League: Blackwell supreme

A virtuoso performance from acting captain Luke Blackwell left Claremont supporters searching for superlatives at the Showgrounds on Saturday after the inspirational centreman had provided the catalyst that emboldened, enlivened and invigorated his teammates in the battle against South Fremantle.

The 27-year-old Blackwell, the clear winner of the award for best on ground in the annual NAIDOC match against the Bulldogs, was the inspiration and driving force behind Claremont’s well-deserved 22-point victory which strengthened the side’s grip on sixth position on the premiership table and gave promise of further improvement in the latter half of the season.

It was a masterly and near-perfect display by Blackwell, whose exquisite skills made life easy for his teammates and enhanced his wonderful reputation. Yet, as usual, he was businesslike and understated. There were no frills, no histrionics, just cool, calculating and constructive football.

His precision and efficiency was exemplified in his outstanding first-quarter effort when he had eight kicks, six of which were unerring passes marked by a teammate and one a kick to Andrew Foster for a goal. He finished with ten marks, 25 kicks, five effective handpasses, an equal team-high four tackles, a match-high tally of seven clearances from stoppages and four penetrations into the 50m attacking zone.

Claremont gave a solid, hard-working display against a dogged rival which was hampered by a couple of injuries to key players. For the Tigers it was the first time this season that the side had won two matches in succession.

The win completed a splendid day for the club which has earlier posted victories in the colts and reserves contests. Claremont’s only previous trebles this season were against West Perth at Joondalup in round two on March 29 and against Peel Thunder at the Showgrounds in round six on April 26.

Now the Tigers travel to Mandurah on Saturday for a testing time against bottom side Peel. History reveals that the Tigers have struggled many times at Rushton Park and that the coming contest will be far from a stroll in the park.

Blackwell is far from a one-man band and the Tigers had 22 strong and committed contributors against the Bulldogs. Each and every man did his job and played a part in the victory.

Lively small forward Jack Bradshaw gave a sample of his class with five goals on a day when goals were hard to come by; Blackwell received sterling support from the rest of the midfielders, with the speedy Ryan Neates again to the fore; ruckman Mark Seaby maintained his strong form and young defenders Matt Davies, Lachy Davey and Jordan McAllister performed grandly.

Special mention must be made of powerful teenager Brenden Abbott, whose fearless appetite for the ball adds considerable bite to the side’s attacking division.

It was tough going in the early stages and it took 16 minutes for the first goal --- to South Fremantle’s Haiden Schloithe, resplendent in a pink right boot and a pale green left boot. Claremont got their first four minutes later when Blackwell and Matt Orzel combined to get the ball to McAllister, whose pass was marked by Bradshaw for the first of four Claremont goals in the space of six minutes.

Blackwell won the clearance at the centre bounce and delivered to Foster for another goal. Then Orzel gained the centre clearance and his handpass to Seaby resulted in a mark and another goal to Bradshaw, with Abbott adding to the excitement by hurling himself into the air and crashing into the left goal post.

About 90 seconds later the dynamic Neates was rewarded for his endeavour with a free-kick in the left pocket. His goal gave the Tigers a handy break.

The Tigers increased their lead to 27 points two minutes into the second term after a fine piece of play from wingman Corey Yeo, who started a forward thrust from the right flank with a pass to Abbott. Then Abbott got the ball on top Mitch McGovern, who handpassed to the hard-running Yeo for a major.

The Bulldogs hit back with the next three goals to reduce Claremont’s lead to nine points before the Tigers gave themselves some breathing space with Abbott gaining possession and handballing to Bradshaw, who ran into an open goal and kicked his third as the siren sounded for the half-time interval.

The Bulldogs threatened real danger when they outscored the Tigers, four goals to two, in the third term to trail by a solitary point at the final break.

Claremont’s goals came in the eighth and 21^st minutes. McGovern got the first with a clever left-foot snap from close range and Bradshaw the second as he made the most of an opportunity set up by Blackwell and Abbott, with Abbott brushing aside an opponent, surging forward, taking a bounce and then delivering long to the square where Bradshaw took an excellent mark. He was placed on a difficult angle before going back, deliberating and then using his non-preferred left foot for a banana goal.

Blackwell and Bradshaw continued to dominate early in the final term, with Blackwell gaining the clearance at a stoppage at right half-forward, bursting forward and spearing a wonderful pass to Bradshaw for his fifth major.

Two minutes later the indomitable Abbott produced a tremendous snap from right half-forward for Claremont’s tenth goal. A free-kick to Ashton Hams saw South Fremantle fight back with a goal to make the difference just seven points just before the nine-minute mark. It was anyone’s game. But the Tigers took control and kept the visitors scoreless for the rest of the afternoon, while adding two more goals.

The first of these goals came after a boundary throw-in in the left pocket. McGovern met with interference in the ruck duel and was awarded a free-kick. A 50m penalty then had the teenager shooting from point-blank range.

Not long after that came one of the game’s highlights, a clever left-foot snap for a goal from Blackwell after he had received from Abbott. It was a fitting finale to a great individual effort and a spirited team performance.

Details:

Claremont 12.13 (85) beat South Fremantle 9.9 (63)

Scorers---CLAREMONT: J. Bradshaw 5.1; M. McGovern 2.2; B. Abbott, A. Foster, R. Neates 1.1; L. Blackwell, C. Yeo 1.0; M. Orzel 0.2; T. Handley, M. Seaby 0.1; 2pts forced. SOUTH FREMANTLE: H. Schloithe 2.2; A. Collica, L. Harvey 2.0; B. Saunders 1.2; A. Hams, B. Higgins 1.1; T. Kelly, P. Mugambwa 0.1; 1pt forced.

Best---CLAREMONT: L. Blackwell, J. Bradshaw, R. Neates, M. Davies, M. Seaby, L. Davey, B. Abbott, B. Daniher, A. Foster. SOUTH FREMANTLE: A. Collica, B. Higgins, T. Kelly, H. Schloithe, N. Borovac, J. Martinez, S. Verrier.