Watertight Defence Key to Claremont Success on Soggy Day

John Townsend

A ferocious backline and dominant on-ball division have steered Claremont to a powerful win over Swan Districts that guaranteed a top three finish this season and created the potential to manage key players in the run to the finals.

Swans were kept goalless until time on in the third term at a saturated Revo Fitness Stadium on Saturday as the Tigers produced their second successive 38-point win at home and took their win-loss ratio into the black for the first time in their history.

And after taking 99½ year to limit an opposition to a record low score, the 1.10 (16) Peel produced last week, it appeared that the new mark would only last a week.

It was not to be.

Swans failed to score in the first quarter and gave up the first nine goals of the game but rallied in the last term to kick the final four majors in the 13.6 (84) to 6.10 (46) result.

Claremont had benched dominant ruckman Ollie Eastland by then as the coaching panel cast an eye to the match against Perth next Saturday where victory would ensure a second–place finish, a home qualifying final and the chance to rest players in the final home-and-away game.

Jaiden Hunter may not be one of them as he kicked four goals to edge closer to a maiden Bernie Naylor Medal in his first season at the Tigers.

Hunter has 37 goals this season to trail West Perth’s Tyler Keitel by six but confirmed in his attack on the football, powerful aerial work and clean kicking that he is one of keys to Claremont’s finals hopes.

Claremont’s 12th win this season was founded on Eastland’s impact on the ball, where he had 43 hit outs –and was on track for a career-first half-century until his late sabbatical – and set up most of his team’s 9.2 from stoppages.

It was a reminder of the value of specialist ruckmen that Max Minear, who is in career-best form at centre half-back, went onto the ball in the last term but lowered his colours to Nathan Blakely.

Minear’s impact in defence, where he hauled in several contested intercept marks and set up a series of counter attacks, was complemented by the rest of a backline that has an ideal blend of attacking and negating options.

Jasper Peace did not allow spearhead Leigh Kohlmann to have a disposal until midway through the third quarter, Declan Hardisty has added considerable rebound value to his dogged shut-down work and Tom Baldwin celebrated his 50th appearance with one of the most intense displays of his career.

Baldwin has averaged five tackles a game over the past six rounds, a period that Claremont’s opponents have been kept to just 46 points, and his ferocity has played no small part in his team’s success.

Joel Western was the most spectacular member of the defensive unit.

He had gathered seven possessions seven minutes into the match to help Alec Waterman and Hunter land the goals that foreshadowed the outcome of the contest, while he provided three links in the end-to-end chain that ended in Waterman’s second goal.

Western’s capacity to find space and move the ball at high pace is another sharp weapon in his team’s make-up.

Claremont’s A grade midfielders did as expected by working hard, finding the football numerous times and creating regular scoring opportunities.

Ben Elliott and Callan England relished the heavy conditions to win a game-high 11 possessions, with the reigning Sandover medallist adding nine tackles to his output, while Jye Bolton (26 disposals), Bailey Rogers (24) and Sam Alvarez (18) were consistent and creative players.

Zac Mainwaring also had a run on the ball where he helped with the heavy lifting, laid seven crunchingtackles and won several frees after getting under the skin of his opponents.

CLAREMONT 5.4 7.6 12.6 13.3 84

SWAN DISTRICTS 0.0 0.2 2.5 6.10 46

GOALS – CLAREMONT: Hunter 4; Waterman, Gowdie, Delacey 2; Elliott, Alvarez, Banfield.

SWAN DISTRICTS: Kohlmann, Reidy 2; Chalcraft, Harvey.

BEST – CLAREMONT: Western, Eastland, Peace, Minear, Baldwin, Bolton, Hunter, Hardisty, Alvarez.

SWAN DISTRICTS: Chalcraft, Turner, Watson, Hilton, Blakely, Loftus.