont’s primary ruckman monstered East Fremantle to set up the Tigers’ first win of the season.

The coach’s praise was understandable.

Eastland was on track for the extraordinary triple of 50 hit outs, 30 disposals and 10 tackles until putting his feet up in the dying stages of Claremont’s 80-point victory at Revo Fitness Stadium on Saturday.

He finished with 45, 26 and eight in one of the most accomplished performances of a career that brought his club’s fairest-and-best medal last year and regular WA selection as the WAFL’s pre-eminent ruckman.

A week after Claremont started the season with a draw against reigning premier Peel when they couldn’t execute well enough late in the match, there would be no issue with failing to capitalise on opportunities created.

Playing in the same fashion that marked the most recent meeting of the two teams, the elimination final at Claremont last year, the Tigers paired efficiency and intensity to win 17.15 (117) to 6.1 (37).

It was the biggest win over the Sharks in nearly a decade as Claremont delivered in all divisions and all facets of the game.

The starting point was Eastland’s impact in the ruck.

Harking the advice of his former mentor Percy Johnson, the big left-footer has set himself to gather 20 possessions a match this season but it was his control of the aerial contests against premiership ruckman Reuben McGuire that enabled Claremont to repeatedly sweep forward to get the ball into scoring positions.

Second-gamer Jaiden Hunter (four goals) and Kieran Gowdie (four goals and 20 hits-outs), who returned after serving a one-match suspension from last year, were the main beneficiaries.

The two talls are the prime targets in the remade forward line but the company of a fleet of hard-tackling ground-level players, the mercurial Alec Waterman and the increased forward 50 presence of evergreen Jye Bolton, make it a potent attacking force.

Zac Mainwaring landed three majors, including a bomb from outside the 50m line in the second term, Mitch Barron and Jack Musika converted after getting into dangerous positions and Jack Lewsey added his second club goal in 94 appearances after becoming the last link in a running chain from deep in defence to the scoring zone.

A third of the 1981 premiership team were present to watch an end-to-end goal reminiscent of that golden era.

One of the best passages of the day came early in the second term when Eastland’s pin-point flick from a forward 50 ball-up went directly to Waterman whose running goal extended the lead to an imposing 30 points.

The precision of that teamwork in attack was matched by the ferocity of the defensive efforts, including Declan Hardisty’s desperate goal-square tackle on Jed Hagan late in the first quarter that stymied East Fremantle’s surge just as the Sharks had started to get momentum for the first time in the match.

Hardisty oversees an impressive defensive unit that includes the rebounding power of Lewsey and Anthony Davis, as well as cool-headed newcomers Jasper Peace and Austin van der Struyf.

And it was without WA defender Lachlan Martinis who was squeezed out to make way for the returning Sam Alvarez.

Claremont produced five-goal bursts to start and finish the match as they made the most of their chances but they also stood up while being tested in between.

East Fremantle mounted strong campaigns for extended periods in the second and third quarters but while they were able to add consecutive goals both times, the Claremont resistance did not falter and the home team was able to produce the last scores in both terms.

The challenges don’t get any easier for Claremont, with unbeaten East Perth awaiting on Friday night, but the imminent return of Sandover medallist Bailey Rogers and the balanced four-quarter performance against an aspiring finals team augers well for the season.

CLAREMONT 5.1 10.6 11.9 17.15 117

EAST FREMANTLE 1.0 3.1 5.1 6.1 37

GOALS – CLAREMONT: Hunter, Gowdie 4; Mainwaring 3; Lewsey, Waterman, Bolton, Delacey, Barron, Musika.

EAST FREMANTLE: Murdock, J Marsh, Leggett, Ball, Cleaver, Bailey.

BEST – CLAREMONT: Eastland, Gowdie, Mountford, Mainwaring, Bolton, Davis, Minear, Delacey.

EAST FREMANTLE: Murdock, H Marsh, Cleaver, Baskerville