Match Report – Tigers beat Swans but not by enoughSunday, September 5, 2021 - 1:35 PM - by Alex Ventouras

CLAREMONT knew it had to win by as much as possible over Swan Districts on Saturday at Revo Fitness Stadium in a bid to host next week's qualifying and while they did win by 22 points, the margin wasn’t quite enough.

What the win does do for the Tigers is see them secure third position at the end of the Optus WAFL Premiership Season but the eventual 11.11 (77) to 8.7 (55) victory wasn’t enough to see them leapfrog South Fremantle into second spot.

Claremont's chances of their required big win to earn that home ground advantage was actually helped coming into the game with Swan Districts electing to rest a host of stars ahead of the finals including Frank Anderson, Sam Fisher, Lewis Jetta, Alex Howard and Warrick Wilson.

Swans were locked into fifth position coming into the final round but the Tigers knew they had to win their game by a bigger margin than South Fremantle beat the West Coast Eagles by if they wanted to finish second.

While Swan Districts weren’t at full strength, Claremont was never really able to blow them away and when they needed to put their foot down, Swans actually won the last quarter with the Tigers ending up winning 11.11 (77) to 8.7 (55).

That means both teams take on familiar foes to start the finals next weekend with Claremont taking on South Fremantle in a qualifying final against South Fremantle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval. Swan Districts plays West Perth at Joondalup's Provident Financial Oval.

After a quiet first half Bailey Rogers (30 disposals, two goals) was again the star and he got to work with two-time Sandover Medallist Jye Bolton (32, nine marks) while Ryan Lim (25, seven marks) was damaging all game. 

Up forward Jack Buller and Alex Manuel finished with three goals each as they continued their strong form heading into finals.

For the Swans, star midfielder Jesse Turner (29 and six tackles) fought gallantly all day in his 100th WAFL appearance and young defender Jackson Beck was superb (27, eight marks), while Chris Jones and Jesse Palmer finished with two goals each.

Swan Districts hit the scoreboard in the opening seconds through Palmer storming out of the centre square, but Claremont were able to immediately respond with a strong mark and goal from Timm House. 

In a fast-paced first quarter the Tigers took a four point-lead into the first break.

It was again an arm wrestle in the second term as the two sides swapped goals all quarter.

The Swans will rue missed opportunities this quarter as they locked the ball in their forward half for the majority of the term as they managed three goals but also gave up three to Claremont as they trailed the Tigers by five points at the main break. 

Claremont flexed their muscles in the third as the inexperienced Swans began to run out of legs, with star midfielder Bailey Rogers running rampant over the Swans midfield after a quiet first half to finish with 12 disposals and a goal for the quarter.

Alex Manuel slotted a late Goal of the Year contender, running at full pace to pick up the ball at his feet then snapping from the boundary on the wrong side for a right footer just before the quarter-time siren to give his side a 29-point buffer at the final break.

It was tight final term as just the three goals were kicked but Claremont’s experience got them over the line to finish 11.11 (77) to 8.7 (55) winners. 

BOTH SIDES SWEAT ON STARS FOR FINALS
Adam Pickering will expect to welcome stars Sam Fisher, Lewis Jetta and Frank Anderson straight back in for Sunday's elimination final with West Perth while defender Alex Howard attempts to overcome a hamstring injury and Nathan Ireland a dislocated shoulder. Corey Gault is still no certainty as he still battles ongoing concussion symptoms. For the Tigers star defender Lachlan Martinis is still expected to be a week away, Jake Patmore will be touch and go with a hamstring injury while Ben Edwards was a late out this afternoon with a cork but is expected to be available next week.  

O’DONOHUE IMPRESSES ON DEBUT
The young defender was one of his team’s best in the loss, showcasing his composure and dash off the half back-line. Other than a turnover, kicking across defensive goal that resulted in a Claremont major, the 19-year-old will be at the forefront of coach Adam Pickering’s mind as he settles on his best 22 for finals. He finished with 21 disposals, four marks, four tackles and four inside 50s. 

POTENTIAL MRP TROUBLE FOR HOUSE
Former Geelong-listed player Timm House may come under MRP scrutiny after a dangerous tackle on Swans veteran Tony Notte. The incident occurred in the third quarter, which saw House sling Notte to the ground with his arms pinned. A 50m penalty was awarded after there was a scuffle instigated by the remonstrating Swans players. House has played a crucial role in recent weeks as an extra tall in Claremont’s forward-line after being recruited from Gnowangerup amateur side halfway through the season.

OPTUS WAFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON – ROUND 22

CLAREMONT                2.4    5.7    10.9    11.11 (77)
SWAN DISTRICTS            2.0    5.2    6.4    8.7 (55)

CLAREMONT: Goals – Buller, Manuel 3; Rogers 2; Hardisty, House, Barton.
Best – Rogers, Bolton, Lim, Manuel, Buller, Eastland, J Hardisty, Mitchell.
SWAN DISTRICTS: Goals – Jones 3; Palmer 2; Edwards, Ottaviano, Garcia.
Best – Turner, Cipro, Beck, Palmer, Erceg, Riley, O'Donohue.Alex Ventouras