SATURDAY'S INTRA CLUB

BY KEN CASELLAS

Classy midfielder Jake Patmore and powerful key forward Jacob Van Rooyen delighted the handful of fans at Revo Fitness Stadium last Saturday morning with their brilliance and they are poised to make their WAFL league debuts in Claremont’s first-round match against Swan Districts at Bassendean Oval on April 3.

It was fitting that Patmore gained the first clearance from the opening bounce of a keenly-contested scratch match and that he kicked his side’s final goal in a match marked by slick ball movement and many passages of long and direct play.

The 22-year-old Patmore is back at Claremont after spending the past three years with Port Adelaide and is destined to be a star in WAFL ranks this year. He has not played a match for two years --- after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in a pre-season scratch match in March 2019.

He was a member of Claremont’s 2016 colts premiership side and his most recent appearance for the Tigers was in the colts grand final in September 2017.

He gave an outstanding four-quarter performance in Saturday’s intraclub practice match, in which he took seven marks, had 16 kicks and made nine effective handpasses. Eight of his kicks were marked by a teammate and four others went to a teammate who gained possession.

Patmore is a silky-smooth mover with wonderful evasive skills and his hard running makes him a difficult player to counter.

The 17-year-old Van Rooyen is a strong and aggressive key forward who impresses with his high marking and accurate goalkicking. He stood out in the opening quarter of the practice match in which he took two marks and kicked 2.1.

Patmore teamed with dual Sandover medallist Jye Bolton and Bailey Rogers in a formidable midfield unit in the Blue team in the practice match. Bolton was in superb early-season form and looks set for another outstanding year. He took six marks, had 14 kicks and made eight effective handpasses.

Rogers, who has been a grand defender for almost his entire 78-game league career, added considerable strength, skill and vitality to the on-ball unit, with four marks, 11 kicks and five effective handpasses.

Making a welcome appearance for the Blue team was quality backman Lachie Martinis, who was cool and efficient deep in defence. He is fit and ready to resume his career after missing all of the 2019 season.

Martinis fractured his right tibia when he fell awkwardly in a practice match against East Fremantle last July, just before the brief season got under way. The injury required surgery and Martinis still has three screws in his right ankle.

Forward pocket specialist Isaac Barton shone with a lively display for the Yellow team. He took three marks and had 12 kicks, but managed only 1.4, with one of his behinds being a poster before he bobbed up again with a mark and an unerring pass to Tom Ledger, who kicked a goal.

Ledger, playing mainly on a wing, was a busy contributor with four marks, 12 kicks and three effective handpasses.

Jack Buller worked strongly in the ruck and stood out with two late goals that enabled the Yellow team to win the contest, 8.14 to 7.5. Anton Hamp, quiet in the first half, also burst into prominence with two second-half goals, the first of which was a delightful left-foot snap.

Claremont will now meet Peel Thunder in two practice matches at Revo Fitness Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the first starting at 12.40 and the second at 3.10pm.