Claremont skills, resolve pressure tested by physical Subi

John Townsend

First the good news.

Ollie Eastland maintained his emergence as a ruckman of rare substance by beating Zac Clarke, a taller and equally mobile player with 110 AFL matches and two WAFL flags to his credit.

The big Tiger is in career-best form and his four-quarter effort made him a worthy winner of the Ralph Honner Trophy for upholding the Anzac spirit displayed by the Kokoda hero.

Jack Buller was vibrant early with his aerial prowess too much for the smaller Angus Dewar.

Talon Delacey is developing into a lively contributor, Anthony Treacy showcased his talents with an exquisite banana kick for goal and Bailey Rogers revealed considerable character in the most hostile environment he has encountered outside a sudden-death final.

And Claremont outscored Subiaco in the second half and, for the first 10 minutes at least, were the best team in the game at Leederville Oval on Saturday.

But that was about it.

Out-muscled by a Subiaco outfit that pressure tested Claremont’s resolve, discipline and skills, the Tigers had a jarring 14.10 (94) to 10.10 (70) reality check against an opponent with two 17-year-olds and five players with a combined tally of just seven senior games.

The western suburb neighbours have an eventful rivalry lasting nearly a century – they have split their six grand final clashes and are close to parity over 285 league meetings – but the real benchmark for the Tigers remains their capacity to withstand Subiaco when the Lions bare their teeth.

On Saturday’s evidence, there is still work to do.

It was clear from the start that Subiaco were going to niggle, aggravate and confront their opponents in a bid to put them off their game and negate Claremont’s expansive ball movement.

Buller started with a strong mark inside 50 in the opening moments that should have produced the first shot for goal only for the ball to be handed to Subiaco over an incident 70m behind play.

Buller and Delacey were on the board in the next few minutes but it was to prove a false dawn with Subiaco kicking the next six goals and establishing an advantage that could not be overcome over the next 100 minutes.

Most of their physical attention was daunting but fair, though several incidents were questionable.

Rogers was felled by a blow to the head a discernible period after claiming a mark; no 50m penalty was paid though it made no difference with the decorated utility eventually converting his shot.

And Jye Bolton was left vomiting on the boundary after being struck in the midriff.

Bolton was tagged so closely by teenager Koltyn Tholstrup that he had just one field kick by half-time – the lowest return in his outstanding career – and finished with 11 possessions.

Only once has he had fewer touches in a match in which he was either not injured or playing as a permanent forward.

Rogers was shadowed closely by his former team-mate Rylie Morgan but moved into attack where he continued to fight hard and contributed a pair of handy goals.

With the two Sandover medallists unable to exert any great influence on the ball, it was left to Callan England to carry much of the midfield weight.

He responded by winning the ball more than any other player on the ground though only two of his 25 disposals went inside the forward 50.

Lachie Martinis was also prolific but apart from a great running effort in the third term, when he was involved in three passages of play and finished the chain with a neat set shot, did not have his usual impact.

There were glimpses of quality from speedster Joel Western and impressive recruit Teia Miles, Tyron Smallwood landed a couple of long shots at goal and Ben Edwards displayed his customary energy.

But the return of captain Declan Mountford can’t come quickly enough with Claremont needing to find leadership and composure when they attempt to bounce back against West Coast on Sunday.

Claremont 2.2 3.6 7.8 10.10 70

Subiaco 4.3 8.5 11.9 14.10 94

Goals – Claremont: 2: Rogers, Smallwood 1: Treacy, Martinis, Buller, Delacey, Elliot, Mainwaring.

Subiaco: 5: Borchet 4: Sokol 1: Schofield, Tholstrup, L Hickmott, Rohde, Golding.

Best – Claremont: Eastland, England, Rogers, Edwards, Miles, O’Connor.

Subiaco: Borchet, Savigni, Tholstrup, W Hickmott, Sokol, Morgan.