Fierce Tigers Celebrate In Mud & Slush | Round 18 League Match Report

For the first 92 minutes and 32 seconds of the match at the Showgrounds on Saturday a magnificent Claremont side restricted East Fremantle to just one goal --- a free-kick for a front-on high tackle on Cameron Eardley at the 23-minute mark of the first quarter.

The Tigers led for all but 80 seconds of the contest which lasted 118 minutes and 49 seconds. The Sharks scored two consolation goals in the final five minutes and the Tigers triumphed by 17 points as they continued their climb up the premiership table to move into fifth position.

The Showgrounds are proving a significant fortress for Claremont. This was the side’s third win in a row at the picturesque venue where the Tigers have won five and lost only two matches this year (by 16 points to East Perth and nine points to West Perth).

East Fremantle’s 4.11 was the club’s second lowest total in 272 matches against Claremont, slightly better than the 4.8 on July 28, 2012 when Claremont scored 19.10 and won by 92 points.

The Showgrounds became a quagmire after torrential rain throughout the preceding reserves match transformed the playing arena into a series of lakes and pools. The Tigers relished the challenge in the mud and slush and dictated terms on an afternoon when goals were pure gold in the abominable conditions.

Players from both sides threw themselves into the fray with admirable ferocity. But the Claremont men were just that little bit more fierce and determined. The home side’s defence was virtually impenetrable as the backmen read the ball skilfully.

A band of dedicated, hard-working midfielders (Luke Blackwell, Jake Murphy, Ryan Neates, Corey Yeo, Ben Daniher and Matt Orzel) and wingers Tom Ledger, Andrew Foster and Tom Taylor shirked nothing as they gave their all to provide scoring opportunities and to prevent East Fremantle from setting up attacking moves.

Murphy, the captain, and his deputies Blackwell and Trinity Handley had made a special point during the week that they dearly wanted to commemorate the match as a special tribute to the Claremont footballers who had provided the club with one of its finest and most memorable moments by coming from behind to beat East Fremantle by four points in the 1964 grand final to break a 24-year premiership drought.

The 18 surviving members of that premiership side of 50 years ago, as well as several players who had made league appearances during the season, were delighted to attend celebration lunches at the Villa Roma restaurant in Fremantle on Friday and the match-day lunch the following day. And, to a man, they heaped praise on the current squad for its application, determination and will to win.

Remarkably, the rain ceased just before the league contest got under way and the sun even shone for most of the second half. But the flooded playing arena made ball handling an extremely difficult task.

Only four goals were scored in the first half as turnovers abounded. Yet it was an enthralling and entertaining contest.

Ryan Lester-Smith took a mark and booted a behind for the Sharks in the opening minute before the Tigers hit back just over a minute later when Taylor received a handpass and scored a goal. A rushed East Fremantle point was followed by successive behinds off the boot of Jack Bradshaw. These were followed closely by a great goal on the run from Brenden Abbott.

Seventeen minutes passed before the next major, coming from a free-kick to Eardley, and Claremont held a slender five-point advantage at the first break.

It was tough, unrelenting football in the second quarter when the only goal was a shot from Neates which bounced through with 22 minutes and 30 seconds on the clock. Of the 19 Claremont tackles this quarter, Mitch McGovern’s great tackle at half-back on Brock O’Brien stood out.

Claremont led 3.5 to 1.6 at half-time and this 11-point margin increased to 22 points at three-quarter time. Murphy and Handley continued in grand form early in the third term when Anton Hamp marked a Murphy kick in between the right goal post and the point post. Hamp was placed on a very tight angle and he used his non-preferred left foot. But his shot crashed into the right goal post.

It was extremely tough going, with each side constantly rebounding the ball out of defence. It took 22 minutes for the first goal for the quarter. Orzel drove the ball forward and Abbott gained possession on the left flank before he sent it to the goal square where Neates won a one-on-one tussle before kicking his side’s fourth major.

A little more than five minutes later the bewhiskered Neates marked an errant East Fremantle clearing kick and passed to Bradshaw, who played on and delivered a deft pass to Abbott, who took the mark dead in front before kicking truly from close range.

A goal to East Fremantle’s Brad Dalziell early in the final term gave the Sharks a glimmer of hope. This was extinguished two minutes later when the Tigers forged forward and Yeo cleverly eluded full-back Steven Dodd and booted a goal from the square.

Seven minutes later a Murphy pass found Abbott, who outmarked Dodd before his shot was off line and registered a behind. But a Dodd indiscretion against Bradshaw saw the umpire step in and award a free-kick 10m out and dead in front. Bradshaw’s kick sailed through for a goal which stretched Claremont’s lead to 27 points.

Claremont were riding high and a few minutes later Aaron Holt produced a tremendous chase to run down Brock O’Brien. Holt dispossessed O’Brien and sent the Tigers into attack. Late in the quarter O’Brien scored East Fremantle’s third goal and soon after he passed to hard-working ruckman James Bristow for another Sharks major in the dying moments of the game.

Blackwell shone with his 38 disposals, which included a match-high ten clearances from stoppages and four inside 50s. The defenders Matt Davies, Hugo Breakey, Brandon Franz, Holt, Lachy Davey, Tom Willett and Jordan McAllister were superb, with Davies and Breakey the standouts.

Davies played on a flank and in a pocket, mainly on Tim Bristow and Mitch Boyle, and gave an outstanding display of wet-weather football, while Breakey excelled in restricting a quality in-form opponent Brett Peake to just six kicks and two effective handpasses.

Ledger was also outstanding in his role on a wing, frequently dropping off to lurk a few metres on the defensive side of contests. He constantly provided a springboard into attack as he received the ball and sent it forward with telling right and left-foot kicks.

Yeo’s performance also cannot be underestimated. He kept star East Fremantle midfielder Mark McGough comparatively quiet and also did well when opposed by Sean Henson.

The Tigers will now enjoy a well-deserved break with a bye next Saturday before lining up against Perth at the Showgrounds in  a round-20 fixture the following Saturday.

Details:

Claremont 7.10 (52) beat East Fremantle 4.11 (35)

Scorers---CLAREMONT: B. Abbott 2.1; R. Neates 2.0; J. Bradshaw 1.2; T. Taylor, C. Yeo 1.0; L. Blackwell, A. Hamp, T. Ledger 0.1; 4pts forced. EAST FREMANTLE: C. Eardley, B. O’Brien 1.1; J. Bristow, B. Dalziell 1.0; R. Lester-Smith 0.2; B. Peake, A. Stephen 0.1; 5pts forced.

Best---CLAREMONT: L. Blackwell, M. Davies, T. Ledger, T. Handley, B. Abbott, J. Murphy, R. Neates, H. Breakey, C. Yeo, M. Seaby, B. Daniher. EAST FREMANTLE: J. Bristow, R. O’Brien, S. Hancock, J. Schofield, B. Dalziell, A. Stephen, C. Eardley.