JOHN TOWNSEND

A vibrant 15-minute burst which produced 30 unanswered points just before three-quarter time was not enough to help Claremont overcome East Fremantle in the qualifying final on Saturday.

Overwhelmed by the Sharks for the second time in as many matches over the past three weeks, Claremont succumbed by 48 points at East Fremantle Oval to sustain their biggest loss of the past four seasons.

The 16.10 (106) to 8.10 (58) loss means the Tigers are at risk of a straight-sets finals exit for the first time in a decade when they take on Peel in the first semifinal on Sunday.

Buoying Claremont’s preparation for their final game at Revo Fitness Stadium this season was their 15-point victory in their most recent outing against the Thunder.

Twelve Fremantle-listed players were in action for Peel in that game – as there will be on Sunday - while the Tigers will have key defender Anthony Davis who has been a rare shining light in the past three weeks after missing the win over the Thunder.

And the game will be wingman Ryan Lim’s 150th appearance for the club, earning him life membership after a splendid career that has seen him play his past 120 games consecutively, represent WA this season and win a colts premiership in 2013.

But full-back Steven Miller will not be available after damaging a knee early in the contest against East Fremantle.

Miller’s absence disrupted Claremont’s balance with star centreman Jye Bolton forced into the ruck for long periods before forward Jack Buller made a handy contribution in the second half.

It was Buller’s influence on the ball that sparked the third-quarter surge that helped Claremont add 4.6 in rapid time and cut the deficit to just 17 points.

The margin could have been significantly smaller but for several wasted shots late in the term when East Fremantle were floundering under Claremont’s immense but belated pressure.

The highlights included Dec Mountford’s second 65m goal of the game, both bombs bouncing through after being launched from the centre square, while small forwards Max Spyvee, Cal England and Laurence Evans converted important opportunities.

 The spree was to prove too little and too late.

East Fremantle had two majors on the board before Mountford started Claremont’s scoring with a long, bouncing goal while Timm House found rare space towards the end of the first term to convert a strong mark close to goals.

The margin was whittled to six points when lively left-footer Ben Elliott slotted a goal early in the second term but that was as close as Claremont got for the rest of the match.

Former Claremont ruckman Jeremy Goddard reversed the result of his previous meeting with Ollie Eastland by getting on top on the ball while the Tigers found it difficult throughout the game to move fluently into attack.

It took until nearly half-time for Claremont to have more kicks than handballs, the disposal imbalance underlining their lack of options and inability to escape East Fremantle’s suffocating pressure, while too few players had a presence to take the game to the home team.

Lachlan Martinis (34 disposals) provided his usual run and bounce from half-back to be Claremont’s best player while Davis continued his outstanding form with a strong effort at half-back where he had 16 disposals and took six marks.

Declan Hardisty had a massive challenge against in-form forward Jono Marsh but did well to win many of the one-on-one contests between the pair.

Marsh was not to be denied and finished with 3.3 as he benefited from the weight of opportunities in his forward 50 zone.

Claremont’s starting forward line combination managed just three goals between them to maintain the tight tussle for leading goal-kicker honours this season. 

Buller (23) leads House (22), Alex Manuel (22) and Tyron Smallwood (22) with a better contribution from that quartet required if Claremont are to beat Peel on Sunday and reach the preliminary final.

CLAREMONT 2.2 3.2 7.9 8.10 58

EAST FREMANTLE 4.1 7.7 10.8 16.10 106

GOALS – CLAREMONT: 2: D Mountford. 1: J Bolton, T House, C England, B Elliott, M Spyvee, L Evans.

EAST FREMANTLE: 3: J Marsh, A Montauban. 2: J Jansen, C Holmes. 1: F Gorringe, T Bennett, C Smith, R Lester-Smith, J Schoenfeld, J McDonald.

BEST – CLAREMONT: L Martinis, A Davis, B Edwards, J Bolton, D Hardisty, B Elliott. 

EAST FREMANTLE: R Lester-Smith, C Eardley, J Marsh, K Baskerville, T Bennett, J Goddard.