Tigers Book Finals’ Spot | Round 23 Reserves Match Report

Claremont will face East Fremantle in the first Semi Final at ATOM Stadium (East Fremantle Oval) after defeating East Perth by 62 points to finish the season in third position.

In what was virtually an Elimination Final at Medibank Stadium, the Tigers kicked 14 goals to four after quarter-time on the way to a 16.8 (104) to 6.6 (42) victory.

From the team who defeated West Perth in round 22, Matt Orzel returned to the League side for the final game of his career, while Luke Falconer and Luke Salamone also made way for Jack McPhee, Shane McAdam and Jordan Law.

With slow starts a common theme for the Tigers in recent weeks, a bright start would’ve been just the tonic coach Nigel Wilson and his staff were looking for.

After being found by Jack Richardson, Ashley Fitzgerald kicked a behind before Sam Lamont set the tone by laying two excellent smothers across the half-back line.

This was followed by a goal to Richardson after he marked a kick towards goal from Anton Hamp, giving the Tigers an early six-point lead at the eight-minute mark of the opening term.

Barely two minutes later and Richardson had his second major after kicking truly from 50m following a pass by Kaiden Gilbert to extend the Tigers’ lead to 12 points.

With a stalemate engulfing the next 13 minutes, no team was able to hit the scoreboard, before goals to Daniel Perkins and Alex Vernon handed the Royals a one-point lead at the first change.

Wilson encouraged his players to kick the ball to the “hot spot” in the forward line, after slow ball movement saw the Tigers unable to find space inside 50m in the opening term.

A goal to the returning McAdam gave the Tigers a dream start to the second quarter, before Agid Gardoud replied for the Royals to restore their one-point advantage.

A goal to Keegan Knott ten minutes later followed a kick into space by Steven Edwards, and saw the Tigers take a five-point lead at the halfway mark of the second term.

Passes by Higgs and Lamont then saw Richardson kick his third and fourth goals respectively, as the Tigers took a 20-point lead into half-time after a prolific four-goal-to-one quarter on the back of quicker ball movement.

A tactical move saw McAdam start the third term in the midfield and he immediately made his presence felt by winning a clearance for the Tigers, however, a goal to Kristian Caporn shortly after saw the Royals reduce the Tigers’ lead to 14 points.

A great tackle by McAdam moments later resulted in the lively player earning himself a free kick, before Hamp kicked his first goal to restore the Tigers’ 20-point lead at the five-minute mark of the third term.

Hamp then turned from scorer to provider as he set up Richardson for his fifth goal, and saw the Tigers out to a healthy 26-point lead.

A remarkable goal to Higgs from deep in the pocket gave the Tigers a 32-point lead at the 14-minute mark of the third term, before Hamp kicked his second after another kick into space by Edwards.

Barely one minute later, Hamp had his third goal in the space of 20 minutes after being well found by Sam Fong, and the Tigers were out to a 42-point lead after five consecutive goals.

A second goal to Caporn just before three-quarter time saw the Royals close to within 36 points at the final change, however, the Tigers had well and truly worked their way into a commanding position for the match.

Wilson, however, reminded his players that there were 28 minutes still to play, and that only more hard work would be enough to see the Tigers walk away with a victory.

A strange start to the final term resulted from neither side willing to roll the dice and take the game on, with the slow tempo and ball retention suiting the Tigers just fine and preserving their healthy lead.

Behinds to Max Bentley and Hamp saw the Tigers extend their lead ever so slightly, before a booming goal to Fong on the run gave the Tigers a 43-point lead at the 19-minute mark of the final term.

A third goal to Caporn proved little more than consolation for the Royals, as majors to Fitzgerald, Bentley, Gilbert and Josh Tilley saw the Tigers round out a thumping win, and ensure their place in September.

In a game of high stakes, the Tigers had their fair share of contributors across the board, with Ben Taylor, Fong, Bentley, Henry Roberts and Hamp all winning plenty of the football.

Richardson and Hamp proved a formidable partnership in the forward line as they combined for eight goals, while Darcy Cameron and Tilley worked tirelessly in the ruck to combine for 50 hit outs.

However, the players’ player award went to Lamont for his fine efforts all over the ground, and ability to prevent several Royals’ scoring chances with his second and third efforts a constant theme in the Tigers’ dominance.

The Tigers will now turn their attention to a “sudden death” final against the Sharks this Sunday at 11.25am.

CLAREMONT 2.2 6.5 11.6 16.8 (104)

EAST PERTH 2.3 3.3 5.6 6.6 (42)

GOALS

CLAREMONT: 5 J. RICHARDSON, 3 A. HAMP 1 A. FITZGERALD, S. FONG, B. HIGGS, M. BENTLEY, J. TILLEY, S. MCADAM, K. KNOTT, K. GILBERT

EAST PERTH: 3 K. CAPORN, 1 A.VERNON, A. GARDOUD, D. PERKINS

BEST

CLAREMONT: S. LAMONT, T. HOUSE, B. TAYLOR, S. FONG, J. RICHARDSON, A. HAMP, M. BENTLEY

EAST PERTH: T. OMODEI, A. RIDLEY, K. CAPORN