Tigers too Slippery for Sharks

Claremont (Colts) have moved two games clear on top of the ladder after a scrappy 30-point win over East Fremantle at ATOM Stadium.

After holding the Sharks goalless in what was a forgettable first half of football, the Tigers prevailed 6.16 (52) to 2.10 (22) and in the process recorded their third straight win.

The Tigers have conceded just 14 goals in the past three weeks, and will enter their round-15 bye full of confidence and looking forward to welcoming some key players back from State duty in the coming weeks.

The visitors had an even spread of ball winners against the Sharks, with Ryan Murphy, Gus Devitt, Morgan Davies, Matt Guelfi and Arana O’Byrne all prominent in the win, while Riley Quilty and Davies each kicked two goals.

Eddie Simpson once again led the ruck duties and did so with aplomb, while Matthew Ehlers provided fine support and Shaquille Morton applied solid pressure at both ends of the ground.

After a slow start in which the Sharks dominated general play but couldn’t apply scoreboard pressure, the Tigers worked their way into the contest as Guelfi kicked the only goal of what was an error-riddled first term.

A similar second quarter saw both sides guilty of some poor play as numbers around the contest made finding space near on impossible and led to poor conversion.

With goals as rare as hens’ teeth, incredibly, both teams entered half-time with just the one major between them courtesy of Guelfi, after playing out a goalless second term.

With the game opening up in the second half, the Tigers added five goals to two as the hosts finally registered majors through Hamish Rodgers and Corey Holmes, however, it would be the visitors’ day, as a resolute defence and evenness around the ground led to a comfortable win and opened up a two-match buffer on the second-placed Sharks with a game in hand.

CLAREMONT 1.4 1.9 4.11 6.16 (52)

EAST FREMANTLE 0.2 0.3 1.6 2.10 (22)

GOALS

CLAREMONT: 2 M. DAVIES, R. QUILTY, 1 A. WILKINS, M. GUELFI

EAST FREMANTLE: 1 H. RODGERS, C. HOLMES

BEST

CLAREMONT: G. DEVITT, A. O’BYRNE, R. MURPHY, M. DAVIES, M. GUELFI, E. SIMPSON

EAST FREMANTLE: M. CRONAN, S. LEWIS, K. BASKERVILLE