A flying start by Claremont at the Showgrounds on Monday night paved the way for a 30-point victory over Subiaco which ended a disquieting three-match losing sequence.

And it was the continued excellence of spirited, hard-working midfielders Sam Humphry and Jack Prendiville that kept the Tigers on track, particularly after a dismal second-quarter slump. These two stalwarts have become the mainstays of the side in the protracted absence of Claremont’s WA under-18 representatives.

And no summary of Monday’s win can be written without a special mention of the wonderful silky skills of 16-year-old rover Sam Seton, a youngster destined to make his mark in higher ranks.

Claremont’s win enabled the side to move into third spot on the premiership table. Swan Districts show the way on 32 points and lead from South Fremantle (28), with Claremont, Subiaco and East Fremantle on 20 points. The Tigers have a healthy percentage of 143.08, which puts them ahead of Subiaco (116.90) and East Fremantle (74.19).

Eighteen-year-olds Humphry and Prendiville have not missed a match this season and they deserve praise for maintaining their high standards week after week. On Monday, Humphry took two marks, had 14 kicks, made six effective handpasses, applied three tackles, gained nine clearances from stoppages and delivered the ball into his side’s attacking zone five times.

Prendiville took five marks, had 13 kicks, made eight effective handpasses, laid three tackles and had three clearances and two inside 50s. The brilliant Seton took seven marks, had 16 kicks, eight effective handpasses, five clearances and five inside 50s.

The Tigers were desperately keen to snap out of the doldrums and they left the Maroons floundering in the opening 16 minutes of the match when they piled on 5.2 to nil. Nippy rover Lawrence Evans, resplendent in his bright green boots, booted two of the first five goals, with the others being scored by Scott Trickey, Russell Wynne and Jacob Delaporte.

In the final seven minutes of the quarter Subiaco kicked three goals and Claremont got another off the boot of Alex Manuel after he had accepted a handpass from Evans.

The Tigers, who led by 20 points at quarter-time, lost concentration and their early poise in a miserable second term when they managed just three behinds, while the Lions added four goals to go into the half-time break with an unexpected one-point lead.

The Tigers came out with greater resolve after half-time and the contest developed into an arm wrestle with neither side managing to score in the opening 12 minutes of the quarter before Delaporte drove the ball forward where Isaac Baum took a mark. But Baum’s shot from the right flank crashed into the top of the left goal post.

A minute later Manuel, in the unusual role of ruckman, rose to gain a splendid tap from a boundary throw-in, with the ball going straight to Seton, whose snapped goal put the Tigers six points in front.

In the final minute of the quarter Seton gained possession at a stoppage on the left wing before he surged forward and booted the ball deep into attack where Wynne soared to take a spectacular mark after a Subiaco opponent. The siren sounded and then Wynne popped through a goal from close range to extend Claremont’s lead to 11 points after restricting Subiaco to two behinds in the quarter.

The Tigers maintained their dominance in the final term, adding 4.2 to 1.1 to finish with a comfortable 30-point margin. Defender Francis Watson, Delaporte and Seton combined to get the ball to Wynne for Claremont’s opening last-quarter goal.

Seton was continuing in grand style before he made a rare mistake, turning the ball over with an ill-directed ambitious short pass at half-forward.  Subiaco then swept forward and 30 seconds later it was Seton, after dashing more than 100 metres downfield, who took a mark deep in defence to foil a Subiaco attack.

Just after nine minutes of play Harry Wilkinson sent the ball inside 50, enabling Delaporte to score his second major and four minutes later Wynne scored his fourth goal from point-blank range after some good work from Trickey and Adam Volaric. The ball went back to the centre where Nic Reid and Seton got the ball to ruckman Will McSweeney, whose long kick was marked by Baum for the final goal of the match.

Claremont remained in control for the rest of the contest and it was significant that it was Seton who was still shining in the dying minutes as he passed to Greg Colbung, whose long, low pass was marked by McSweeney. Only a point resulted, but it was a highly commendable performance from the Tigers.

by Ken Casellas

Details:

Claremont 12.10 (82) beat Subiaco 8.4 (52)

Scorers---CLAREMONT: R. Wynne 4.0; J. Delaporte, L. Evans 2.0; I. Baum 1.2; A. Manuel, S. Seton, S. Trickey 1.0; M. Cairns 0.2; W. McSweeney, N. Reid 0.1; 4pts forced. SUBIACO: J. Woodley 3.1; R. McAlister 2.0; A. Swain, J. Underwood, B. Waters 1.0; G. Clark 0.2; 1pt forced.

Best---CLAREMONT: S. Seton, S. Humphry, J. Prendiville, N. Barrow, R. Wynne, S. Trickey, N. Reid, F. Watson, G. Colbung, I. Baum. SUBIACO: A. Summers, B. Evans, T. Edwards, J. Woodley, G. Clark, T. Hooper, A. Swain, J. Hatch.