Swans Scramble Home | Colts 2nd Semi Final Match Report

Claremont will fight to live another day after losing by five points in a low-scoring battle with top side Swan Districts in the second semi-final at East Fremantle Oval on Sunday morning.

The result of an enthralling contest remained in doubt for a minute after the final siren.

A snapped goal from Aidan Anderson gave Swans the lead with 23 minutes and 47 seconds on the clock in the final quarter. One minute and 13 seconds remained and in that time the Tigers swept forward where tireless midfielder Alec Waterman gained possession at left half-forward and desperately threw the ball on to his trusty left boot.

Injured full-forward Alex Manuel took a splendid contested mark on the left flank about 35 metres from goal. The siren then sounded. Manuel, in pain from a badly bruised right ankle, composed himself and went back to take his shot with Ben Whitsed on the mark and nine other Swans players, arms waving furiously, leaping in the air behind him.

Claremont supporters held their collective breath as Manuel took his shot. The ball was heading goalwards before the stiff cross breeze came into play. The ball drifted across the face of the goal and landed out of bounds on the full alongside the right behind post.

Swans then celebrated their 19th victory from 21 matches in a marvellous season, while the Tigers focused their thoughts on the clash with South Fremantle in the preliminary final at Leederville Oval next Sunday morning. A win over the talented Bulldogs will provide Claremont with the opportunity to meet Swans in the grand final at Subiaco Oval the following Sunday.

South Fremantle, who defeated East Perth in the first semi-final on Sunday, will be formidable rivals and the club will be keen to make amends for the side’s narrow loss to Claremont in last year’s colts grand final. The Tigers also lost the second semi-final before winning the preliminary final and grand final in 2013.

In a hard-fought contest last Sunday neither side was able to take full control at any stage. Claremont’s powerful midfield took a good while to get cracking and the side’s defenders deserve great praise for their tremendous efforts to keep the brilliant Swans attacking division under wraps.

Outstanding in defence were full-back Matt Palfrey and half-back flanker Harry McCracken. The left-footed Palfrey, a key forward early in the season, was superb in his duel with big Swans full-forward Nelson Ansey, who finished the match with two kicks, a soccered goal from the goalsquare in the second term and an ineffective disposal in the final quarter.

The Tigers went into attack from the opening bounce and Sam Bevan snapped a behind after a boundary throw-in from the right pocket in the opening minute. Then goals to Ethan Maguire and Chad Daniels gave Swans a flying start before the Tigers replied with a major from midfielder Bailey Rogers from a boundary throw-in in the left pocket.     

Claremont took the lead after 14 minutes with an accurate snap from Waterman from the left pocket. Another goal followed three minutes later after Isaac Baum, Manuel, Bevan and Tom Gajewski worked the ball forward to the left pocket where Jacob Delaporte was tackled high and awarded a free-kick. Delaporte’s kick went to Gajewski for a snapped goal.

Behinds to Bevan and Scott Trickey late in the quarter saw Claremont leading, 3.4 to 2.1 at quarter time. Manuel had another behind on the board 50 seconds into the second quarter before Swans mounted attack after attack, only to be denied by the hard-tackling Tigers defence, led by McCracken.

Eventually Swans got a positive result for their concerted efforts, with Ansey soccering a goal from close range. Then half-way through the quarter Eddie Simpson took an excellent high mark from a Swans clearing kick. He was 60m out and was tackled after securing the mark, with the resultant 50m penalty making a certainty of a goal from point-blank range.

Five minutes later Swans hit back with a goal to Robert Mostert which reduced Claremont’s lead to a single point. And 30 seconds before half-time Anderson marked and booted a goal which gave the boys from Bassendean a five-point advantage.

Once again the lead changed when Manuel brought up full points after taking a chest mark from a left-foot kick forward from McCracken, following a good move involving dynamic midfielder Jared Hardisty. Then a couple of minutes later a Waterman forward thrust resulted in a goal to Gajewski.

Hardisty had started the quarter with tremendous gusto and Swans were being consistently thwarted by the grand defence of McCracken, Palfrey, Nick Reid, Harry Taylor, Greg Colbung, Francis Watson and Matt Cairns.

Jack Prendiville and Ryan Lim were working strongly on the wings and everything was looking quite bright for the Tigers. When Russell Wynne took a mark at the top of the goalsquare and slammed home Claremont’s seventh major at the 19-minute mark of the quarter the advantage had improved to a handy 11 points in a match in which scoring was minimal.

Wynne’s goal came after a move initiated at half-back by Watson and involving Manual and Delaporte. Delaporte’s kick was marked by Rogers on the right flank and his long kick found Wynne.

The Tigers attacked relentlessly, but a series of turnovers were extremely costly. The lead at three-quarter time was 13 points and the stage was set for an exciting final term after the Tigers had outscored Swans 3.2 to 0.2.

Swans lifted their rating and Claremont were forced to defend grimly throughout a tense final quarter, during which the Tigers managed a solitary point while Swans added 2.7. However, the Tigers kept their noses in front for almost the entire term in which they managed to penetrate their 50m attacking zone just three times, while Swans peppered away and went inside their forward 50m zone 16 times.

Swans had the use of the breeze, but heavy rain which started one minute into the quarter did not help their cause. The writing was on the wall for Claremont when Mostert scored a goal at the seven-minute mark. Swans had gone inside their 50 seven times to Claremont’s nil.

Claremont’s first penetration inside 50 came at the 11-minute mark. The ball was worked forward laboriously until Trickey gained possession in the left pocket. He wisely did not attempt a shot and went backwards as he delivered accurately to Hardisty at half-forward. Hardisty accepted the mark, but his kick slewed late to the right to register a behind.

Claremont then held a six-point lead and Swans were being held up frequently by the fine defensive efforts from Palfrey. Five successive behinds to Swans enabled them to draw within a point of the Tigers before Anderson’s goal 1min. 13sec. before the final siren gave them the lead.

Details:

Swan Districts 7.14 (56) beat Claremont 7.9 (51)

Scorers---SWAN DISTRICTS: A. Anderson 2.3; R. Mostert 2.0; C. Daniels 1.1; N. Ansey, E. Maguire 1.0; D. Nelson 0.3; S. Fletcher, L. Ridley 0.2; J. Daniels, L. Murray, W. Wilson 0.1. CLAREMONT: T. Gajewski 2.1; A. Manuel 1.2; A. Waterman 1.1; B. Rogers, E. Simpson, R. Wynne 1.0; S. Bevan 0.2; J. Hardisty, S. Trickey 0.1; 1pt forced.

Best---SWAN DISTRICTS: A. Dean, W. Wilson, J. Daniels, L. Ridley, B. Whitsed, E. Maguire, A. Anderson. CLAREMONT: A. Waterman, M. Palfrey, H. McCracken, B. Rogers, J. Prendiville, J. Hardisty, I. Baum.