Round 3 League: Complacency strikes Claremont

By Ken Casellas

Just how and why did the Claremont side flounder in the heat at Lathlain Park on Saturday and allow Perth to take charge and pile on 7.3 to a miserable 1.2 in the final 44 minutes of the contest?

In less than an hour all the euphoria of Claremont’s magnificent 76-point victory in the round one fixture against the highly-rated East Perth side dissipated as the Tigers fell away and lost by 15 points to the Demons who went into the match as massive underdogs after having managed just three wins from their previous 39 matches.

Complacency is an insidious disease and it was this malady that squeezed the life out of Claremont’s endeavour.

The Claremont players went into battle fully aware of the dangers. During the week leading into the match coach Michael Broadbridge had gone to considerable pains to warn his charges of the possible pitfalls. He stressed the danger of approaching the contest with a smug attitude and underestimating the opposition.

Don’t rest on your laurels and relax in a comfort zone, he warned. And, to the credit of the players, they heeded the message and bounded into action with commendable spirit. Claremont went into the quarter-time break with a 22-point advantage after booting six goals to two in the opening term.

So, what happened? What was the reason for the spirited Perth revival? Was this the result of an overall flimsy Claremont mindset, a lack of attitude and application?

Perhaps it was, to a degree. But really the problem lay with a certain degree of complacency. And this complacency most probably was the product of the subconscious. Perhaps the Claremont men felt a certain degree of superiority after a dominant first quarter and they lost some respect for their opponents.

The main lesson from the debacle is that Claremont must become mentally tougher. Success cannot be achieved without total commitment and dedication. This unexpected defeat should come as a serious warning signal. Now it behoves the Claremont men to heed the flashing red light.

The ball is now in Claremont’s court. The players can exorcise the demons by beating Swan Districts and East Fremantle in the next two weeks before challenging Peel Thunder at the season’s first match at the Claremont Showgrounds in round six on April 23.

The Claremont players took 93 marks to Perth’s small total of 51, but Claremont’s lack of creative disposal efficiency was of grave concern. Perth became far more aggressive after half-time as Claremont’s system fell apart.

Tigers fans were on good terms with themselves after a goal in the opening minute of the match. From the opening centre bounce Ian Richardson handpassed to winger Ryan Neates, who passed to Darcy Cameron.

Cameron’s high kick deep into attack saw Oliver Tate rise in the middle of a pack to bring down a fine mark. He then calmly slotted home the first of his three goals. The dangerous Brennan Stack replied for Perth six minutes later. Claremont hit back two minutes later when Hugo Breakey sent the ball forward where Cameron received a free-kick for interference in a marking duel  and played on to kick the first of his two first-quarter majors.

Ruckman Mitch Andrews then got Claremont’s third goal after a good passage of play involving Brandon Franz, Tate, Ryan Lim, Matt Palfrey and Jack Bradshaw. This was followed by a series of Tigers turnovers before Tate passed to half-back flanker Matt Davies for the side’s fifth major.

Lim came under notice for a splendid smother off the boot of Clint Jones as he was about to take a shot at goal. Bradshaw, Tom Ledger and Neates combined to get the ball to Tate, who met with interference in a marking duel and made the most of his free-kick by kicking his second.

St Kilda recruit Spencer White replied with Perth’s second goal before livewire midfielder Jye Bolton gained the clearance at the resultant centre bounce and his long kick enabled Cameron to fly skywards to pull down another grand mark. Cameron’s second goal gave the Tigers the reasonable breathing space of a 22-point lead at quarter time.

A defensive error gifted Perth’s Stack a goal in the opening minute of the second term. Andrews, competing strongly in the ruck, gained the clearance at the resultant centre bounce, enabling Bradshaw, Bolton and Cameron to combine to get the ball to Jared Hardisty for Claremont’s seventh goal.

A dubious free-kick and a 50m penalty from the centre bounce saw Liam McKenna boot Perth’s fourth goal. However, Breakey then gained the next centre clearance and his pass found Beau Maister for an immediate Tigers reply.

A free-kick to Stack and a mark to Lachlan Dennis resulted in goals to the home side. And then Tate was off line after some good work from Haydn Busher, Bolton, Richardson and Neates. But Ledger steadied the Claremont ship with a goal after marking at centre-half-forward.

A relayed free-kick to Cody Leggett gave the Redlegs plenty of heart as he booted his side’s seventh goal from point-blank range. Perth were threatening danger as they went into the half-time break only two goals in arrears.

The Tigers responded with a goal four minutes into the third term after Tate had received a handpass from Breakey. Errors abounded for the next 12 minutes before Andrews got the ball to Richardson, who passed to Neates in the right pocket. The Neates goal stretched Claremont’s lead to 22 points. But Perth seized the initiative with two goals to Callum Walley (the first a free-kick and the second after taking a mark) and a goal at the 28-minute mark to the omnipresent McKenna.

It was all Perth in the final term as they dictated terms, adding 4.2 to Claremont’s solitary goal (to Maister) and behinds to Bradshaw and Keifer Yu.

It was a disappointing performance from Claremont.

Details:

Perth 14.9 (93) beat Claremont 12.6 (78)

Scorers---

PERTH:  B. Stack 3.2; C. Walley 2.3; S. White 2.1; L. McKenna, B. Wolfenden 2.0; C. Leggett 1.1; L. Dennis, B. Latch 1.0; J. Jacobs, C. Jones 0.1.

CLAREMONT: O. Tate 3.1; D. Cameron, B. Maister 2.0; M. Andrews 1.1; M. Davies, J. Hardisty, T. Ledger, R. Neates 1.0; J. Bradshaw, H. Busher, M. Palfrey, K. Yu 0.1.

Best---

PERTH: L. McKenna, J. Jacobs, A. Zucconi, C. Jones, C. Leggett, A. Tropiano. B. Stack, J. Bell, M. Sinclair.

CLAREMONT: R. Neates, J. Bolton, J. Murphy. M. Andrews, M. Davies, B. Franz, O. Tate, K. Yu, H. Breakey.