Tigers Extend Winning Streak | Round 22 League Match Report

Claremont has won its fifth consecutive game and tenth for the season after clawing its way past West Perth in a forgetful match at the Show Grounds.

With goals at a premium for much of the afternoon the Tigers ran out six-point winners, 8.6 (54) to 6.12 (48).

The Tigers have now won seven of their past eight matches and are arguably the form team of the competition.

The win also sees Claremont cement fifth position on the ladder despite winning just two of their opening eight games.

At the selection table Brenden Abbott and Andrew Foster were welcomed back into the team who defeated Subiaco in round 21, in place of Jack Richardson and Sam Fong.

An inspirational chase and tackle by Tom Taylor resulted in a running goal to the in-form Tom Ledger, as the Tigers kicked the first goal just two minutes into the contest on a perfect afternoon for football.

A stalemate was to follow for the next 11 minutes, before Matt Davies set the tone for his teammates after courageously backing into a pack and copping a heavy knock.

Moments later Brandon Franz won a 50m penalty and made a rare venture towards the Claremont forward line. With just two goals in 87 League games it came as no surprise when he handballed off to Jake Murphy, however, the captain’s shot at goal sailed wide as the Tigers took a seven-point lead at the 13-minute mark of the opening term.

Jack Bradshaw continued his fine form after kicking his first and Claremont’s second goal after being found by Mitch McGovern, with the Tigers now out to a 13-point lead.

McGovern then took a strong mark deep in defence as he showed what a versatile player he will be in years to come, before second-gamer Jackson Starcevich kicked truly after being found by Davies.

A goal to Corey Chalmers at the 25-minute mark saw the Falcons register their first major and trim the Tigers’ lead to 12 points, however, a late goal to Andrew Foster after being found by Bradshaw saw Claremont take a well-deserved 18-point lead into quarter-time.

Coach Michael Broadbridge was happy with his players’ intent in the opening term, although he encouraged his side to maintain their efforts against a Falcons’ side who seemed content on defending rather than attacking.

A goal to Murphy saw the Tigers get off to a flyer in the second term after a string of handballs inside 50m, with the hosts establishing a 24-point lead.

Franz showed why he remains one of the best defenders in the competition after preventing a certain Falcons’ goal, before another stalemate mirrored that of the first term.

Ryan Neates then snapped truly to give the Tigers a 27-point lead at the 19-minute mark after vice-captain Luke Blackwell won a 50m penalty in the build-up, although the hosts shot themselves in the foot by handing a goal to Drew Rohde after a costly turnover in defence.

A late goal to Abbott saw the Tigers take a 28-point lead into half-time, with the side producing some quality football against a stubborn West Perth.

Having already seen stalemates engulf parts of the first two quarters, it would quickly become apparent that the entire third term would be one to forget.

With the contest turning into a war of attrition, no side was able to gain momentum, and amazingly just the one goal was kicked for the quarter, courtesy of Max Alexander as the Falcons reduced the half-time deficit to 22 points after keeping the Tigers scoreless.

With the Falcons keen to turn the game into a low-scoring scrap, the Tigers had gone away from the style of play which served them well in the first half, and were now becoming stagnant with their ball use.

Broadbridge encouraged his players to move the ball deep in the final term, with the Tigers needing to kick goals to hold off the Aaron Black-inspired Falcons.

Despite Broadbridge’s instructions, the Falcons kicked the opening two goals of the last term to trim the Tigers’ lead to just five points at the 13-minute mark.

With Claremont adding just one point since half-time, Starcevich stepped up to kick his second goal after being found by Neates as the hosts extended their lead to 11 points at the 17-minute mark.

The Falcons were far from done, however, and when Seva Martin kicked his second goal for the term at the 22-minute mark the lead was trimmed to six points yet again.

Both teams would add a solitary behind in the dying stages, before the final siren acted as a relief for everyone who witnessed the game transform into an error-riddled thriller.

Just 51 goals have been kicked in three meetings between the Tigers and Falcons this season, with the most recent suggesting that both teams have plenty of work to do as they attempt to make up ground on those above them in 2015.

In a game which was hardly one for the highlights reel, Blackwell, Davies, Ledger, and Murphy all won their fair share of the football, while Neates’ stellar form saw him take home the players’ player award.

In just his fourth League game for the season Kiefer Yu laid a game-high eight tackles along with Mark Seaby who continues to dominate the ruck and give the Tigers’ midfield first use of the football.

The win caps off a stellar season at the Show Grounds, with the Tigers tasting defeat just twice at the venue in nine games.

Claremont travel to Medibank Stadium to take on East Perth in the final round, with the Royals remaining the only team the Tigers are yet to defeat this season.

CLAREMONT 4.2 7.3 7.3 8.6 (54)

WEST PERTH 1.2 2.5 3.9 6.12 (48)

GOALS

CLAREMONT: 2 J. STARCEVICH, 1 J. BRADSHAW, J. MURPHY, R. NEATES, A. FOSTER, T. LEDGER, B. ABBOTT

WEST PERTH: 2 S. MARTIN, M. ALEXANDER, 1 C. CHALMERS, D. ROHDE

BEST

CLAREMONT: R. NEATES, L. BLACKWELL, M. DAVIES, M. SEABY, K. YU

WEST PERTH: A. BLACK, S. NELSON, S. MARTIN