Yeo Earns Praise | Round 7 League Match Report

Team sport is not about individual glory. It revolves around conforming to team ideals and structures. It demands discipline and the willingness to sacrifice personal glory.

A shining example of a player fully prepared to embrace all of the above emerged at Fremantle Oval on Saturday when Claremont’s Corey Yeo was given the task of keeping a tight rein on highly dangerous playmaker Haiden Schloithe.

It was a daunting assignment for Yeo --- to try to curb the activities of the AAMI Player of the Week for his best-on-ground display against East Fremantle the previous weekend when he booted four goals and had 27 disposals. Schloithe was also a star for the Bulldogs a week earlier when he amassed 37 disposals against West Perth.

Yeo uncomplainingly accepted the challenge and he succeeded in tremendous style, greatly reducing Schloithe’s influence. He restricted Schloithe to three marks (two in the final quarter when the Bulldogs were in total control), eight kicks and five effective handpasses. Schloithe scored two goals, the first deep into the third term and the second in the final stages of the last quarter after he had pulled down a fine high mark. He was also the beneficiary of four free-kicks, only one of which was awarded against Yeo.

Yeo finished the match without taking a mark and having only one kick (in the final term) as well as making four effective handpasses and applying three tackles. But he was a real winner for the Tigers as he performed his specific duty grandly.

Sadly, Yeo’s efforts were in vain. South Fremantle crushed Claremont by 64 points and left the Tigers floundering in eighth position the premiership table. Claremont had won the nine previous encounters with South Fremantle in the past four seasons, outscoring the Bulldogs in those matches (five of them at Fremantle Oval), 161 goals and 117 behinds to South’s 103 goals and 75 behinds.

Often statistics do not tell the real story, as in the case of Yeo. And it is difficult to come to terms with the first-quarter statistics when the Tigers managed one scoring shot (a goal) and South Fremantle kicked 4.2.

Remarkably, the Tigers penetrated their 50m attacking zone 18 times to 11 by the Bulldogs and they gained 13 clearances to South’s eight. Skill errors abounded and there were turnovers galore.

At the end of the contest Claremont gained 38 clearances at stoppages to the South Fremantle tally of 32 and the visitors went inside their 50m zone 44 times for just 8.3, while South scored 17.13 from 54 entries into their 50m zone. Claremont had a considerable edge in the ruck duels, finishing with 52 hit-outs to 25, and the Tigers also finished ahead in the tackle count, 55-32, and the free-kick count, 28-18.

Once again, acting captain Luke Blackwell was outstanding in the midfield. He strove desperately for four quarters to enliven the side, while Ryan Neates maintained his wonderful form on a wing and around the ground. Blackwell finished with 14 kicks, 16 highly effective handpasses, five tackles (a tally equalled by Andrew Foster, Aaron Holt, Matt Orzel and Matt Goyder), a match-high tally of 11 clearances and four inside 50s.

It was wonderful earlier in the day to watch Trinity Handley back in action, playing with such spirit and verve in the reserves match. The league side will welcome him and captain Jake Murphy back for the important clash against East Perth at Leederville Oval this coming Saturday afternoon when the entire squad will be hellbent to make amends for the most disappointing performance against South Fremantle. We know that East Perth are far from invincible.

The Tigers certainly gained no advantage whatsoever for going inside 50 18 times to South’s 11 in the opening quarter when Claremont’s solitary score was a snapped major from Jack Bradshaw, playing on after taking a mark in the right pocket.

Claremont opened the second-quarter goalscoring after four minutes with a fine long shot from Neates, dashing forward after gaining possession at a stoppage 70m out. Two goals in mid-term drew the Tigers to within ten points of the home side. Mark Seaby got the first after marking a long kick forward from the busy Neates and then Bradshaw got his second after Holt, Tom Taylor and Neates had combined to work the ball forward.

Holt, on a half-back flank, and Max Bentley, in a pocket, were shining in defence. It is a terrible blow that Bentley will miss Saturday’s match against East Perth with a leg injury.

South Fremantle replied to the goals from Seaby and Bradshaw with majors to Ben Saunders and Josh Pullman Then Mitchell Carter threatened to score another for the Bulldogs, but Jack Richardson produced a great chase and caught Carter, preventing him taking a shot.

Neates was flattened late in the quarter and left the field with bruised ribs. To his credit he was back in the thick of the action after half-time.

Twenty-eight minutes into the quarter a Goyder handpass to Seaby resulted in a fine goal from long range from teenage ruckman Darcy Cameron. This saw the Tigers in touch with the Bulldogs at the long break, only 16 points in arrears.

However, Claremont fell apart and buckled under the pressure applied by the Bulldogs, who restricted the Tigers to three second-half goals, while piling on 10.8 to romp away with the contest.

Claremont’s solitary third-quarter goal came after 20 minutes when Blackwell drove the ball forward to Orzel, whose slewed kick was marked by Taylor, who kicked truly from close range.

Hopes of a Claremont revival were aroused when the Tigers got the opening goal just 40 seconds into the final term. Tom ledger got the ball to Neates, who snapped a tremendous goal. But the Bulldogs assumed control and added the next four goals.

At the 18-minute mark Blackwell handballed to Mathew Aitchison, who got the ball on to Orzel, whose pass was marked by Bradshaw for his third major. South then rounded out proceedings and ended a miserable afternoon for the Tigers by scoring the final two goals.

by Ken Casellas

Details:

South Fremantle 17.13 (115) beat Claremont 8.3 (51)

Scorers---SOUTH FREMANTLE: B. Saunders 4.1; J. Pullman 2.2; M. Carter, J. Martinez, H. Schloithe, C. White 2.1; M. Pickett 1.2; J. Sellar 1.1; A. McIntosh 1.0; T. Kelly 0.1; 2pts forced. CLAREMONT: J. Bradshaw 3.0; R. Neates 2.0; D. Cameron, M. Seaby, T. Taylor 1.0; M. Andrews, M. Orzel 0.1; 1pt forced.

Best---SOUTH FREMANTLE: R. Cook, J. Martinez, D. Ross, A. Gugliemana, A. Hams, S. Bewick, B. Saunders, B. Verrier, S. Verrier, C. White, M. Carter. CLAREMONT: L. Blackwell, R. Neates, A. Foster, A. Holt, M. Orzel, J. Bradshaw, C. Yeo, M. Bentley.