Claremont Football Club Latest News

FOXTEL CUP: Hamp, McGovern Show the Way

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +1000

By Ken Casellas

Wonderful displays by strong-marking forwards Anton Hamp and Jeremy McGovern were among the most encouraging features of Claremont’s demolition of West Adelaide in a first-round Foxtel Cup match at Subiaco Oval on Saturday.

The West Coast Eagles rookie-listed pair contributed five goals when the Tigers went on a scoring spree in the second half on their way to crushing the visiting side by 101 points. Claremont had 12 individual goalscorers in the 20.10 to 4.5 rout of the West Adelaide side.

Claremont will now meet the winner of next Saturday’s match between Sydney Hills Eagles and Queensland side Mount Gravatt on Saturday June 16 at a venue yet to be decided. The Sydney Eagles and Mount Gravatt will clash in the curtain-raiser to the Sydney Swans-Adelaide match at the SCG.

Also shining in attack against West Adelaide were Ian Richardson, Jack Bradshaw and Ryan Neates.

The 19-year-old Hamp lined up in a forward pocket and at full-forward and he delighted the sparse crowd with his excellent marking skills. He took seven marks, had 12 kicks and finished with 2.2. McGovern pulled down a couple of superb high marks at full-forward and he booted three goals as well showing tremendous promise as a ruckman, leaping high to gain nine hit-outs.

Nineteen-year-old Bradshaw, ever the opportunist, was the most spectacular of the forwards and he finished with four goals, while 24-year-old veteran Richardson was simply outstanding with his spirited efforts.

There was little in the first half to suggest the avalanche of Claremont goals after the half-time break. West Adelaide matched the Tigers pretty well in the first two quarters and the home side led 5.4 to 3.2 at the long interval. But then the floodgates opened as Claremont piled on 15.6 to 3.2 in the second half.

West Adelaide rested several of their key players, but Claremont also spelled regular league players Luke Blackwell, Chad Jones, David Crawford, Paul Medhurst, Jarryd Morton, Mitch Andrews, James Thomson and Byron Schammer.

With Andrews on the sidelines, Claremont used Al Gillespie and McGovern in the ruck and the athletic Gillespie came under notice in the opening minutes when he soared high to gain a decisive knock deep in defence. He tapped the ball precisely to Lewis Stevenson, who was able to boot the ball out of danger.

Kane Mitchell and Alroy Gilligan combined to work the ball forward to Neates for the first goal of the match at the 4min. 20sec. mark and West Adelaide replied three minutes later with a goal to Nick Homburg.

Nick Suban was performing strongly in defence and Gilligan was extremely lively. Tom Lee, Suban and Hamp initiated an attacking move which ended with Gilligan applying great pressure on an opponent to enable Bradshaw to snap his first major.

The ball went back to the centre where McGovern gained the knock and followed it up with a spirited tackle on Brad Kirk to prevent a West Adelaide breakaway. But the visitors were not to be denied and a minute later teenager Mason Middleton took a mark and kicked a goal to get his side within a point of the Tigers.

Trinity Handley again revealed his value as the third man up at a bounce down as he thumped the ball forward to Jake Murphy, who handpassed to Mitchell, whose kick was marked by Hamp.

Hamp booted the ball to Andrew Foster, who snapped truly with his non-preferred left boot. Hamp was in everything and early in the second term he worked strongly to drive the ball forward where Richardson earned a free-kick for a push in the back. But only a point resulted.

The ball was kicked back into play, but sailed out of bounds on the full. Richardson was the recipient of the free-kick and his long shot at goal was marked in the goalsquare by McGovern for his first major.

Alex Silvagni and Tom Willett then came to the fore with some strong defensive work before Hamp gained possession on the left wing and passed to Brad Nisbett, who passed to Richardson. The ball went forward where Bradshaw, front and square perfectly, grabbed the ball and snapped a goal.

The Tigers dominated the third quarter, adding 6.2 to 1.2. Pat McGinnity gained the clearance at the opening bounce, Lee took the mark and passed to McGovern and the first goal was posted with 25 seconds on the scoreboard clock.

Two minutes later Hamp passed to McGovern (aided by a Gerrick Weedon block) for McGovern’s third goal. The next major came three minutes later after handpasses from Gilligan and Neates finished with Gillespie driving the ball to the left pocket where Bradshaw cleverly turned Sam Ezard inside out and slammed home another goal.

Soon afterwards Gilligan, lurking ahead of the play at a midfield stoppage, gained possession and surged down the right wing and took three bounces before kicking his side’s ninth goal.

Handley chopped off a West Adelaide clearing kick and his hurried kick was marked by Lee for another major. It took nine minutes for Claremont’s next goal. The busy Murphy combined with Willett and Stevenson to send the ball to centre-half-forward where Handley took the mark. Handley received a 50m penalty and was able to pop the ball home.

Then it was simply a flood of goals in a one-sided final quarter, with Claremont adding 9.4 to a solitary behind to West Adelaide, a poster to Paul Elisseou just before the final siren.

In the opening minute of the quarter great pressure exerted by Neates at a boundary throw-in resulted in the ball being scrambled forward where the ever alert Bradshaw soccered a goal. Then Aaron Holt received a free-kick which he passed to McGinnity, whose pass found the dynamic Richardson for the left-footer’s first goal.

A move involving Gillespie, Murphy and Silvagni resulted in a goal to Weedon and this was followed by another, to Weedon after a passage of play involving Richardson and Lee.

Richardson got his second after a West Adelaide kick had sailed out of bounds on the full and Hamp got his second after accepting a pass from Handley in the left pocket. Then a left-foot pass from Gilligan to Gillespie brought the Tigers their 18^th goal.

Foster gained the clearance at the centre bounce and his handpass went to Suban, who got the ball on to Richardson, whose long handpass gave Hamp the opportunity to boot his third goal.

Richardson continued to be a dominant force and he won the ball in a congested situation and handpassed to Neates, who used his non-preferred left foot to kick his second goal and Claremont’s second.

Details:

Claremont 20.10 (130) beat West Adelaide 4.5 (29).

Scorers---CLAREMONT: J. Bradshaw 4.0; J. McGovern 3.1; A. Hamp, I. Richardson 2.2; R. Neates 2.0; A. Gillespie, A. Gilligan, T. Lee, G. Weedon 1.1; A. Foster, T. Handley, P. McGinnity 1.0; 1pt forced. WEST ADELAIDE: M. Middleton 1.1; N. Homburg, T. Silverlock, M. Still 1.0; P. Elisseou, K. Nelson, D. Poynton, J. Schiller 0.1.

Best---CLAREMONT: I. Richardson, A. Hamp, J. McGovern, A. Foster, J. Murphy, J. Bradshaw, R. Neates, N. Suban, A. Gilligan. WEST ADELAIDE: T. Slattery, N. Homburg, B. Newton, R. Laird, C. Bonney, K. Nelson, P. Elisseou.

2012 Fixtures

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +1100

Click here to download the 2012 seasons Fixtures

Practice Match

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +1100

By Ken Casellas

A dazzling first-half performance from athletic ruckman-forward Alistair Gillespie was one of the many pleasing highlights of Claremont’s league scratch match against South Fremantle at Claremont Oval on Saturday.

In an inspired second-quarter effort the lanky 22-year-old took two marks, had four kicks, leapt high to gain five effective ruck knocks and also impressed late in the term with a terrific chase to run down and tackle an opponent.

Despite some normal early-season rustiness, the Claremont side was full of enterprise, purpose and spirit. Overall, it was a most heartening display from 24 men who took the field without experienced campaigners Andrew Browne, Luke Blackwell, Andrew Foster, Andrew Ruck, Trinity Handley, Jesse Laurie and Brandon Franz.

Faithful Tigers fans also were delighted at the return of Paul Medhurst, Jarryd Morton and Rory Walton in a contest dominated by Claremont, who emerged victors by 50 points, scoring 17.14 to South Fremantle’s 10.6.

Morton, who has spent the past five years at Hawthorn after starring for the Tigers colts in 2006, excelled in a variety of positions on Saturday and finished with eight marks, 18 kicks and four handpasses. He started on a half-back flank before switching to a wing where he had six kicks in the second term.

Medhurst also gave a sample of his versatility, playing in attack, in the midfield and in defence. His slick ball handling was a feature and he also caught the eye when he was third man up to gain two decisive ruck taps in the second half.

As usual, Kane Mitchell and Jake Murphy were hard-working midfielders, who combined their ball-winning ability with some spirited tackling. Mitchell had 23 disposals and Murphy 14.

Chad Jones moved nicely at full-forward and booted three goals, while Tom Lee played four good, even quarters of football, both in defence and in attack. George Cunningham (11 disposals) and Matt Davies (15) provided plenty of oomph in the midfield, where the tigerish Brad Nisbett tackled vigorously and chased hard.

Jeremy McGovern and Anton Hamp had their moments in attack, with McGovern taking five marks and kicking three goals and Hamp finishing full of running in the final quarter. Their West Coast Eagles teammate Ryan Neates gave further proof of his wonderful natural speed and excellent use of the ball in a lively 15-possession display in attack.

Simon Starling and James Thomson excelled deep in defence and were ably assisted by David Crawford and Aaron Holt.

Claremont dominated the opening quarter when South’s solitary goal, a snap from Ryan Murphy, came at the 24-minute mark. Neates kicked Claremont’s first goal and then a deft Medhurst handpass enabled Byron Schammer to boot the second.

An excellent short pass from Ian Richardson was marked by Alroy Gilligan for Claremont’s next goal and the fourth came after a splendid passage of play involving Murphy, Cunningham, Lee and Thomson, with Lee finishing the move with a long kick forward which saw Jones take a fine contested mark in the goalsquare.

Davies found a purple patch in the second term, during which Gillespie, Morton, Richardson, Murphy, Mitchell, Starling, Thomson, Schammer and Cunningham excelled. But the Tigers added only two goals in this quarter, the first from McGovern, who capitalised on some excellent work from Cunningham and Schammer.

The second came after Gillespie dashed in from the left pocket to cut off and mark a short South Fremantle defensive kick. He played on and snapped truly.

The Tigers raced away in the third quarter in which they piled on 8.2 to South Fremantle’s 2.1.

A Starling, Thomson and Richardson move ended with a Gilligan mark for his second major and some sparkling roving by Jack Bradshaw to brilliant ruck work from Mitch Andrews resulted in two goals to Jones.

At the centre bounce following Gilligan’s goal, Andrews knocked expertly to a quicksilver Bradsahw, whose long kick was marked by Jones. Soon afterwards Neates handpassed to Bradshaw, and then Jones met with interference in a marking duel to notch his third goal.

Goals followed from Morton (after receiving a Neates handpass) and Murphy (after receiving a free-kick). Late in the term it was the Mitchell-McGovern show, with two wonderful kicks from Mitchell being marked by McGovern, who was playing strongly at centre-half-forward against Brendon Gulley.

The Bulldogs gained some respectability when the outscored the Tigers, six goals to three, in the final quarter, with Claremont’s goals coming from Lee (two) and Murphy after the left-footer had accepted a pass from Neates, who had gained possession from a Hamp handpass.

It was a good, solid workout by the Tigers, whose next scratch match will be against Peel Thunder at Rushton Park next Saturday morning.

Details:

Claremont 17.14 (116) beat South Fremantle 10.6 (66).

Scorers---CLAREMONT: C. Jones, A. McGovern 3.1; A. Gilligan 2.1; T. Lee, J. Murphy 2.0; A. Gillespie, J. Morton, B. Schammer 1.2; M. Andrews, R. Neates 1.0; A. Hamp, K. Mitchell, I. Richardson 0.1; 2pts forced. SOUTH FREMANTLE: J. Woods 2.0; T. Bairstow, R. Murphy, S. Tighe 1.1; S. Fielding, A. Grima, K. Miller, M. Olivieri, M. Thompson 1.0; R. Cook, J. Palumbo 0.1; 1pt forced.

Best---CLAREMONT: J. Morton, K. Mitchell, A. Gillespie, S. Starling, J. Thomson, J. Murphy, R. Neates, J. McGovern.

An inexperienced Claremont reserves outfit did well to finish within two goals of the Bulldogs in the early match on Saturday. Among those to show up for Claremont were Tim O’Hara, Keegan Knott, Matt Goyder, Jamahl Bedford, Peter Mark, Kurt Hunter and Eddy Curtin.

Colts: Barass and Reid Excel

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +1100

By Ken Casellas

Tom Barrass and Nic Reid, left-footers at opposite ends of the ground, caught the eye in the Claremont colts squad scratch match against South Fremantle at Claremont Oval.

Barrass, at full-back, was constantly under notice with his spirited play, using spoiling tactics effectively as well as taking a couple of strong contested marks.

Reid sparkled at full-forward, kicking four goals, and big centre-half-forward Jesse Hogan gave further proof of his undoubted ability and weighed in with two goals.

Nippy midfielders Edward McGinty and Kieran Ridley showed touches of magic and look capable of developing into very good players.

The Tigers, who will use several other players on their list in coming practice matches, performed in good style and beat South Fremantle, 15.3 to 7.8.

A move started at half-back with a deft handpass from left-footer Ben Daniher ended with Reid booting the opening goal of the contest with a clever kick from deep in the left pocket. Claremont’s second goal was set up by Tyson Jackson, who held a strong mark at half-forward and then booted the ball to the top of the goalsquare where Jake Luckman took a grand contested mark.

After early second-quarter goals to Jake Anderson and Reid, Reid scored another following a marvellous passage of play involving the busy Daniher, Brendon Lim, Jake Colvin and Hogan. Goals to Bodhi Stubber and Hogan extended Claremont’s lead to 23 points before the Bulldogs fought back with three goals late in the quarter.

The Tigers led 7.3 to 6.4 at half-time before dominating the second half which started with a long kick forward from Jackson being marked by Hogan.

Left-footer Nathan Willmott and Barrass shone in defence in the third term and a wonderful cohesive move down the left flank resulted in Colvin passing to McGinty for a goal.

The next goal came from a clever check-side kick from the right pocket by right-footer Colvin. Ridley, McGinty and Daniher were prominent and Mitch McGovern enlivened proceedings with a dashing burst from left-half-forward to boot a goal and then Jackson Peos got into the act with a great flying tackle on South Fremantle’s Tim Kelly.

Just before three-quarter time Lim, Hogan and Scott Price combined to deliver the ball to Reid for his chalk up his fourth goal. The Tigers got the first three goals of the final term, from Price, Ridley and Tim Rose before Souths ended proceedings with a goal to Sam Rundle from long range as the siren sounded.

McGovern stood out late in the contest with some grand leaps to dominate the ruck duels.

Details:

Claremont 15.3 (93) beat South Fremantle 7.8 (50).

Scorers---CLAREMONT: N.Reid 4.0; J. Hogan 2.0; J. Anderson, J. Colvin, J. Luckman, S. McGinty, M. McGovern, S. Price, K. Ridley, T. Rose, B. Stubber 1.0; T. Jackson, H. Murray 0.1; 1pt forced. SOUTH FREMANTLE: S. Rundle 4.1; L. Burnett, J. D’Vauz, S. Mitchell 1.0; D. Reidy-Croft, J. Tartaglia 0.2; E. Collard, J. Phillips 0.1; 1pt forced.

League: Mitchell Inspires the Tigers

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +1100

By Ken Casellas

Claremont supporters welcomed back Paul Medhurst and Jarryd Morton at Lathlain Park on Sunday, but it was the dynamic Kane Mitchell who stole the show and played a pivotal role in a hard-fought 42-point victory over a spirited Perth side in an opening round 2012 fixture played in energy-sapping heat.

Medhurst and Morton, back after lengthy stints in the AFL system, fitted seamlessly into the Claremont side and delighted the fans with their skilful play. They are tremendous acquisitions to the club which is facing the challenge of attempting to win the league premiership in successive years for the first time since 1940.

With newly-appointed captain Andrew Browne on the sidelines, recovering from ankle surgery, Sandover medallist Luke Blackwell had the honour of leading the side for the first time and he weighed in with a typical polished four-quarter effort.

Blackwell is co-vice-captain with Mitchell, who made light of the enervating conditions with a dashing display on a wing. The fearless 22-year-old was a tireless runner throughout and set up many attacking moves. He was at his best in the final quarter when the game was in the balance.

The Tigers faced a moment of truth when they went into the three-quarter time break with a slender lead of three points. Claremont, led by Mitchell with a ten-disposal final-quarter performance, took charge and piled on 6.4 to Perth’s solitary point to give rookie coach Marc Webb a wonderful result in his first match at the helm.

Mitchell finished with eight marks, 20 kicks, nine effective handpasses and two crunching tackles to earn the accolade of man of the match, just ahead of 30-year-old Medhurst, who was outstanding in a forward pocket where he kicked three goals. He took ten marks, had 16 kicks, made three effective handpassees and laid two tackles.

Morton, making his WAFL league debut (after two years in the Claremont colts side and five years at Hawthorn) was dependable and dashing on a half-back flank and in a pocket.

The most pleasing aspects of Claremont’s play were the manner in which the players rose to the challenge and took charge at the stoppages to provide a steady steam of opportunities in attack and the fact that the side is at a high standard of fitness at this early stage of the season.

However, nothing is achieved without hard work on the training track, diligent planning and a willingness to understand and comply with team structures. Teamwork and unselfish play are essential ingredients which lead to success.

The Tigers, as reigning premiers, go into the 2012 season as the benchmark in the competition. All the other eight sides in the competition will aspire to lower Claremont’s colours. They will plan assiduously to unsettle Claremont in their bids to knock the club from top spot. Therefore, all concerned must be prepared to meet determined challenges every week of the season.

It was most heartwarming to watch the Claremont players fight off a fiercely determined, desperate and dogged Perth side. And it was great to see every single member of the side pull his weight and play a part in the victory.

Once again, the indefatigable Mitch Andrews gave a grand display in the ruck and he received valuable support at bounce-downs and boundary throw-ins at various times from Trinity Handley, Tom Lee, Morton, Jeremey McGovern and Clay McLernon.

Midfielders Blackwell, Jake Murphy, Tom Swift and company all had solid contributions, with Murphy at his bulldog best with four marks, 19 kicks, seven effective handpasses and two wholehearted tackles in the second quarter.

Other midfielders who played mainly on the wings or on the forward flanks chimed in as well, with Fremantle’s Nick Suban making a welcome reappearance with the Tigers and providing plenty of grunt from a wing with a 19-disposal display as well as five strong tackles.

Nineteen-year-old McGovern made an auspicious league debut with four marks and three goals.

Claremont’s tightly-knit defence of Simon Starling, James Thomson, Lewis Stevenson, David Crawford, Morton and Lee performed at a high level and did a fine job in restricting Perth to eight goals. Starling, Crawford and Thomson excelled with their spoiling tactics, Morton was cool, calculating and efficient, Lee is wonderfully versatile and Stevenson gave the side tremendous drive with numerous surging bursts out of the backlines.

So there was a lot to like about Claremont’s style and performance. However, without doubt the Claremont faithful would have been absolutely thrilled with the return of Medhurst, who gave convincing proof that, after a year out of the game, he has lost none of his remarkable ability.

Stationed in a forward pocket, he led astutely, made position cleverly and was a constant danger to the Perth side. He finished with ten marks, 16 kicks, four effective handpasses and two tackles.

It took the Tigers a little while to settle down and Perth had 2.3 on the board before the Tigers opened their account after 17 minutes, with a splendid Andrews ruck tap going to Medhurst, who handpassed to Blackwell, whose pass was marked in a strong contest with Chris Billings by Chad Jones.

The goal to Jones was followed by another six minutes later after McGovern had received interference at a boundary throw-in and was awarded a free-kick.

Suban, Thomson and a lively Ian Richardson combined to get the ball forward to Jones, who handballed to Handley for the first of his three majors to put the Tigers in front late in the quarter.

A defensive error saw Perth reply with a goal to Brennan Stack before Claremont replied with a goal to Medhurst. Morton and Murphy had worked hard to start an attacking move which ended with Medhurst taking a mark, playing on and booting a goal right on the siren.

Medhurst was really firing and he showed a touch of magic early in the second quarter after he had worked strongly on the left flank to boot the ball forward to a contest. He continued running and gained possession of his own kick forward before firing a pass to McGovern 15m out for Claremont’s fifth goal.

Lee and Blackwell were in the thick of things as they worked the ball forward to Richardson, who passed to Handley for the wily veteran to coolly snap a goal with his non-preferred left boot.

Good work from Anton Hamp and Murphy led to Jones gaining possession, and he also went on to his non-preferred left foot to boot his second major.

The Tigers held a 15-point lead at half-time and after goals to Murphy and Medhurst the Tigers held a 16-point lead half-way through the third term. Medhurst’s goal came after Jones had gained possession on the half-forward line and handpassed to Mitchell, who passed to an unattended Medhurst, who marked, played on and notched his second.

Perth rallied grandly and replied with goals to Matthew Rogers and Matthew Moody to get within four points of Claremont, who then attacked incessantly for the next dozen minutes without managing to score.

It was only three points the difference at three-quarter time, but Perth were seriously affected with their interchange bench down to only one fit player.

The Tigers came out full of purpose for the final term. The speedy Ryan Neates began to sparkle on a half-forward flank, Mitchell, Richardson, Medhurst, Andrew Foster and Tom Swift were exploding into action and Starling was leading an almost impenetrable defence.

The Tigers added six goals to nil in the last quarter in an impressive display of exciting team football. Neates had the first goal on the board after two and a half minutes. Swift gained the clearance at the resultant centre bounce and his handpass was accepted by Medhurst, who handballed to Neates, whose handpass enabled McGovern to post his third goal.

Seven minutes later a Perth clearing kick was intercepted by Richardson, who passed to Medhurst for his third major. Then a Crawford spoil saw the ball go to Foster, who got the ball on by hand to Murphy, who fired a pass to Handley for his third.

A Byron Schammer pass was marked by Handley, who handballed to Mitchell for another goal and not long afterwards Swift handpassed to Lee, whose kick to the goalsquare was marked by Schammer for Claremont’s 15thj and final goal. Perth’s only score for the quarter came in the dying moments when a scrambled grubbered kick from the right pocket from Joel Houghton tumbled into the base of the right goalpost to register a behind.

Details:

Claremont 15.11 (101) beat Perth 8.11 (59).

Scorers---CLAREMONT: P. Medhurst 3.3; T. Handley 3.2; J. McGovern 3.0; C. Jones 2.0; K. Mitchell 1.3; B. Schammer 1.1; J. Murphy, R. Neates 1.0; T. Lee 0.1; 1pt forced. PERTH: M. Moody 2.2; R. Young 1.1; P. Bevan, M. Florio, J. Leeson, M. Rogers, B. Stack 1.0; J. Houghton, S. Siekierka 0.2; F. McInnes, K. Ransted, Ash Smith, Alistair Smith 0.1.

Best---CLAREMONT: K. Mitchell, P. Medhurst, L. Blackwell, J. Murphy, S. Starling, J. Thomson, L. Stevenson, D. Crawford, J. Morton, T. Lee. PERTH: Ash Smith, P. Bevan, R. Young, A. Elari, Alistair Smith, M. Florio, M. Tedesco, D. Robinson.

Rudeforth to Ride For Proudlove

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +1100

By Ken Casellas

Clancy Rudeforth has never shied away from a challenge and the 2011 WAFL premiership captain plans to cycle from Perth to Albany in a day to raise awareness for a cause close to the hearts of all involved with the Claremont Football Club.

Warrick Proudlove, a highly-promising young player at Claremont, was seriously injured in a freak accident last July. He was in a coma for several months and currently has only a limited capacity to communicate with others.

Proudlove, who was recruited by Claremont from the North Albany Football Club, is now 20 and the Albany community and the Claremont club have set up a foundation to help his recovery.

He sustained serious head injuries when the car in which he was a passenger hit a tree after another vehicle had hit a horse who had wandered on to Albany Highway, near Mt Barker. He was travelling with friends to visit his family on Friday July 15 last year on a WAFL bye weekend.

“It is important after a tragedy like that to realise that Warrick faces a long road back,” Rudeforth said. “We realise what the family was feeling in the first few weeks and we know how we were all feeling.

“We know how the family is still feeling every day now. I think that people can be quick to forget about things. So it is important as mates and teammates, and as a club, to stay strong and stay supportive.”

The 29-year-old Rudeforth, a practising lawyer, wants his attempt to ride the 410km from Perth to Albany to promote the Warrick Proudlove Donation Fund, set up to raise money for his medical bills.

Rudeforth, who retired after a distinguished 170-match league career following Claremont’s grand final victory over Subiaco last September, is a fitness fanatic and he has been training diligently for his solo ride.

“I have borrowed a bike and I’ve been smashing the hills,” he said. “One session I’ve done was 150km through the hills at the back of Armadale and over to Kalamunda, riding by myself to get used to the solo trip. Another session was over almost five hours, up Reabold Hill 20 times and taking in other hills in the suburbs.”

“I’ve never done much bike riding, but I reckon it’s just a matter of being fit and pedalling. It will be a big challenge, but I think I’ll be able to knock it off.

“The aim of the ride is to raise awareness for the proudiesfoundation.com.au. People will be able to make donations before the ride.”

Rudeforth plans to ride to Albany on Saturday April 21 or April 28. There is a strong possibility that he will choose April 28 when Claremont will be contesting a first-round Foxtel Cup match at Subiaco Oval.

“If I’m going to make it in one day I will have to leave Perth at 2 o’clock in the morning,” Rudeforth said. “It would be nice to arrive in Albany by the end of North Albany’s match that day.”

Taking on considerable physical challenges is nothing new for Rudeforth, who was captain of the Australian under-17 side which toured Ireland for a series of hybrid rules matches against Ireland in 2000 and was captain of the WA under-18 side the following year. A West Coast Eagles rookie for three years, he represented WA against Victoria in 2004

Fearless on the field, his injuries included a broken nose, a fractured jaw and a depressed fracture of the cheekbone.

When he took a year off from football in 2005 he kept fit by running in European mountain ranges and he competed in the famous New York marathon, finishing the 42-kilometre course in three hours, 15 minutes and 32 seconds in 1425^th place in a field of 37,000 runners. He also ran in the Fremantle half-marathon as part of his pre-season football preparation a couple of years ago.

Part of his inspiration for his solo ride from Perth to Albany came from his brother Kingsley, who rode a bike from Sydney to Perth unassisted and alone a few years ago when he had a few weeks up his sleeve. The trip took 27 days.

Rudeforth has made a clean break from football. He plans to travel overseas for a few months this year before attending university in America. He is considering offers from Columbia University in New York and the Fletcher School in Boston.

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League: Tigers Survive Major Scare

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +1100

By Ken Casellas

The East Perth side was not daunted by the reputation of the Claremont Tigers at Claremont Oval on Saturday and the visiting players took 12 more marks, had 26 more kicks, fired out 20 more handpasses and made 20 more ruck knocks.

Normally that would equate to a victory. But bald statistics rarely tell the full story. Claremont, appearing to be coasting with a six-goal lead late in the third quarter, had to hold on grimly to scramble to a four-point win.

It was a major scare for the club whose league side had triumphed by 56 points over Subiaco in the 2011 grand final last September. It was certainly a strong reminder that no side can underestimate the opposition in any game.

The WAFL competition this year looks certain to be highly equable, with no side being able to plan for a comfortable victory. Sides will perish if the players are not fully switched on and prepared to meet a fresh challenge every week.

In saying that, the Claremont side cannot be criticised for any lack of effort. The players gave their all and fought tenaciously to the bitter end. What emerged from the contest was that East Perth is a formidable side that can not be taken lightly.

Without wanting to make any excuses for the close squeak it is fair to point out that the Claremont players had only a five-day break after the opening-round match against Perth in heatwave conditions the previous Sunday when East Perth had a bye.

This obviously played a part in Claremont’s final-quarter fade-out when the side managed only two behinds, to Ian Richardson and Jeremy McGovern, while the Royals added 4.4 after scoring the final goal of the third term.

Every week brings a fresh challenge, and next Saturday the Tigers will travel to East Fremantle Oval to take on the Sharks, who are tipped to be big improvers in 2012. Claremont fans will certainly remember losses by 45 and 25 points to East Fremantle in rounds nine and 22 last season.

Features of Claremont’s performance included the sheer efficiency of centreman Luke Blackwell, the robust and spirited effort from half-forward flanker Ian Richardson, Trinity Handley’s wholehearted contribution and Clay McLernon’s unstinting dedication in his assignment to keep tight wraps on the dangerous Garry Moss.

East Perth had a succession of players (including Craig Wulff, Michael Swan, Moss Freddie Clutterbuck and Cameron Grover) opposing Blackwell at the stoppages. To his credit, Blackwell remained unruffled at all this close attention and emerged as the most influential player on the ground.

Blackwell finished with seven marks, 23 kicks and eight effective handpasses. Ten of his kicks were marked by a teammate, seven others went to a teammate who gained possession. Only one kick (his final kick before half-time) went to an opposition player. His percentage of effective kicks was far superior to that of any other player in the match.

Richardson, given a licence to move up the ground, was a livewire performer with six marks and 22 kicks. His four goals were a major contribution to Claremont’s win.

Slightly taking the edge off his performance were his two shots at goal in the final term which missed the mark, as well as his first and sixth kicks flying out of bounds on the full and three other kicks (his fifth, 21^st and 22^nd) being marked by the opposition. This is by no means a criticism of his wonderful display, but it simply provides a comparison with Blackwell’s efficiency.

Handley is the side’s most versatile player, who shone for much of the match on a wing. He took five marks, had 12 kicks, made seven effective handpasses, drove the ball inside the attacking 50m zone four times, applied four tackles and made two spoils and three ruck knocks.

Claremont scored the first three goals of last Saturday’s match before the Royals got moving. It was the generally highly unobtrusive Blackwell who gained possession in the centre and speared a splendid pass to Byron Schammer for Paul Medhurst to mark Schammer’s kick and boot the first goal after two minutes of play.

A Richardson pass to Chad Jones gave the full-forward the first of his four goals, and Claremont’s third goal came after Brad Nisbett was tackled unfairly and Andrew Foster took the advantage kick. Then it was Schammer to Handley for goal No. 4 and Anton Hamp to Medhurst for the fifth.

East Perth were gaining in confidence and the lead changed hands four times in the opening 11 minutes of the second quarter. Richardson was in dynamic form and after some good work from McLernon and Ryan Neates he was awarded a free-kick and booted his second goal.

Jones got his second after receiving a splendid pass from Foster. Then a Jarryd Morton pass found Jeremy McGovern, who took the mark and then received a 50m penalty to make certain of Claremont’s eighth goal.

Two minutes later Kane Mitchell earned a free-kick in the left pocket. Mitchell converted to extend Claremont’s lead to three goals. The margin grew to 24 points soon afterwards when Richardson snapped truly from the left pocket. This attacking move was started at half-back by Schammer and Hamp and Blackwell combined to get the ball to Richardson.

East Perth replied with a goal to Steven Payne after he had been awarded a free-kick. Claremont then were overwhelmed early in the third quarter as the Royals piled on three goals (to Wulff, Brett Eades and Josh Smith) in the first six minutes.

A forced point followed by another behind (a bad miss by Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls) gave East Perth a one-point lead. Claremont rallied and took charge, adding the next six goals while holding the opposition scoreless. Handley, Blackwell, Richardson, Schammer, Ryan Neates, David Crawford and Jake Murphy were prime movers in Claremont’s surge.

A good passage of play involving Blackwell, Simon Starling, Schammer and Morton resulted in a goal to Neates and it was a Handley pass to Medhurst which saw Medhurst pop through his third goal.

Richardson marked an East Perth clearing kick in the right pocket to chalk up Claremont’s 13^th major. Then Mitchell gained the clearance at the centre bounce, with his handpass going to Schammer, whose long kick saw Jones take a fine contested mark and kick his third goal.

Then an Aaron Holt pass found Blackwell, whose superb pass was marked by Jones for his fourth goal. Two minutes later Blackwell sent the ball forward where Richardson met with interference, was awarded a free-kick and brought up his fourth.

East Perth then trailed by six goals. But Smith reduced the margin to 30 points with a goal at the 29min. 51sec. mark of the quarter.

Almost eight minutes had passed before the first goal of the final quarter came. Payne snapped another goal seven minutes later and four minutes after that left-footer Hayden Crozier earned a free-kick and kicked his second goal to give the Royals a real chance of bringing off an upset.

Two behinds to East Perth followed and when East Perth ruckman Paul Johnson booted the ball to the goalsquare for Adam prior to take the mark --- and kick a goal --- the margin was just four points in favour of the Tigers.

The ball went back to the centre where, typically, it was the tireless Blackwell who relieved the tension by gaining the clearance and booting the ball deep into attack. East Perth rebounded soon afterwards and Holt had the ball in his possession only 25m from East Perth’s goal when the final siren sounded.

Details:

Claremont 16.7 (103) beat East Perth 15.9 (99).

Scorers---CLAREMONT: I. Richardson 4.1; C. Jones 4.0; P. Medhurst 3.1; J. McGovern 1.2; K. Mitchell 1.1; A. Foster, T. Handley, R. Neates 1.0; J. Murphy 0.1; 1pt forced. EAST PERTH: J. Smith 3.2; J. Oakley-Nicholls 2.1; H. Crozier, G. Miss, S. Payne 2.0; B. Eades 1.1; A. Prior, M. Swan, C. Wulff 1.0; K. Monteath 0.2; F. Clutterbuck 0.1; 2pts forced.

Best---CLAREMONT: L. Blackwell, I. Richardson, T. Handley, P. Medhurst, K. Mitchell, C. McLernon, J. Thomson, S. Starling, C. Jones. EAST PERTH: D. Roberton, F. Clutterbuck, C. Wulff, S. Payne, A. Prior, G. Moss, H. Crozier, J. Smith, A. Sweet.

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Colts: Curtin Sets a Fine Example

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +1000

By Ken Casellas

He’s not fancy. He doesn’t possess blinding speed or exquisite skills and he doesn’t fly high to bring down spectacular marks.

But he’s a genuine goer who works hard at the coalface. He fights desperately for the ball, gives his opponent very little latitude and is a real team player.

That’s Claremont pocket rocket Tom Curtin, whose strong work ethic and disciplined approach kept the Tigers within touch of a rampaging East Fremantle side at East Fremantle Oval on Saturday morning.

The Sharks outplayed the Tigers and recorded a splendid 38-point victory which resulted in Claremont dropping out of the top four on the premiership table.

It was a pity that Claremont did not have more players showing the same determination and application as Curtin, whose second efforts deserve great praise.

Claremont did have some real stars on Saturday, none better than the hulking Jesse Hogan, an intimidating figure at centre-half-forward where his strong marking was a feature of the contest.

Little rover Ed McGinty also sparkled and left-footers Ben Daniher and Ben Taylor put in spirited four-quarter efforts.

McGinty delighted the fans with his skill and he was busy in the opening term with five kicks. Hogan, sturdy midfielder Brendon Lim, the will-‘o-the-wisp Jamahl Bedford and hard-working forward Nick Gajewski also excelled in the first quarter.

But East Fremantle were dominant and deserved a 20-point lead at quarter time. Claremont’s solitary goal for the quarter came after 17 minutes when Lim had passed the ball to Hogan in the right pocket where Hogan unselfishly handballed to Gajewski.

A couple of promising forward thrusts by Claremont, involving Curtin, Hogan and Ed Argento and Bedford, McGinty, Hogan and Argento, fell down early in the second quarter and East Fremantle increased their lead with a goal to Alex Howson.

The Tigers had the use of a fresh breeze, but it took them just over seven minutes to post their first goal for the term, a snap from Scott price after receiving a handpass from McGinty.

East Fremantle replied with goals to Brodie Chalwell and Howson to lead 7.5 to 2.4 midway through the term. It was then that Claremont lifted their intensity and kicked the next four goals to go into the half-time break with plenty of hope, trailing by only seven points.

Jake Colvin and Arran Goddard-Nash forced the ball forward and Hogan won the boundary throw-in in the left pocket with a tremendous tap down to Mason Whitehead, who snapped a goal. The 16-year-old Whitehead had been switched from a back pocket to a wing where his lively play played a significant part in Claremont’s revival.

Three minutes later Taylor, Daniher and George Bungey worked the ball forward for a goal to Daniher, who got his second two minutes later with a snap shot after receiving a handpass from Bungey. This move was initiated by McGinty and involved Argento.

Daniher, playing on the ball, gained possession at the resultant centre bounce and got away a hurried tight-foot kick which enabled Lim to get the ball on to Whitehead, who found Hogan for another major.

East Fremantle hit back strongly and centre-half-forward Hogan charged down to Claremont’s half-back line to pull down two grand saving marks in the final couple of minutes.

An early attacking move in the third term involving Taylor, McGinty, Whitehead and Argento fell down, but the Tigers forged forward again as Bronson Leo passed to McGinty, who got the ball on to Hogan, who charged forward like a runaway express train to boot a goal from close range to get the Tigers within five points of the Sharks.

Howson replied with a goal to East Fremantle, but Claremont hit back, with Curtin, Bodhi Stubber, Bungey and Gajewski getting the ball forward to Jordan Law for Claremont’s eighth goal.

However, Marco Paparone got the next two goals to extend East Fremantle’s lead to 18 points. The Sharks threatened again late in the quarter and looked likely to score again as Jordan Dorotich dashed forward towards an open goal. But Jake Anderson lifted Claremont’s spirits with a wonderful wholehearted chase to tackle Dorotich and earn a free-kick.

A goal to Tom Bowey 55 seconds into the final term gave the Sharks a handy 24-point lead. But the Tigers were not to be denied. Whitehead dashed out of defence, passed to Hogan, who got the ball on to Colvin, whose low pass was marked by Jack McPhee about 50m out. McPhee’s goal gave Claremont some hope, but again the Sharks replied, this time with a major to Howson.

Just before the ten-minute mark Taylor earned a free-kick at right half-forward and his pass was marked by Bedford for Claremont’s tenth goal.

But that was to be Claremont’s final score. East Fremantle kicked the final three goals of the contest to win by a handsome margin.

Details:

East Fremantle 15.14 (104) beat Claremont 10.6 (66).

Scorers---EAST FREMANTLE: A. Howson 6.3; M. Paparone 3.3; B. Chalwell 2.0; D. Anthony, C. Fannon 1.1; T. Bowey, K. Schofield 1.0; J. Green 0.2; J. Schleicher, A. Stokes 0.1; 2pts forced. CLAREMONT: J. Hogan 2.1; B. Daniher 2.0; J. Bedford, N. Gajewski, J. Law, J. McPhee, S. Price, M. Whitehead 1.0; J. Colvin, E. McGinty 0.2; 1pt forced.

Best---EAST FREMANTLE: J. Schleicher, C. Fannon, A. Howson, J. Green, A. Paparone, M. Jupp, B. Chalwell, L. Dennis. CLAREMONT: J. Hogan, E. McGinty, B. Daniher, B. Taylor, T. Curtin, N. Gajewski, J. Bedford, E. Argento, B. Lim.

League: Tigers Deliver Early Knockout

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +1000

By Ken Casellas

A dazzling start engineered by ruckman Mitch Andrews and centreman Luke Blackwell left West Perth floundering and paved the way for Claremont’s 45-point victory in oppressive heat at Claremont Oval on Easter Monday.

Andrews consistently outleapt Chris Keunen at the bounce-downs and boundary throw-ins and Blackwell was at his dynamic, creative best in the first quarter when the Tigers piled on 5.5 and held the Falcons scoreless.

This was a knockout blow from which the visitors were unable to recover.

Andrew Foster, returning after injury, Tom Swift, Ryan Neates, Paul Medhurst and Jake Murphy all shone in the opening stanza, while the defenders, led by Tom Lee and including Simon Starling, David Crawford, Jarryd Morton, Pat McGinnity, Lewis Stevenson and James Thomson, proved to be an impenetrable force.

It was a tremendous return to form by the Tigers, who had wilted badly in the second half and were defeated by East Fremantle the previous weekend. Now the side is full of confidence as it faces its next serious challenge, against South Fremantle at Fremantle Oval next Sunday.

Blackwell was the star of the contest with nine clearances (six in the first half) and he finished with four marks, 17 kicks and 15 effective handpasses, while Swift, Byron Schammer, Murphy, Kane Mitchell and Ian Richardson all figured prominently with high tallies on the stats sheets.

Overall, it was a highly impressive and satisfactory performance.

The Tigers were completely dominant in the first quarter and probably should have led by a bigger margin at quarter time after they had penetrated their 50m attacking zone 17 times for a return of 5.5.

It took seven minutes for the opening goal, which came after Gerrick Weedon had worked hard to get the ball to full-forward Chad Jones, who slipped out a deft handpass to the opportunistic Medhurst.

Four minutes later Murphy and Schammer combined to get the ball to Foster, whose unerring pass was marked by Jones, who played on and booted his first major.

Neates was a livewire on a half-forward flank, opposed to Steven Browne, and he snapped a delightful goal after receiving a Weedon handpass, following an excellent mark and long kick from Morton.

The next goal came after Starling got the ball to Neates in the right pocket where Neates cleverly eluded an opponent and popped a little chip kick back to Jones, only 25m out and dead in front. Stevenson again revealed his great attacking flair when he booted Claremont’s fifth goal for the term.

West Perth clawed their way back into the contest with three second-quarter goals, free-kicks to Darcy Barden and Matt Guadagnin and a soccer kick from the goalsquare from Luke Tedesco.

But Claremont remained firmly in control, adding another four goals --- two more to Neates and singles from McGinnity and Murphy. It was great pressure applied by Neates, Weedon and Foster which forced an errant West Perth handpass and enabled Murphy to pounce and kick a goal.

Richardson came out full of gusto after half-time and he was rewarded for a wholehearted tackle with a free-kick to boot Claremont’s tenth goal two minutes after the interval --- and the margin was eight goals. The Cardinals replied with goals to Keunen and Joel Rice, but they were unable to sustain their effort as Richardson, Mitchell, Swift and Schammer were on fire.

Richardson was everywhere. He kicked a point and then marked a Schammer pass for another goal. Neates followed four minutes later with his fourth goal. The heat was taking a heavy toll on players from both sides and 11 minutes went by before the next score, Richardson’s third goal for the term.

The left-footer Richardson was inspirational and quite amazing. Twenty-six minutes into the quarter he chased an opponent on the left wing, tackled him and earned a free-kick. His pass found Mitchell and he then charged forward to accept the pass from Mitchell at left half-forward before slamming home a goal which gave the Tigers a 56-point lead at three-quarter time.

In the third quarter Richardson took two marks, he had seven kicks, made two effective handpasses, effected a spoil and laid two powerful tackles.

Andrews had a well-deserved spell in this quarter and it was most encouraging to watch teenager Jeremy McGovern make five telling ruck knocks as well as applying two tackles in this quarter.

West Perth rallied with the first three goals of the final term, with the second and third of those goals coming from Kody Manning and Michael Pettigrew after they had each received a free-kick and a 50m penalty.

Blackwell, Richardson, Murphy, Schammer, Morton and the hard-running Mitchell got the Tigers going again, while Trinity Handley came to the fore with a spirited performance in the ruck.

One of Handley’s efforts at a centre bounce was outstanding. He gained the knock, recovered to gain possession of the ball before firing out a handpass to Swift, who, in turn, got the ball to Schammer for Claremont’s 14^th goal.

The ball went back to the centre where Handley again gained the clearance, resulting in a mark to Jones. But only a point resulted. A free-kick and a 50m penalty gave the dashing Richardson his fourth major shortly before the final siren.

Details:

Claremont 15.13 (103) beat West Perth 9.4 (58).

Scorers---CLAREMONT: R. Neates, I. Richardson 4.1; C. Jones 2.1; P. Medhurst 1.1; J. Murphy, P. McGinnity, B. Schammer, L. Stevenson 1.0; A. Foster 0.2; T. Handley, K. Mitchell, A. Silvagni, T. Swift, G. Weedon 0.1; 2pts forced. WEST PERTH: M. Pettigrew 2.0; K. Manning 1.1; D. Barden, M. Fowler, M. Guadagnin, C. Keunen, J. Rice, L. Tedesco 1.0; D. Fleay, J. van Berlo, S. Zanetti 0.1.

Best---CLAREMONT: L. Blackwell, T. Swift, R. Neates, I. Richardson, B. Schammer, A. Foster, K. Mitchell, M. Andrews, J. Murphy. WEST PERTH: M. Hutchings, J. Rice, M. Guadagnin, J. van Berlo, J. Salecic, D. Fleay, D. Hunt.

Colts: McGovern's Goals Lift Tigers

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +1000

By Ken Casellas

The decision by coach Ben Dyer to switch Mitch McGovern from a back pocket to full-forward in the final quarter paid handsome dividends when the 17-year-old North Albany recruit played a major role in helping Claremont to come from behind and beat West Perth by eight points at Claremont Oval on Easter Monday morning.

McGovern, who had performed strongly in the first three quarters deep in defence to keep a tight rein on Matthew Johnson, enlivened Claremont’s forward play and he booted three last-quarter goals to deny West Perth a victory they appeared most likely to achieve when they held a 15-point lead early in the last quarter.

McGovern emerged as a hero, but top billing went to Jesse Hogan, Jack Martin and Tom Curtin, each of whom produced tremendous four-quarter performances to keep the Tigers in touch with the Falcons.

Claremont, weakened by the absence of injured influential midfielders Arran Goddard-Nash and Brendon Lim, also were without Jamahl Bedford, Ed McGinty and Hamish Murray, who slept in and failed to attend a compulsory training session on Saturday morning.

The absence of the towering Murray forced Claremont to use star centre-half-forward Hogan in the ruck to relieve Darcy Cameron as well as play in the key attacking position. The powerfully-built Hogan accepted the challenge with aplomb and he was a dominant performer, taking 12 marks, having 17 kicks, making four handpasses, gaining 15 ruck taps and sending the ball inside the side’s 50m attacking zone five times.

Martin, pencil slim, but blessed with graceful talents, entertained the fans with his delightful skills. He, too, got the ball inside the 50m zone five times. He took six marks, had 12 kicks, made six handpasses, applied five tackles and gained five hit-outs.

Curtin, as usual, was a bundle of energy and enthusiasm and much of his tigerish play kept the Tigers within striking distance of the Falcons in the first three quarters. He had 13 kicks, made six handpasses and two tackles. He also got the ball inside the 50m arc six times.

The early-morning dew made conditions somewhat difficult in the opening quarter when Claremont managed 2.1 and held West Perth to a mere two points.

It took nine minutes for the first goal to be posted. It came when Ben Taylor marked a West Perth clearing kick and his long kick from centre-half-forward bounced through the big sticks.

Seven minutes later Hogan held a mark on the right wing and drove the ball forward. It finished out of bounds in the right pocket. From the throw-in it was Hogan, leaping high, who gained a wonderful knick down to Tim O’Hara, who snapped Claremont’s second goal.

Early in the second term Jordan Law, Hogan, Martin and McGovern combined to get the ball to Nick Gajewski in the left forward pocket where Gajewski earned a free-kick. His shot hit the post.

A couple of minutes later O’Hara won the clearance at a stoppage and booted the ball high to the top of the goalsquare where Hogan outmarked West Perth’s Nicholas Rodda from behind before kicking Claremont’s third goal to extend the home side’s lead to 17 points.

However, West Perth lifted and scored the next three goals to take a one-point lead 13 minutes into the quarter. A promising Claremont attack down the left flank involving Curtin, Law and Martin ended with Martin spearing a pass to a leading Hogan. But only a point resulted to bring the scores level.

A late goal to Tom Shadbolt gave the visitors a seven-point lead at half-time. Claremont’s key defenders, full-back Jake Luckman and centre-half-back Bronson Leo, had performed well against the massive Jacob Regan and Drew Rhode, respectively.

Sixteen-year-old Mason Whitehead put in a fine performance on a half-back flank to keep the highly dangerous Brayden Antonio quiet in the first half. Midfielders Ben Daniher and Taylor were busy, while forwards O’Hara, Gajewski and Xavier Malone came under notice with some good work.

The Tigers opened the scoring in the third quarter just after the four-minute mark. Whitehead, now on a wing, earned a free-kick and the pass went to Malone for a goal. West Perth charged forward several times, but many attacking moves were thwarted, with Luke Salamone, in particular, playing with admirable determination.

However, West Perth’s Johnson was awarded a free-kick and his goal increased his side’s advantage to eight points. A goal to Shadbolt put the Cardinals further in front. But Claremont kept themselves in the hunt with two goals in the final three minutes.

The first of these came after Nathan Willmott passed to Hogan, who got the ball on to O’Hara, who earned a free-kick. Soon after that Law got the ball inside 50 and Gaweski passed to Leo, running forward from the half-back line to take the mark 45m out. The siren sounded and Leo then calmly booted the ball home for full points.

Two early goals to the Cardinals saw the visitors leading by 15 points at then 4min. 22sec. mark of the final term and Claremont’s prospects were beginning to look rather bleak.

Enter McGovern, stationed at full-forward and opposed to Luke Meadows. Daniher got the ball forward where Martin fired a great pass to the leading McGovern. McGovern took the mark and kicked truly to give the Tigers hope.

Two minutes later the hard-working Gajewski gained possession after a boundary throw-in in the right pocket and he snapped a goal. Then two and a half minutes later the ubiquitous Curtin seized the ball after a throw-in at right half-forward. He booted the ball forward with his non-preferred left foot and McGovern took the mark before kicking his second.

Seven minutes later a fortuitous soccer kick landed in the arms of Shadbolt, whose fourth goal gave the Falcons a three-point advantage.

Back to the centre for the bounce. Hogan knocked the ball to Martin, who passed to Curtin, whose high kick forward went to Cameron, who received a free-kick for interference. Cameron was wonderfully cool as he slotted home the goal to give the Tigers the lead again.

Hogan again won the tap at the centre bounce and Salomone drove the Tigers into attack. But Claremont missed three scoring opportunities before West Perth’s Ben McNamara soccered a point to reduce Claremont’s lead to two points with 2min. 20sec. remaining.

Claremont gained possession through George Bungey and Law, Willmott, Hogan, Dylan Morgan and Sam Lamont combined to work the ball forward to Mitchell Smith, who dashed forward, took a bounced and passed to McGovern.

McGovern took the mark in the right pocket. The siren sounded. McGovern went back and steered the ball through for his third goal of the quarter.

Details:

Claremont 11.5 (71) beat West Perth 9.9 (63).

Scorers---CLAREMONT: M. McGovern 3.0; T. O’Hara 2.1; N. Gajewski 1.3; J. Hogan 1.1; D. Cameron, B. Leo, X. Malone, B. Taylor 1.0. WEST PERTH: J. Shadbolt 4.0; M. Johnson 3.1; J. Regan, D. Rhode 1.0; S. Browning, K. Ryder 0.2; B. Antonio, C. Chalmers, A. Lynch, B. McNamara 0.1.

Best---CLAREMONT: J. Hogan, J. Martin, T. Curtin, B. Daniher, M. McGovern, M. Whitehead, T. O’Hara, N. Gajewski, B. Taylor. WEST PERTH: A. Lynch, T. Shadbolt, B. McNamara, D. Rhode, M. Johnson, N. Robertson, T. Sutherland.

League: Starling Injury A Grave Blow

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +1000

By Ken Casellas

Nothing dampens the joy of victory more than a serious injury to one of the combatants. Thus the celebrations after Claremont’s splendid ten-goal victory over South Fremantle at Fremantle Oval on Sunday were greatly subdued with the knowledge that Simon Starling had suffered severe damage to his right knee.

The robust and fearless defender ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament and damaged other parts of his knee when he twisted in the goalsquare at the 31-minute mark of the final quarter.

The 22-year-old Starling will have a full knee reconstruction and will be unable to play again this year. His loss is considerable.

This is terrible news for the powerfully-built footballer who was in grand form in Claremont’s first five matches this season. He had fought back with typical uncomplaining determination after suffering bad injuries in the previous two seasons.

He damaged the medial ligament in his knee and was on the sidelines for seven weeks in 2010 and last year complications after receiving a bruised quadriceps required surgery, and that kept him on the sidelines for 12 weeks.

All at the Claremont Football Club send Simon their best wishes for a full recovery. Memories of the time that Starling soared skywards to take a spectacular mark and then kick a goal late in the match at Lathlain Park to help the Tigers snatch victory over the Perth colts side in 2007 are etched in the memory. So, too, are his discipline, determination and his ferocious attack on the football.

It was typical of his intensity and his great application that he did not slacken in the final quarter on Sunday, even when the Tigers held a commanding lead. At the 15-minute mark his full-blooded, wholehearted tackle on Alex Grima foiled a Bulldogs scoring opportunity and earned him a free-kick.

And moments later Starling again repelled a South Fremantle attack, this time with a trademark powerful spoil which enabled Jake Murphy to clear the ball out of danger.

After a somewhat tardy start, when South Fremantle had 2.4 on the board in the opening 13 minutes, during which time the Tigers failed to score, Claremont produced an excellent brand of team football to boot 18 goals to South’s seven to romp to an impressive victory, 18.19 to 9.13.

Again the side had a vast array of scoring avenues and finished with ten individual goalscorers. Mitch Andrews held sway over Sean Tighe and Ryan Murphy at the bounce downs and boundary throw-ins, the Claremont midfield excelled and both the defensive and attacking units performed in fine style.

South Fremantle, full of attacking flair and playing on at every opportunity, began the contest full of sparkle, with lively forwards Paul Mugambwa, Ben Saunders and Jayden Woods threatening to disrupt the Tigers defence.

Claremont gradually steadied and gained momentum and the side’s first goal after 15 minutes of play was the result of some individual brilliance from Gerrick Weedon.

Weedon took an acrobatic one-handed mark at centre-half-back and then his kick was marked by Alex Silvagni, who got the ball on to Ian Richardson in the right pocket. Richardson then hooked the ball back with a delicate chip kick towards the half-forward line to find the hard-running Weedon.

Weedon took the mark and kicked Claremont’s opening goal. The Bulldogs replied with a goal from a grubbered kick from Grima before the Tigers bounced back with the final four goals of the quarter.

After an excellent smother from Kane Mitchell, Ryan Neates pounced on the loose ball at right half-forward, took a bounce and then slammed home a six-pointer.

Luke Blackwell gained the clearance at the centre bounce and handpassed to Neates, who got the ball on to full-forward Chad Jones, whose handpass enabled Mitchell to boot the next goal.

Then a pass from Weedon found Lewis Stevenson, whose kick was marked in the right pocket by Paul Medhurst for the next major. Ninety seconds later Tighe pushed aside Silvagni at a ruck contest and Richardson was shepherded unfairly, resulting in a free-kick to Richardson. The siren sounded and then Richardson, on the boundary line in the right pocket, calmly steered the ball home for Claremont’s fifth goal.

The Tigers continued their dominance in the second term, during which they penetrated their 50m attacking zone 16 times to South’s six, adding 5.5 to the home side’s 1.2.

Almost nine minutes had elapsed before the opening goal of the quarter, from Mugambwa, which levelled the scores. Good work at a stoppage saw Tom Swift handpass to Andrew Foster, who swivelled and sent a short left-foot pass to Trinity Handley for Claremont’s sixth major.

It took another seven minutes for the next goal. Dashing play and two handpasses from defender Aaron Holt set up Foster to pass to Richardson, who found Silvagni next to the left point post. The acute angle was no problem for Silvagni, whose goal extended Claremont’s lead to 15 points.

Blackwell delighted the fans with his skill in stealing the ball from an opponent and then handballing to Jeremy McGovern, who passed to Medhurst. Then Medhurst unselfishly handpassed to Neates for his second major.

Jarryd Morton was shining in defence and his handpass to Tom Lee enabled Lee to pass to Swift, who took the mark and then received a 50m penalty before booting the first of his two goals.

Blackwell gained the clearance at the opening bounce after the half-time interval and he used his left foot to boot the ball forward to Murphy, who got the ball on to Swift for a Claremont goal after just 25 seconds of play.

Eight minutes later a short Blackwell pass found Jones, who popped another short pass to Medhurst for the mercurial one’s second goal. Foster was in sizzling form and he booted a goal after receiving a free-kick and a 50m penalty. Morton and Mitchell also were firing on all cylinders.

It was Morton to Neates to Byron Schammer for Claremont’s next goal (after Schammer had received a 50m penalty). Late in the quarter Medhurst gained possession at right half-forward before he switched play and passed to Neates, who steered home a clever goal from the left pocket.

The home side scored the first two goals of the final quarter, but then Claremont replied with the final four goals of the contest, the first of which came at the 19-minute mark, a Weedon snap from the left pocket after Schammer had gained the clearance at a centre bounce and sent a left-foot pass to the busy Handley.

Then it was Blackwell to Neates to Handley for a Handley major. Blackwell gained the clearance at the centre bounce and after short passes from Weedon and Neates, Richardson managed only a behind.

Neates was in the thick of the action and he sent the ball forward to Richardson, who played on after receiving a free-kick and slammed home his second from close range.

In the 33^rd minute of the quarter long kicks from Lee and Swift resulted in the tenacious, hard-running Mitchell taking a mark in the left pocket and kicking a goal to put the icing on yet another wonderful performance by the hirsute one.

Details:

Claremont 18.19 (127) beat South Fremantle 9.13 (67).

Scorers---CLAREMONT: R. Neates 3.1; T. Handley 2.3; P. Medhurst, I. Richardson 2.2; K. Mitchell, T. Swift 2.1; G. Weedon 2.0; A. Foster 1.2; B. Schammer 1.1; A. Silvagni 1.0; J. Murphy 0.2; L. Stevenson 0.1; 3pts forced. SOUTH FREMANTLE: P. Mugambwa 2.2; S. Burnett, A. Grima 2.0; B. Saunders 1.4; J. Woods 1.1; R. Murphy 1.0; R. Adams 0.2; 4pts forced.

Best---CLAREMONT: K. Mitchell, L. Blackwell, T. Swift, T. Handley, I. Richardson, J. Morton, J. Murphy, A. Holt, S. Starling, B. Schammer, M. Andrews, R. Neates. SOUTH FREMANTLE: K. Miller, H. North, J. Palumbo, S. Tighe, J. Winter, S. Bewick, R. Cook, N. Borovac, A. McCarrey.

Colts: Malone Answers the Call

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +1000

By Ken Casellas

Discipline is a prerequisite of the modern footballer and Xavier Malone’s application in complying with the instructions of coach Ben Dyer was the outstanding feature of Claremont’s wonderful three-point victory over top side South Fremantle at Fremantle Oval on Sunday.

Malone was given the task of playing as a defensive half-forward on talented Bulldogs playmaker Adam Carter. Not only did he accept the challenge and keep Carter quiet, but he kicked four goals.

He struck a purple patch in the second quarter when he scored three goals in a ten-minute burst of brilliance which knocked the wind out of the sails of the unbeaten Bulldogs outfit.

His dedication and highly-encouraging effort earned him the accolade as Claremont’s best player, ahead of other outstanding performers in Jesse Hogan and Ben Daniher.

Hogan was a tower of strength at centre-half-forward and on the ball and the left-footed Daniher was the game’s classiest midfielder, gaining a remarkable 12 clearances from stoppages

The most heartening feature of Claremont’s performance was the way the side responded to the task of overcoming the loss of several regular players, including Jack Martin, Jamahl Bedford, Ed McGinty, Brendon Lim, Mitch McGovern, Mason Whitehead and Nick Gajewski.

Left-footed full-forward Nick Reid made a splendid debut in colts company with a five-goal haul, including the side’s first three goals in the opening quarter.

At the other end of the ground Jake Luckman gave his best performance of the season with a resolute display at full-back where he attacked the ball with gusto and did all the little one-per centers.

A great block by Bodhi Stubber helped Claremont to move the ball forward swiftly, with Reid taking a mark and kicking Claremont’s first goal with the contest nine minutes old.

After some good work from the nippy Jordan Law and Joel Fiegert Reid received a free-kick, but this time his kick was astray and registered a behind. Soon afterwards Dylan Morgan booted the ball long into attack where Reid deftly ran on to the ball and popped through his second.

Mitchell Smith was showing promise on a wing in his debut and an excellent block from Tom Curtin assisted Jake Anderson to get the ball. Anderson passed to Reid, who took the mark dead in front and just under 40m out. But another behind was the result. This was followed by a mark to Tim O’Hara and another point.

Just under two minutes before quarter time, Daniher combined with Morgan and Malone to get the ball to Reid for Claremont’s third goal. The fourth came 90 seconds later after Nathan Willmott passed to O’Hara, who found Hogan in the right pocket. The siren sounded and then Hogan steered the ball through for another major.

South Fremantle battled back to get within six points of the Tigers early in the second term before Malone scored three goals between the eight and 18-minute marks of the quarter. George Bungey was prominent deep in defence and after good work in the midfield involving Willmott, Ben Taylor and Curtin it was Malone to the fore with his long shot sailing through for his first goal.

Jake Colvin showed plenty of dash to get the ball to debutant Luke Rosher, who sent the ball forward for another goal to Malone. Stubber was laid low and left the field of battle on a stretcher.

The Bulldogs stopped the flow with a free-kick and a goal to Dylan Main before Malone got his next goal, courtesy of a free-kick after a good passage of play down the left flank involving Bungey, Hogan and Sam Lamont.

Then South Fremantle hit back strongly with three goals in the space of five minutes to take the lead by a point before the Tigers replied in the dying stages after Malone had sent the ball forward where Law gained possession and booted a goal.

The Bulldogs regained the lead with a goal to Simon Panizza three minutes after half-time. The ball went back to the centre where Hamish Murray won the knock at the bounce down to enable Daniher to boot the ball forward to Curtin. South Fremantle then cleared the ball from the goalsquare, but Malone chipped in to mark the opposition’s clearing kick before booting his fourth.

Arran Goddard-Nash then foiled a promising Bulldogs attack with a crunching tackle on Emmanuel Collard. Morgan followed up with another good tackle.

The game was well and truly in the balance and South regained the lead with a snapped goal to Jarryd Ventris. Luckman, Goddard-Nash and Morgan were working strongly in defence and Lamont applied an excellent tackle on an opponent.

Hogan was now on the ball and his determined work in defence was inspirational. Neither side had managed any sort of score for 12 minutes before Hogan marked at half-back and got the ball on to Smith before Rosher sent it further downfield. Then, from the throw-in in the right forward pocket Taylor and Daniher got the ball to Reid, who snapped his fourth major.

Hogan was in the ruck in the final term and he and Luckman instigated a move early in the quarter which saw Daniher and Bronson Leo get the ball forward to Law for his second goal.

Five minutes later Goddard-Nash enlivened proceedings when he burst down the left flank and took three bounces before sending the ball forward where Reid earned a free-kick in the left pocket before steering home a very clever goal to extend Claremont’ advantage to 18 points at the eight-minute mark.

That was Claremont’s final goal and the Tigers had to fight grimly to keep the Bulldogs at bay. South Fremantle scored the final three goals of the contest. Hogan was a dominant force and Claremont held on to record a splendid victory.

The margin was a mere two points with five minutes remaining. Then, with two minutes left Bungey got the ball to O’Hara, whose pass was marked by Reid, who played on and his shot hit the base of the right goal post to give the Tigers a three-point advantage.

Details:

Claremont 12.9 (81) beat South Fremantle 11.12 (78).

Scorers---CLAREMONT: N. Reid 5.3; X. Malone 4.1; J. Law 2.1; J. Hogan 1.1; T. O’Hara 0.2; 1pt forced. SOUTH FREMANTLE: E. Collard, T. Kelly 2.1; S. Lowrie, S. Panizza 1.1; J. D’Vauz, J. Kyle, D. Main, J. Ventris, M. Warrell 1.0; B. Sokol 0.4; R. Thompson 0.1; 3pts forced.

Best---CLAREMONT: X. Malone, J. Hogan, B. Daniher, J. Luckman, N. Reid, T. Curtin, B. Taylor, T. O’Hara, J. Law. SOUTH FREMANTLE: S. Lowrie, T. Kelly, M. Warrell, R. Miller, D. Hamilton, S. Panizza, E. Collard, N. D’Andrea.

Foxtel Cup Round 5: Claremont vs. West Adelaide

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +1000

foxtel cup round 5: claremont vs. west adelaide

28 April

11:30am

Patersons Stadium

Please see the attached flyer for more information: Foxtel Cup

Go Tigers!

Reserves: Little Things Mean A Lot

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +1000

By Ken Casellas

Claremont were trailing by two points midway through the second quarter of the match at Fremantle Oval on Sunday when South Fremantle’s Brett Hill gathered a loose ball on the half-forward line and was surging goalwards, completely unhindered without an opponent anywhere in sight.

As he was running in to score what seemed to be an inevitable easy goal Claremont wingman Coleman Cristinelli gave chase and ran at top speed in what appeared to be a futile bid to make up so much ground and prevent a goal.

But so hard did Cristinelli chase that Hill was distracted from the task in hand and he scrambled a hurried kick. The ball bounced to the left and rolled through for a point.

That was a defining moment in the contest which was won by 22 points by the Tigers.

Cristinelli did not gain a statistic on the official stats sheet, but he certainly earned the admiration of his teammates and the Claremont supporters. It is this type of selfless act which helps to make a footballer and to mould a good, competitive team. As American singer Kitty Kallen warbled in her wonderful 1954 No. 1 hit song “Little Things Mean A Lot” this particular unselfish effort warmed the hearts of sports aficionados.

And on the subject of unstinting dedication, once again midfielder Brad Nisbett stood out with his determination in the clinches. He worked hard, in and under, all day to help give the Tigers the ascendancy on the ball.

Nisbett’s tally of five tackles was bettered only by hard-working veteran Rory Walton, who laid six tackles in another solid four-quarter performance.

At the other end of the scale --- and proving the glitz and glamour --- were lanky ruckman Al Gillespie and debonair wingman/forward Jack Bradshaw. Each is hammering on the door and pressing hard for league selection.

Between them they kicked seven of Claremont’s 16 goals and provided the fans with an abundance of enjoyment with their distinctive and unique styles.

Alroy Gilligan also comes in the Gillespie-Bradshaw category. His magic is more sublime.

Gilligan is gradually reaching his best form and he did well to get the ball into his side’s 50m attacking zone three times. Others to penetrate the 50m area included (Gillespie and Cristinelli (five each), the impressive Hugo Breakey (four) and Bradshaw and Anton Hamp (three each).

The home side got away to a flyer and had two goals on the board after five minutes. But then Gilligan gave a sample of his wizardry as he coolly snaffled the ball from the hands of an opponent and sent a left-foot pass to Bradshaw for Claremont’s opening goal.

Then a Breakey pass to a leading Gillespie gave the towering one his first major. Two minutes later Richard Cronin and Jesse Laurie combined to get the ball to Hamp, whose pass was marked by Bradshaw, who calmly booted a goal from long range at left half-forward.

A Cristinelli pass to Bradshaw, on the boundary line at left half-forward, resulted in Claremont’s fourth goal.

A goal to Nick Carlson gave the home side a four-point lead early in the second term before Gillespie, charging like an uninhibited, unbridled galumphing bush brumby, chopped off a Bulldogs pass in defence by effecting a great spoil, gaining possession, galloping forward, taking a bounce and then booting a magnificent major.

South Fremantle scored the next two goals to lead by eight points before Hamp booted the ball high towards goal where Jordan Aitken was nudged aside unfairly. Aitken was awarded a free-kick and made Souths pay with by scoring a goal.

Claremont regained the lead in the closing moments of the first half when Nisbett, under pressure at right half-forward, sent the ball high to the hot spot where Walton took a chest mark. The siren sounded and Walton calmly kicked a goal.

It was good work by Hamp early in the third term that led to Claremont’s eighth goal. Hamp chased hard to put pressure on an opponent and then gain possession before his handpass to Tom Willett resulted in a goal.

Four minutes later Breakey marked a South Fremantle clearing kick and sent a pass to Aitken, who marked in the right pocket and then kicked his second goal.

George Cunningham and Matt Davies combined well for Richard Cronin to get Claremont’s next goal, and this was followed in quick succession by goals to Andrew Ruck and Willett.

Ruck’s goal came at the end of a splendid passage off play involving Keifer Yu, Cunningham, Jake Johnson, Nisbett, Cristinelli and Sam Fong. And then handpasses from Yu and Walton set up Willett’s second major which increased Claremont’s lead to 29 points.

A free-kick and goal to South Fremantle captain John Sgherza late in the third term saw the Tigers start the final quarter with a lead of 25 points which was reduced to 19 points in the opening minute of the last quarter after a goal to Carlson.

The Tigers replied within three minutes after a Bradshaw pass to Gillespie. Then a splendid left-foot Gillgan pass to Johnson resulted in a behind. Matt Goyder marked the South Fremantle kick-in and booted a goal.

Gilligan continued to be lively and he handballed to Cristinelli, whose pass was marked by the mercurial Gillespie, who played on and slammed home his fourth major to increase Claremont’s lead to 35 points. Gilligan gained the clearance at the resultant centre bounce and his left-foot pass went straight to Ruck before the attacking move fell down.

South Fremantle scored the next four goals, with the final three coming after Claremont had given away free-kicks and conceded three 50m penalties. However, the Tigers finished on an upbeat note with Johnson passing to Gilligan in the left pocket for Claremont 16^th goal.

Details:

Claremont 16.14 (110) beat South Fremantle 14.4 (88).

Scorers---CLAREMONT: A. Gillespie 4.1; J. Bradshaw 3.3; J. Aitken, T. Willett 2.0; R. Walton 1.1; R. Cronin, A. Gilligan, M. Goyder, A. Ruck 1.0; A. Hamp 0.4; J. Johnson, K. Knott 0.1; 3pts forced. SOUTH FREMANTLE: N. Carlson, L. Collard, J. Sgherza, K. Smith 2.0; L. Harvey 1.1; D. Hayward, J. Mirco, H. Schloithe, M. Thompson, H. Woods 1.0; 1pt forced.

Best---CLAREMONT: A. Gillespie, J. Bradshaw, B. Nisbett, A. Gilligan, H. Breakey, J. Laurie, R. Walton, C. Cristinelli, B. Franz, T. Willett. SOUTH FREMANTLE: J. Maiorana, M. Thompson, R. Davis, L. Harvey, N. Carlson, A. Doughty, K. Smith, J. Sgherza.

Garnduwa 2012 Kimberley Trip

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Garnduwa 2012 Kimberley Trip

Claremont District and Football Club Promotions and Development Officer Mitchell Harvey recently travelled to Claremont Country Region in Kimberley to assist the Garnduwa staff with the Auskick Gala Day football clinics. Around 400 year 4 to year 7 students from 20 schools and communities throughout Derby, Halls Creek, and Fitzroy Crossing took part in the clinics.

Temperatures rose to around 40 degrees in Halls Creek and Fitzroy, but that did not dampen the enthusiasm. Kids were quickly split into groups of 15-20 and joined together with a different school or community. Each group spent 15 minutes on one of the eight skill stations set up on the ovals. When time was up, participants then rotated to the next station where a staff member taught the next skill and fun game. After a quick lunch break and BBQ, the boys and girls were split into groups to play a 30 minute game of Eagles Faction Footy. This routine was followed for the next 3 days.

Storms and heavy rain affected the final Auskick Gala Day in Derby with only 50 students from Looma, an aboriginal community 120 km south of Derby attending. Harvey and Garnduwa’s Sport and Recreation trainee, Imran, split the kids into two groups and took them for a one hour footy clinic on a flooded Derby oval. Here they practised basic kicking, handball, and marking skills. At the end of the clinic, all of the participants played a thirty minute game of Eagles faction footy. The highlight of the game came when a Year 6 Girl from Looma took a specky.

Overall Harvey viewed the week as an amazing experience and great learning opportunity. A big thank you must go out to West Kimberley Football Development Officer Michael Farmer and the Garnduwa staff for a very well ran and successful week.

Handley's Milestone

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +1000

By Ken Casellas

Trinity Handley exemplifies the true meaning of versatility. The only position he hasn’t played in during his first 149 senior matches for Claremont is as a rover.

He has shone as a key defender, a key forward, in the centre, on the ball, in the ruck and on a wing. You name a position, and he’s been there.

The mild-mannered 28-year-old will notch his 150th senior appearance for the Tigers when he leads the side into battle against Swan Districts at Claremont Oval on Saturday and will be rewarded with life membership of the Claremont Football Club.

Handley started at Claremont in the colts side in 2001 and was captain of the colts under coach Ash Prescott the following year when his teammates included Chad Jones, Rory Walton and Brandon Franz.

He graduated to the reserves side (under coach Simon McPhee) in 2003 and made his league debut in the round one match against Peel Thunder at Rushton Park in 2004. He has been a regular league player every year since, apart from 2010 when he worked for the Clontarf Academy in Victoria and had a season playing with Port Fairy in the Hampden League.

Handley, who finished third behind Luke Blackwell and Chad Jones in Claremont’s fairest-and-best award in 2009, returned to Claremont for the 2011 season and achieved a long-held ambition when he was a member of the side which beat Subiaco in the grand final for the club to end a 15-year premiership drought.

Claremont’s football manager Dean Horsington praised Handley for his contribution to Claremont, saying: “He has been a revelation since returning to the club last year. He’s so versatile, he can play forward, mid or back, and to have a player like that is a great asset to the team.

“He is one of the nicest and most respectful players we’ve had at Claremont in my time at the club. He plays the game hard and it is fantastic to see Claremont players reach 150 games. That’s the aim of the club, to try to have players achieve 150 games and become a life member.

“It doesn’t happen that often in the WAFL these days, so it is a credit to Trinity. To come back and slot back the way he has is a true reflection on his character.

“He is in the leadership group and has really stepped up in that area. He’s a quiet sort of guy, but he knows he has had to step up and he has led by example at our pre-season camp and has continued to lead as a senior player.”

Claremont coach Marc Webb admires Handley’s ability, his professionalism and leadership qualities.

Webb was an assistant league coach with Subiaco last year and he said that the Lions held Handley in the highest regard. “The big thing about Trinity was that he was one of the players we were most concerned about, because he is so hard to match up on, and he regularly kicks two or three goals against you,” he said.

“He sort of just comes out of the woodwork and can kick three goals in about five minutes, and you don’t really know how to stop him.

“This year he has been one of our most consistent players. He has been in our top three or four quite regularly. He is a great team player and if you ask him to play a certain role he does it to the letter.

“It’s no frills, no questions asked. He’s a guy you go to and say we need you to do this and he says ‘great, no problems.’

“He is one of those guys who puts the team before himself on every occasion. He’s not outspoken or a ranter and raver, but when he speaks the players listen. He believes in what he says and is held in great regard within the playing group.

“He is well respected because of his actions on the field and his application to training. He is so reliable and always puts in 100 per cent.”

Life in football hasn’t always been plain sailing for Handley, who has overcome a series of setbacks, including a fractured fibula, a broken hand, a broken toe, a fractured cheekbone and various stress fractures. That has all been just part of the game.

Trinity Handley exemplifies the true meaning of versatility. The only position he hasn’t played in during his first 149 senior matches for Claremont is as a rover.

He has shone as a key defender, a key forward, in the centre, on the ball, in the ruck and on a wing. You name a position, and he’s been there.

The mild-mannered 28-year-old will notch his 150^th senior appearance for the Tigers when he leads the side into battle against Swan Districts at Claremont Oval on Saturday and will be rewarded with life membership of the Claremont Football Club.

Handley started at Claremont in the colts side in 2001 and was captain of the colts under coach Ash Prescott the following year when his teammates included Chad Jones, Rory Walton and Brandon Franz.

“It doesn’t happen that often in the WAFL these days, so it is a credit to Trinity. To come back and slot back the way he has is a true reflection on his character.

Claremont coach Marc Webb admires Handley’s ability, his professionalism and leadership qualities.

“He sort of just comes out of the woodwork and can kick three goals in about five minutes, and you don’t really know how to stop him.

“It’s no frills, no questions asked. He’s a guy you go to and say we need you to do this and he says ‘great, no problems.’

“He is well respected because of his actions on the field and his application to training. He is so reliable and always puts in 100 per cent.”

Handley said that when he made his league debut just over eight years ago he had no thoughts of reaching the 150-game milestone.

“To tell you the truth it was just a matter of thinking about the next game and I have carried that mindset throughout my career, just thinking about the next task at hand.

“I didn’t set out to play 150 games, but now that I’ve got there it’s a great honour. Claremont is a fantastic football club and I feel lucky to be part of it.”

Handley is not thinking ahead and planning to increase his tally of senior matches to 200. But there is a very good chance he could reach that milestone.

“I’ll just take every year as it comes,” he said. “Physically and mentally I’m feeling really good and as long as I’m positively contributing to the team then there’s no reason why I can’t continue. I’ll just assess things at the end of each year.”

Handley, who has worked as a horticulturist and landscape gardener, is now concentrating on studying anthropology, politics and French as part of an Arts degree at the University of WA.

He also works as a manager and supervisor for a concreting company in Kewdale and is able to fit in his study and football commitments, thanks to a most understanding employer. After graduating from university, Handley would love to continue the type of work he has done for Clontarf (as a mentor to young indigenous lads).

“I would like to work for a non-Government organisation or an aid organisation,” he explained.

A self-effacing character, Handley said he was mindful of the support of everyone at Claremont and those close to him who have helped him reach this point of his football career.

“I know that it is not just me getting to this stage,” he said. “It is a reflection of the help and sacrifices of others.”

Bark In The Park

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Don't miss your chance to enjoy footy with your dog at our next game versus Subiaco!

Details are listed below.

Please see the map below which designates where you can bring your dog to enjoy the game with you.

Naidoc Design Jumper Competition

Thu, 03 May 2012 00:00:00 +1000

The Claremont District in partnership with the Claremont Football Club is giving all primary schools in the District the chance to design the guernsey for the 2012 NAIDOC game against South Fremantle, to be played on Sunday July 1.

The winning school will be presented with a framed jumper at a school assembly during the week leading up to the game (NAIDOC week).

The competition is open to all students from Year 1 through to Year 7 at schools in the Claremont District.

Art work must be front and back on the template provided, with suggested colours including dark yellow, orange, red, green, blue, black, grey and white.

Click to download more information and the guernsey template.

All jumper designs must be returned to PO Box 59, Claremont, 6910 by no later than 5pm, Wednesday 16th May.

For more details contact Sam Cousens on 9384 9200 or sam.cousens@claremonttigers.com

League: Tigers Show Their Class

Sat, 05 May 2012 00:00:00 +1000

By Ken Casellas

Claremont teetered on the brink of defeat when a rampaging Subiaco side got to within nine points of an injury-ravaged Tigers team nine minutes into the final quarter of the match at Leederville Oval on Saturday.

Claremont were in obvious trouble, starting the last quarter with Andrew Foster and Jarryd Morton ruled out with injuries and Tom Lee on the bench, nursing bruised ribs.

However, the Tigers produced a remarkable fighting effort to seize control and completely overrun the Lions, piling on 8.3 to Subiaco’s 2.0 in the next 22 minutes to storm to a wonderful 48-point victory which kept the side at the top of the premiership table. This was Claremont’s seventh win in a row against Subiaco.

Foster twisted a knee when tackled early in the second quarter and, sadly, he will be out of action for several weeks. Morton was laid low by a kick to his calf.

After Foster was unable to continue this left Claremont with only three men on the interchange bench and experienced star Paul Medhurst came to the party, vacating his spot in a forward pocket to take his turn in the midfield rotations. He became an influential performer and his effort in sending the ball into his side’s 50m attacking zone seven times played a significant part in the win.

Star forward Ian Richardson also maintained his grand form and he not only continues to be a reliable goalkicker, but he has been given the licence to move downfield. He got the ball inside 50m five times.

Medhurst and Richardson each booted three goals, as did Lee, Kane Mitchell and Ryan Neates, with the Tigers finishing with 11 individual goalkickers --- a splendid result in the absence of full-forward Chad Jones, who was unable to play after spraining his right ankle in a training drill on the Wednesday night before the match.

The Tigers started full of purpose, with Tom Swift gaining the clearance at the opening bounce and Brandon Franz under notice early with a strong mark deep in defence. Medhurst scored the first of Claremont’s 22 goals with a clever snap just before the three-minute mark of the first quarter. Jeremy McGovern got the next a couple of minutes later and two splendid tackles by Gerrick Weedon and one by Jack Bradshaw were a sure indication that the Tigers meant business.

A handpass from Jake Murphy and a quick kick to the goalsquare by Mitch Andrews resulted in Neates roving astutely and snapping a goal. Subiaco scored the next two goals to reduce the margin to six points. Another excellent tackle earned Weedon a free-kick and his pass was marked by Richardson for the first of the mercurial left-footer’s three goals in the space of six minutes.

Byron Schammer, busy on a wing, passed to Richardson for his next major. Blake Broadhurst replied with a goal to Subiaco and then Blackwell gained the centre clearance, handballing to Murphy, who drove the ball forward where Richardson was awarded a free-kick for his third goal.

Bradshaw took a fighting mark at centre-half-forward, but only a point resulted. And then in the dying moments of the quarter a move involving Lewis Stevenson, Aaron Holt and Franz ended with Mitchell taking a mark deep in the left pocket. Mitchell passed the ball back to Blackwell at half-forward and the 2011 Sandover medallist booted a goal right on the siren to give Claremont a handy four-goal lead.

Lee cleverly intercepted a Subiaco handpass to score Claremont’s first goal in the second term before the Lions bounced back with the next two goals. But the Tigers reasserted their authority with the final three majors before half-time, these coming from Neates, Mitchell and Lee, with Medhurst playing a major role in the final two goals.

Medhurst started the third term on the ball and handpasses from Blackwell and Swift resulted in him scoring his second goal 40 seconds into the quarter. Then a Blackwell pass found Lee, whose kick was marked by Medhurst, whose shot hit the post to give the Tigers a 35-point lead.

However, Subiaco rebounded and hammered home the next four goals to reduce the margin to 11 points. The Tigers steadied and scored the final two goals of the quarter, these coming from Bradshaw (after accepting a pass from David Crawford) and Neates (a long shot after receiving from Mitchell).

Rhett Kerr was proving quite dangerous in attack for Subiaco and early goals in the final quarter to Brant Chambers and Reece Blechynden got the Lions to within nine points of the Tigers and threatening to take control.

But the Claremont players responded grandly to the challenge and scored eight of the next ten goals. Mitchell, Blackwell and Murphy all went up a notch to give the Tigers a marked ascendancy in the midfield battles. A centre clearance to Mitchell enabled Bradshaw to handpass to Blackwell, who coolly took a bounce and steered home his second major.

Two minutes later Trinity Handley handpassed to Bradshaw, who fired a pass to Murphy for another goal. Handpasses from Blackwell and Swift followed by some good work from Stevenson, Weedon and Lee ended with a bounce down at half-forward where Lee received a free-kick which he converted into his third major.

Weedon was in everything and his pass to Blackwell saw Blackwell pass to Medhurst, who booted a goal from long range. Andrews, Franz and Medhurst combined for a goal to Mitchell and then Handley gained the clearance from the resultant centre bounce --- and Schammer got his first.

A handpass from Andrews enabled Medhurst to pass to Weedon for another goal and the side’s final goal came after passes from Crawford to Richardson to Mitchell.

Mitchell slotted home his third major to put the finishing touches on yet another wonderful performance. He finished with 18 kicks, seven handpasses, four tackles and five inside 50s.

Details:

Claremont 22.11 (143) beat Subiaco 14.11(95).

Scorers---CLAREMONT: P. Medhurst, I. Richardson 3.2; T. Lee, K. Mitchell, R. Neates 3.0; L. Blackwell 2.0; J. Bradshaw 1.3; J. McGovern, B. Schammer 1.1; J. Murphy, G. Weedon 1.0; M. Andrews, T. Swift 0.1. SUBIACO: B. Chambers 3.1; R. Kerr 2.2; B. Broadhurst 2.1; C. Deluca 1.2; R. Blechynden, J. Bristow, D. Headland, C. Sinclair, M. Smthye, R. Waters 1.0; G. Hampson, R. Wade 0.1; 3pts forced.

Best---CLAREMONT: K. Mitchell, L. Blackwell, P. Medhurst, B. Schammer, J. Murphy, I. Richardson. SUBIACO: A. Parker, C. Sinclair, R. Blechynden, R. Kerr, B. Chambers, J. Bristow.

Colts: McGovern Excels in Attack

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 +1000

By Ken Casellas

Seventeen-year-old Mitch McGovern gave further proof of his wonderful versatility when he shone as a high half-forward and made a significant contribution to Claremont’s 16-point victory over Subiaco at Leederville Oval on Saturday morning.

McGovern played solidly at centre-half-back in Claremont’s previous match, against Swan Districts, and also performed in capably in earlier matches when used in a back pocket and at full-forward.

McGovern did well to take seven marks against Subiaco. He had 16 kicks and made two effective handpasses, but the most significant statistic is the one which revealed that he had sent the ball into Claremont’s 50m attacking zone seven times.

In another revolutionary move, Claremont coach Ben Dyer switched the powerfully-built Jesse Hogan from his customary position at centre-half-forward to centre-half-back where he turned in another excellent performance before he was used as a ruckman with telling effect in the final quarter.

Hogan’s absence from the forward line placed extra responsibility on Tim O’Hara, who gave a most encouraging glimpse of his potential by taking eight marks, five of them contested.

Shannon Taylor again was a star, taking five marks, having a match-high tally of17 kicks, penetrating the 50m zone six times and gaining a match-high tally of eight clearances at stoppages. He is on the brink of a tremendous career in football.

Tigerish midfielder Tom Curtin again was a constant driving force and the diminutive Jordan Law was lively both in attack and on the ball. Curtin continues to delight Tigers supporters with his desperation and his fierce commitment.

McGovern got Claremont away to a flying start when he earned a free-kick and booted a goal with the contest just 78 seconds old. This followed a handpass from Dylan Morgan and kick from the imperspicuous Nick Reid.

A long kick from captain Ben Taylor was marked in grand style by O’Hara, who got the second goal on the board. Not long after that O’Hara met interference in a marking duel and was awarded a free-kick. The lurking Reid gleefully took the advantage free-kick and popped through another goal.

Winger Mason Whitehead passed to Shannon Taylor, who got the ball forward to O’Hara, whose handpass gave Ben Taylor the opportunity to unleash a typical long kick with his trusty left boot for Claremont’s fourth goal for a 4.6 to 0.0 scoreline.

The Maroons finally got a goal on the board in the 21^st minute and were lucky to be trailing by only 26 points at quarter-time. The Tigers had been most wasteful, scoring 4.9 after going into their attacking 50m zone 19 times to Subiaco’s three. Late in the quarter half-forward Xavier Malone impressed when he smothered a kick off the boot of Subiaco’s Bill Fetherstonhaugh, forcing the ball to dribble out of bounds.

The Tigers were smartest into stride in the second quarter. Malone passed to Morgan and then Reid moved the ball further forward where McGovern pulled down an excellent high mark before Reid became involved again and set up a goal to Curtin.

Reid scored the next goal, from a free-kick after O’Hara had pumped the ball long from right half-forward to the hot spot. Soon after that Curtin passed to Shannon Taylor, who booted the ball forward where O’Hara competed strongly for the mark and brought the ball to ground, enabling Law to swoop and kick Claremont’s seven goal.

A Scott Price handpass to McGovern set up the next goal, from a free-kick to Reid a few metres out. Nathan Willmott, Malone and McGovern were prominent late in the term, but no further goals were scored and Claremont led, 8.14 to 3.5 at the long interval.

The Tigers appeared to be racing right away with the first two goals of the third quarter, the first coming after wingman Bronson Leo had booted the ball forward where O’Hara took the mark. Then Hogan, George Bungey and Ben Taylor combined to get the ball to McGovern, who scored his second goal after receiving a 50m penalty.

The lead had ballooned out to 53 points. But suddenly Subiaco burst into life and in just under five minutes the home side added four goals while holding Claremont scoreless. It was then that Morgan was forced to leave the ground, suffering from a knee injury and in a reshuffle, Hogan was switched into the ruck and Willmott moved from attack to replace Hogan at centre-half-back.

A goal on the siren to Subiaco’s Cody Grace reduced Claremont’s lead to 22 points, and after the home side had scored the first two goals of the final term the Tigers appeared vulnerable with a dwindling lead of just nine points.

Then some strong work from Curtin and Arran Goddard-Nash put the Tigers into attack where Joel Fiegert seized an advantage free-kick and kicked a goal to stem the tide. This was followed by another goal a couple of minutes later after Tom Bowering had taken a chest mark from a Shannon Taylor pass.

Then only one more goal was scored in the final 13 minutes, this going to Subiaco’s Grace. The victory consolidated Claremont’s position in third place on the premiership table, behind South Fremantle and East Fremantle.

Details:

Claremont 12.20 (92) beat Subiaco 11.10 (76).

Scorers---CLAREMONT: N. Reid 3.3; M. McGovern 2.3; T. O’Hara 2.2; T. Curtin, J. Law 1.2; T. Bowering 1.1; J. Fiegert, B. Taylor 1.0; B. Leo, D. Morgan, A. Morgan-Hobbs, S. Taylor 0.1; 3pts forced. SUBIACO: C. Grace 3.1; K. Halligan 2.1; J. Bestry 2.0; D. Clarke 1.1; J. Garcia, B. Paulitz 1.0; C. Wilkinson 0.2; K. Grieves, D. Madut, D. Sheed 0.1; 2pts forced.

Best---CLAREMONT: M. McGovern, S. Taylor, T. Curtin, J. Hogan, J. Law, T. O’Hara, J. Colvin, M. Whitehead, N. Reid, A. Goddard-Nash. SUBIACO: J. Garcia, D. Madut, D. Sheed, M. Turner, C. Le Fanu, C. Grace, J. Bestry.

Reserves: Yu, Nisbett Show The Way

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 +1000

By Ken Casellas

One of the joys of supporting the Claremont reserves side is watching the great determination of midfielders Keifer Yu and Brad Nisbett.

The 21-year-olds are vital cogs in the Claremont machine, constantly attacking the ball with unbridled gusto. Neither is blessed with sizzling speed nor do they excite the fans by taking towering marks, but they set a marvellous example with their wholehearted endeavours in the thick of the action.

Yu and Nisbett were two of the chief architects of Claremont’s 88-point victory over Subiaco at Leederville Oval on Saturday when the Tigers had 13 individual goalscorers.

Tackling, blocking and burrowing in to get the ball in heavy congestion are features of Yu and Nisbett’s game, while they leave much of the glamour to the two AGs --- Al Gillespie and Alroy Gilligan.

The Lions lined up with five former Tigers in their side and they made a tawdry start, managing to penetrate their 50m attacking zone only three times in the opening quarter which saw Claremont fritter away many scoring opportunities after going inside the 50m zone 14 times for a result of only 4.5.

It took just over five minutes for the Tigers to post their first major, from Nisbett after he had gained possession from a boundary throw-in on the left flank. Debutant Aaron Thomas, from the Broome Saints, came off the interchange bench about eight minutes after the opening bounce and took up station on a half-back flank where he caught the eye immediately with a deft handpass to Tom Taylor.

The next goal came after winger Chaz Flint had booted the ball forward where Gillespie contested strongly for the mark. Keegan Knott seized the crumbs and handpassed to Hugo Breakey. The second goal was posted after 12min. 40sec. of play.

Then Jordan Aitken received a free-kick and passed to Yu, who took the mark, played on and booted a goal. Rory Walton got the next shortly afterwards. Yu was inspirational and was in everything. He earned a free-kick after a vigorous tackle which stopped Subiaco’s Michael Genovese in his tracks. Moments later Yu effected a tremendous spoil on an opponent and he finished the quarter with seven kicks, including two clearances from stoppages.

Nisbett’s three kicks were all gained at stoppages, Andrew Ruck was dominant in the ruck, Flint was busy, Jesse Laurie was in grand form in defence and Aitken was shining in attack with three marks and five kicks.

As if on cue, Yu gained the clearance at the opening bounce of the second term and soon after that he applied a bone-crunching tackle on Subiaco’s Martin Smith. It was all Yu as he then held a great contested mark. But it took 12 minutes for the first goal of the quarter when Anton Hamp received a free-kick and Gillespie took the advantage free and dribbled the ball through from a couple of metres out.

Hamp was providing great focal point in attack and he scored the next two goals, the first after some good work from Nisbett, Knott and Aitken and the second after receiving a superb pass from Yu, which followed a great tackle by full-back Lachlan Davey, who halted the progress of Rowen McDonnell.

Subiaco replied with two goals late in the quarter to go into the half-time break 27 points in arrears.

The Tigers dominated the third term, adding seven goals to Subiaco’s two. Laurie, on a flank, and Richard Cronin, alternating between centre-half-back and full-back, continued to repel Subiaco attacks.

A strong tackle on Subiaco’s Smith earned Jake Johnson a free-kick, which he converted into a goal. Good work by Nisbett, Walton and Gillespie resulted in a snap for a goal from Knott, roving astutely, front and centre. Then Gilligan passed to Clay McLernon for another major.

Laurie and Gilligan provided the springboard for the next attack. Knott was taken high and he made the most of the free-kick with his second goal. Another free-kick provided Knott with his third goal of the quarter.

Luke Falconer darted in to intercept and mark a Subiaco clearing kick for Claremont’s 13^th goal and Nisbett got his second just before three-quarter time.

It was one-way traffic in the last quarter, with the Tigers adding 5.2 to Subiaco’s solitary point. Hamp flew high to mark a kick from Aitken and then Laurie gleefully ran on to the loose ball to pop through a goal at close range.

Yu, Gilligan, Hamp and Gillespie joined forces to get the ball forward where Sam Fong received a free-kick and then a 50m penalty before he kicked Claremont’s 16^th goal.

It was then that Thomas really got into the act and he delighted the fans with a special display of his skills. Soon after taking a splendid mark in defence Thomas, a lithe left-footer, earned a free-kick for a great tackle.

Claremont’s next goal came after a good passage of play involving Laurie, Matt Goyder, Gillespie, Aitken, Nisbett and Hamp. It ended with Aitken snapping truly. Hamp got the next goal after a cohesive move involving Laurie, Yu, Flint, Taylor, Goyder, Gilligan Johnson and Knott.

Hamp, playing with skill and confidence, handballed to Yu, who booted the ball to the top of the goalsquare where the mercurial Gillespie took the mark, played on and kicked the final goal of a one-sided contest.

Details:

Claremont 19.9 (123) beat Subiaco 5.5 (35).

Scorers---CLAREMONT: K. Knott 3.2; A. Hamp 3.0; B. Nisbett 2.1; A. Gillespie 2.0; J. Aitken, K. Yu 1.2; H. Breakey, L. Falconer, S. Fong, J. Johnson, J. Laurie, C. McLernon, R. Walton 1.0; A. Gilligan 0.2. SUBIACO: T. Whyte 2.3; A. Pickett, M. Re 1.1; L. Norriss 1.0.

Best---CLAREMONT: K. Yu, A. Hamp, B. Nisbett, J. Laurie, R. Cronin, A. Gillespie, J. Aitken, T. Taylor. SUBIACO: S. Douglas, J. Ashman, C. Hoskins, M. Smith, D. Leishman, A. Davey.

Handley Continues To Be Proud To Be Part of Tigerland

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 +1000

By Chris Pike

VERSATILE Claremont veteran Trinity Handley might now be a life member and premiership player at the Tigers, but continues to be proud of the efforts of the team to continue to fight through and be on top of the WAFL ladder despite not playing its best football yet in 2012.

Handley played his 150th game with Claremont in the Round 6 loss to Swan Districts as he continues to compile an outstanding WAFL career that has seen him play league football with the Tigers every year since 2004 except for 2010.

It was that year he took off to head to Victoria where Handley fully realised just how much Claremont meant to him and since returning he has played outstanding football whether in the middle, down back or up forward.

He has been able to add a premiership and life membership to his achievements now and he couldn’t be more proud to have achieved those feats at Tigerland.

"I don’t play to get to those sorts of milestones, but life membership at the club means a lot to me and I suppose I was proud to get to that point of my career. It is a bit of a time where you reflect on your journey and it was something that I really enjoyed," Handley said.

"I've been really lucky and one of the things I took away from that experience was the fact that it might be a reflection of the effort I put in, but I haven’t had any serious injuries, I've been part of a really successful football club, have had great coaches and fantastic teammates. I'm really fortunate to be in the position I am.

"I don’t think I ever took for granted the position that I was in and just how lucky we are to be involved at Claremont, but in that year away it certainly reinforced some of the things that is so great about the football club, and how lucky I am to be playing for the Tigers."

Claremont maintained top spot on the ladder with a hard fought 48-point win over Subiaco last Saturday at Medibank Stadium.

Claremont lost Andrew Foster (hamstring) and Jarryd Morton (calf) by half-time and were challenged hard early in the last quarter by Subiaco in the grand final rematch, but then blew the Lions away in a tremendous showing that Handley was proud to be part of.

"It was a fantastic effort and I think the difference can often be really small things consistently throughout the game and having everyone contribute, and play their role. That makes an enormous difference at the end of the day," Handley said.

"I'm really proud of the boys. We were challenged strongly throughout the game including a period in the last quarter when we were only a couple of goals up. We had only two guys on the bench due to injury so the character of the boys really shone through. We were able to grit it out and come away with a good win in the end."

Not only did Claremont lose Morton and Foster during last Saturday's win over Subiaco, but captain Andrew Browne and full-forward Chad Jones were also out so there's plenty of quality players to try and fight back into the team on top of the talent in the reserves at present.

"There's some real quality players coming back in and obviously that's going to make it really tough on selection, but we know from our experience of last year that to have success as a team that's the ideal situation to be in," he said.

"Obviously there's going to be some disappointed individuals along the way, but hopefully that leads to some more success this year for us."

Handley, like most of his teammates, thrived under the coaching of Simon McPhee the last two years as Claremont dominated the competition to claim back to back minor premierships, then last year's flag after the one-point grand final loss of 2010.

However, Handley has so far enjoyed playing under his former Subiaco foe Marc Webb this season since he's taken over from McPhee.

"It makes me feel old actually to be honest but he has been fantastic since the day he got into the club," he said.

"He is really approachable and obviously has a really high footy IQ and that's something I knew about him having played against him, but he's been able to bring in some new ideas and just tweak our game plan a little bit. We are starting to see some real benefit from that.

"It's not ideal to have your coach leave, but Webby has been fantastic coming in and the player personnel is a little bit different this year. We've had some new guys come in and some quality players move on. We perhaps haven’t played our best football so far, but to kind of get away with the wins that we have had and be where we are on the ladder is a real plus."

Handley is now looking forward to this Saturday's clash at Bendigo Bank Stadium against Peel Thunder and former teammate Matt Orzel.

"It should be good fun. No one begrudges Matty for leaving, he was playing really good football for a long time and just couldn’t consistently get the league game that he was after," Handley said.

"We all wish him well and still consider him a mate, but next week should be a bit of fun. They have really improved this year again and there's no easy games this season."

Wazza's Ride

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Tigerland, get excited about another fundraiser for our beloved Warrick Proudlove. This October will be the first ever Wazza's Ride, a bike ride to raise money for Proudie.

Brad Toovey is a friend of Warrick Proudlove's and is completing a ride from Perth to Albany to support Proudies Foundation. That's right, a bike ride!

Over the course of four days he will be riding from Perth to Albany to make it back in time for a function being held at North Albany Football Club on Sunday 7 October.
There will be an auction, BBQ, and entertainment. The bike that Brad will be using is also being auctioned on the day. All proceeds & donations will be put towards Proudies Foundation, to assist our brave boy Warrick on his road to recovery.

Please help us get the word out about this to support Brad and the great thing he is doing for Waz. Like the page for updates, save the date, read the newspapers, listen to the radio! We want everyone to know about it, so that come October we can all be supporting this great cause.

Want to be more involved? You can even join Brad for a leg of his journey.

Brad is looking for riders from Perth to join him for part of his bike ride, possibly from Armadale to Williams. This opportunity is open to everyone--those who know Warrick, those involved in the Foundation, Claremont supporters, local football fans, and even the wider community. Anyone who wants to support Warrick and this great fundraiser to help him on his road to recovery is more than welcome to join.

If interested or just to stay up to date with the latest information, please contact Brad Toovey via his facebook page or directly at 0447 533 207

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Wazzas-Ride/274289562639196

Thank you, and always show your strength!

Colts Review- Round 9

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 +1000

The Colts ‘Super Round’ is a WAFL initiative whereby all colts games are played one after another to maximize the opportunity for AFL recruiters to view games on the same day. With Perth Demons having the bye and the six other sides playing at East Fremantle, the Claremont v Peel game was pushed post the League fixture under lights down at Bendigo Bank Stadium. In what proved to be a close and hard fought encounter, those that made the journey down on Saturday night wouldn’t have been disappointed.

The lead changed constantly throughout the evening in a see-saw affair with neither side able to maintain the ascendancy for long periods. Jake Colvin was ever present at the back early taking charge over the dangerous Laine Wilkins and providing plenty of drive off half back. Jesse Hogan was also a tower of strength at Centre half back repelling a storm of peel attacks before moving forward to provide another marking option later in the game.

A seven point quarter time lead to Claremont had turned into a one point deficit by half time with both sides determined to take control of the match. Hamish Murray continued his tireless work through the ruck, taking some important marks and providing first use to the on-ballers; with the mosquito fleet of Jordan Law and Mason Whitehead ever-present, using their speed and smarts to get into dangerous positions to crumb with both rewarded with vital goals to keep the Tigers in the game.

The third quarter was a mirror of the preceding two with the Tigers just able to grind out a slender four point buffer intothree quarter time. The coaches address at the interval must have been catalyst for a fourth quarter surge (or maybe it was the inspiring words of the stand-in runner) as Tom Curtin and Shannon Taylor once again drove the ball forward to stamp Claremont’s authority on the game in the final term. Jesse Hogan found himself the beneficiary of this midfield dominance as he took some exceptional contested marks in a enthralling duel with Kamdyn McIntosh and slammed on some clutch goals to finish with 6 majors for the game.

Peel had no answers to Claremont’s relentless pressure and drive with the Tigers piling on 7 goals to one in the last quarter to run away with the game as 42 point winners. Other influential players were skipper Ben Taylor with 18 possessions and a cheeky late goal off half back, Jake Luckman produced yet another resolute performance on the last line of defense, and Jack Beeck showed encouraging signs in his debut indicating that he’ll be an important player for the Tigers in the future.

Next week’s return fixture of the Perth Demons at Claremont Oval will see our opponents fresh of the bye and keen to avenge a convincing 91 point loss from round one. This game has been moved slightly forward to a 9am start to allow for the Claremont District Junior Parade to be held prior to the League game. See you there.

League: Gillespie Sets the Scene

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 +1000

By Ken Casellas

Rarely has there been a more exciting, inspirational or fantastic goal scored in a WAFL match than the one kicked by Alistair Gillespie early in the opening quarter of Claremont’s match against Peel Thunder at Rushton Park on Saturday.

Indeed it ranks as the best and most memorable first goal I have witnessed in league football.

A minute after young Tigers defender Aaron Holt had been flattened and had to be assisted to the sidelines Gillespie gained possession of the ball in the middle of the ground and burst downfield like a startled gazelle.

Pursued by Peel’s Brayden Sutton, who had just entered the fray from the interchange bench, Gillespie gathered pace and strode away from him, bouncing the ball twice as he sped forward at full tilt before unleashing a magnificent 55m bomb which sailed through the big sticks for Claremont’s third goal. It was sheer brilliance and a golden moment to savour.

Opportunity in sport and all walks of life is a wonderful thing. And the 22-year-old Gillespie grasped his chance to make his first appearance in Claremont’s league side this season with great gusto. Picked to lead the ruck in the absence of the injured Mitch Andrews, the athletic Gillespie performed in grand style.

Gillespie’s goal, Claremont’s third, was a defining moment in the contest. It lifted the spirits of the Tigers and completely deflated the hapless Peelsters. It was also a glistening highlight in a magnificent first quarter of cohesive team football which resulted in Claremont, with the aid of a fresh breeze, scoring 9.6 and restricting Peel to two behinds, the first of which was forced.

Claremont sustained their brilliance throughout the second term and led by a massive 80 points at half-time before recording a splendid 76-point victory which kept the side at the head of the premiership table.

It was a thoroughly professional and efficient performance from a confident, well-drilled side which went into battle without first-choice players Andrew Browne, Chad Jones, Andrew Ruck, Jake Murphy, Andrew Foster, Simon Starling and Andrews.

The Tigers were a dominant force throughout and every member of the side played his part in the victory. Once again the side was led in superb fashion by acting captain Luke Blackwell and his deputy Kane Mitchell, while the high-leaping Tom Lee excelled in attack, playing at centre-half-forward, in a pocket and at full-forward as well as having a stint as a loose man in defence in the final quarter.

Lee finished with six goals on an afternoon during which Claremont goals flowed freely. Alroy Gilligan provided his special touch of magic and not only did he contribute four goals but he also sent the ball inside his side’s 50m attacking zone six times. Gillespie got the ball inside 50m a remarkable nine times, with wingman Byron Schammer going in five times and Lee, Ian Richardson, Anton Hamp, Gerrick Weedon and Jack Bradshaw all penetrating the forward zone four times.

Claremont had no weak links and the defenders deserved praise for their efforts in keeping Peel down to just two first-half goals before the home side battled manfully to add four in the third quarter and six in the final term.

Full-back James Thomson restricted Ryan Herring to one goal from five kicks and David Crawford held Brendan Hancock to two goals from just five kicks. Jarryd Morton was the springboard of numerous attacking moves from the half-back line and Jesse Laurie, Lewis Stevenson, Holt and Tom Willett completed a powerful defensive unit.

Once again the star of the show was the indefatigable Mitchell, who set the example with eight kicks and six handpasses in the opening term before finishing with seven marks, 19 kicks, 11 handpasses and six tackles. Blackwell was again coolly efficient with his 17 kicks and eight handpasses and Schammer was his usual busy self, with 21 kicks and six handpasses.

It was champagne football in the first quarter when Paul Medhurst got the ball rolling four minutes into the contest, taking a mark just outside the 50m arc, playing on and steering home a wonderful long goal.

A minute later Morton, Lee and Gilligan combined to get the ball to Trinity Handley, who went on to his left foot to snap a major. The next goal was Gillespie’s ripper. Soon afterwards strong defensive work from Morton, Mitchell and Willett resulted in Brad Nisbett sending the ball forward for a boundary throw-in in the right pocket. No. 2 ruckman Jeremy McGovern thumped the ball forward to the elusive Gilligan, who snapped with unerring precision.

Richardson, Gilligan and Bradshaw got the ball to Hamp, but his shot hit the post. Five goals then came in the final 13 minutes of the quarter. Handley collected a rushed Peel clearing kick and booted a goal from long range.

Brendon Jones became the first Peel scorer with a point at the 19-minute mark of the quarter and three minutes later Gilligan, winger Nick Suban, Blackwell, Suban (again), Thomson and Gilligan (again) worked hard to get the ball to Mitchell at left half-forward for a goal to the hirsute one.

Three goals were scored in the final five minutes. Lee booted one from 60m after some strong play from Thomson and Bradshaw; Richardson marked a Peel kick-in (following a Stevenson behind ) for the next and Schammer passed to Richardson, who handballed to Mitchell, who handpassed to Gilligan for the elusive small forward to coolly snap his second goal with his left boot.

Mitchell gained the clearance from the opening bounce in the second quarter, but McGovern’s shot sailed through for a behind after Handley, Blackwell, Mitchell and Weedon had combined to work the ball forward. A minute later Holt drove the ball forward and Hamp scored a goal after receiving a free-kick for interference in the marking duel. Claremont then led, 10.7 to 0.2.

Crawford got into the act with a splendid high mark in defence and a couple of minutes later Peel scored their first goal, to Tom Sheridan after a spirited dash downfield.

Thomson was working well in defence and his handpass to Willett saw the ball transferred by Crawford and Morton to Gilligan, who took a clever mark before booting his third major. Then there was a seven-minute drought before Crawford, Thomson, Mitchell and Bradshaw combined to transfer the ball to Richardson, whose unselfish short pass found Medhurst for his next goal.

Eleven minutes elapsed before Suban sent a long kick forward where Lee rose high to pull down a grand mark and kick Claremont’s 14^th goal just before the players left the field for the half-time break with the scoreboard showing Claremont with 14.12 to Peel’s miserable 2.4.

Peel came out for the second half determined to make amends for a woeful first half. Their players lifted their intensity and worked hard to close up the game. As a result, Peel scored four goals to Claremont’s wasteful 3.6 for the quarter.

The Tigers scored the opening goal after half-time when Hamp cleverly intercepted a Peel handpass and got the ball on to McGovern, who drove it forward where Gilligan met with interference in a marking contest and was awarded a free-kick which he converted into his fourth goal. Soon afterwards a Gilligan behind from a set shot increased Claremont’s lead to 90 points.

However, Peel were stung into action and slammed home three goals in the space of three minutes before the Tigers replied. A Handley torpedo from the half-back line was marked by Gillespie, whose kicked was marked by Medhurst next to the right point post. Medhurst used a clever screw kick for the goal.

Four minutes later Handley accepted a deft left-foot pass from Gilligan, but his shot hit the post. Then a surging dash out of defence by Laurie ended with Lee posting his fourth goal.

To the Thunder’s credit they outscored the Tigers, 6.1 to 5.3 in the final quarter. It rained goals, with six coming in the first eight minutes --- five to Peel and one to Claremont (to Lee after Gillespie had passed to McGovern).

At the nine-minute mark Holt left the field on a stretcher following a collision with Matt Orzel. Schammer was then awarded a free-kick and then Handley, Blackwell and Morton combined to work the ball forward to Richardson, who took a mark at centre-half-forward and then kicked a goal after receiving a 50m penalty.

Seven minutes later the tireless Mitchell burst down the left wing and handpassed to Bradshaw, whose pass was marked by Hamp for Claremont’s 20^th major. A brilliant passage of play, involving Blackwell, Schammer and Medhurst, ended with Bradshaw marking in the goalsquare and kicking a goal.

Claremont’s final goal came when Medhurst worked extremely hard to gain possession before sending a rushed kick forward. It was marked by Lee and it was fitting that he booted the final goal of the match.

Details:

Claremont 22.21 (153) beat Peel Thunder 12.5 (77).

Scorers---CLAREMONT: T. Lee 6.1; A. Gilligan 4.2; P. Medhurst 3.2; A. Hamp, I. Richardson 2.2; T. Handley 2.1; J. Bradshaw, A. Gillespie, K. Mitchell 1.1; G. Weedon 0.2; A. Holt, J. McGovern, B. Nisbett, L. Stevenson 0.1; 2pts forced. PEEL: B. Hancock, B. Holmes, T. Sheridan 2.0; E. Dann, R. Herring, L. Meyers, M. Orzel, B. Sutton, K. Thornton 1.0; B. Jones 0.2; R. Beswick, M. Keddell 0.1; 1pt forced.

Best---CLAREMONT: K. Mitchell, L. Blackwell, T. Lee, A. Gillespie, A. Gilligan, J. Morton, D. Crawford, P. Medhurst, I. Richardson, B. Schammer, J. Thomson. PEERL: T. Sheridan, M. Orzel, B. Holmes, B. Jones, A. Morabito, M. Keddell, B. Wilson.

Colts: Tigers Falter

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +1100

By Ken Casellas

Perhaps there was a little bit too much complacency and maybe some players were relaxing in the comfort zone.

They’re possible reasons for Claremont’s mediocre showing against East Perth at Claremont Oval on Saturday when the Tigers were thoroughly outplayed by a team which displayed far greater application and considerably more zest.

Claremont started the season the previous Sunday with a superlative display to beat Perth by 91 points. The lesson after going down by four points to East Perth should be loud and clear: no sportsman can afford to underestimate the opposition; all footballers must be prepared to give 100 per cent.

The stark truth is that the Tigers were extremely lucky to have finished a close as they did. They certainly did not deserve to have won the match.

There were early indications of a bad day at the office when the royals were constantly in attack in the opening five minutes and the Tigers were very lucky to have conceded only one point in that time, during which tom curtin was under notice for a strong tackle on Beau Chatley and Hamish Murray halted East Perth speedster Gordon alone with a hefty tackle.

Generally the Claremont players were second to the ball and East Perth had early goals on the board to Sam Ims and Chris Warrell. Little rover Eddie McGinty and no-nonsense midfielder Curtin were busy, Murray was excelling in the ruck duels and ben taylor was solid in defence.

Claremont full-back Tom Barrass damaged an ankle and was forced to retire hurt 23 minutes into the quarter which ended with east perth leading, 3.3 to 0.2.

McGinty and Arran Goddard-Nash set the pattern with solid tackles early in the second quarter and the Tigers posted their first major just before the five-minute mark when Jordan Law dashed out of defence and passed to mitch mcgovern, who was quick to boot the ball deep into attack where the giant Darcey Cameron pulled down a splendid high mark and kicked truly.

There was now a lot more spirit in claremont’s play. An excellent tap by murray at a midfield bouncedown was followed by some strong work from Goddard-Nash, resulting in Xavier Malone snapping truly with the left boot.

East Perth replied with a goal to Ashley Wallam, but Claremont were not to be denied with Nick Gajewski scrambling a clever goal. Strong tackling by law and goddard-nash made life tough for the royals, who added another goal after mark vader received a free-kick.

Jack Martin was a shining light for the tigers and he kicked the first of his two goals late in the quarter after a move started at half-back by Dylan Morgan. Martin was at the end of a cohesive move down the left flank, involving Jake Luckman, Scott Price and McGinty.

Jack McPhee made his presence felt with a couple of good tackles early in the third term, during which the tigers managed just one goal, just before the 14-minute Mark when Ben Daniher took an advantage free-kick 80m out before charging forward to put the side’s fifth major on the board.

East Perth were in command as they went into three-quarter time with a 25-point lead. However, the Tigers fought back, outscoring the royals 5.4 to 2.1 in the final term.

The Caremont mood appeared far more desperate and jake anderson booted a goal after a boundary throw-in in the right pocket to give the side some hope.

Less than two minutes later the Lithe Martin pounced on the ball at left half-forward and kicked a goal to reduce east perth’s margin to 13 points.

Goddard-Nash gained the clearance at the centre bounce and his handpass went to curtin. And then it was Edoardo Argento to Anderson, who charged forward and watched as his wobbly punt sailed through for another goal.

Two excellent tackles from Kake Colvin and tackles from Goddard-Nash and Martin unsettled East Perth, but the visitors scored the next two goals (from Ims and Marcus Ruggiero) to hold an 18-point lead 12 minutes into the quarter.

McGinty was still working hard and he received a free-kick after nailing an opponent with a strong tackle. He then received a 50m penalty, but his shot hit the very top of the right goalpost.

McGinty continued to sparkle and a handpass from him to Argento started a forward sortie which involved Gajewski, Price, Law, Cameron and Malone before stubber held a mark in the goalsquare and kicked truly.

Behinds followed from morgan and daniher and then with the digital scoreboard clock showing 24min. 40sec. A long shot from Morgan bounced through for Claremont’s tenth goal to get the side within four points of East Perth.

The ball went back to the centre. But the siren sounded. It was all over. Hopefully, many lessons were learnt.

Details:

East Perth 10.12 (72) beat Claremont 10.8 (68).

Scorers---East Perth: G. Alone 2.3; S. Ims 2.1; J. Arbon 1.2; M. Ruggiero, M. Vader, C. Warrell 1.1; M. Pearce, A. Wallam 1.0; C. Hart 0.1; 2pts forced. Claremont: J. Anderson, J. Martin 2.0; N. Gajewski 1.2; B. Daniher, X. Malone, D. Morgan 1.1; D. Cameron, B. Stubber 1.0; E. Mcginty 0.2; H. Murray 0.1.

Best---East Perth: G. Alone, J. Ramsay, C. Warrell, A. Wallam, B. Hughes, J. Ameduri, T. Omedei, J. Hogan. Claremont: J. Martin, E. Mcginty, J. Anderson, A. Goddard-Nash, B. Daniher, D. Cameron, H. Murray, B. Leo, T. Curtin, B. Taylor.

Reserves: Slow Start Is Costly

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +1000

By Ken Casellas

An extremely tardy beginning cost Claremont dearly when the side slumped to a 37-point loss against a more proficient east fremantle side at East Fremantle Oval on Saturday.

The Sharks made the most of the first use of a fresh breeze and piled on 7.1 to Claremont’s solitary point in the opening 17 minutes of the contest when the Tigers were flat and disorganised.

The Tigers gradually gained some composure and from the 17-minite mark of the first term they outscored the home side, 14.5 to 13.5. The solitary Claremont point in this early period came when small forward Keegan Knott gained possession in the midfield and charged forward, making three bounces and then shooting off target.

The only heartening feature of the first term was the appearance of star ruckman Andrew Ruck, returning to the fray for the first time since he underwent a knee reconstruction 12 months earlier.

Ruck came on to the ground just before the ten-minute mark and immediately was under notice, accepting a pass from Jake Johnson on the right wing.

Claremont paid the full price for some skill errors and two of east fremantle’s eight first-quarter goals resulted from silly free-kicks, followed by 50m penalties.

It took Claremont 18 minutes to post their first major. Alroy Gilligan gained the clearance at a centre bounce and handballed to Hugo Breakey, who got the ball on to Jordan Aitken, whose kick forward was soccered off the ground in the goalsquare by Knott.

Two minutes later Tom Taylor, Tom Willett, Gillligan and Knott combined to get the ball forward to an unattended Al Gillespie in the goalsquare. Gillespie booted Claremont’s second goal and a minute later Gilligan and Jack Bradshaw got the ball to Knott, who received a free-kick. But his shot fell short.

Soon after that Aitken showed great dash on the left wing and speared a low pass to Gillespie. The ball ended out of bounds in the right pocket, where, after the boundary throw-in, ruck tackled East Fremantle’s Sutcliffe, was awarded a free-kick and booted Claremont’s third.

The sharks led, 8.2 to 3.1 at quarter time and Claremont showed an early relish for having the use of the wind when taylor kicked the ball long into attack in the opening 90 seconds. Aitken took the mark at right half-forward and kicked Claremont’s fourth goal.

East Fremantle hit back with a goal from another free-kick and ruck was looking good as he took a fine contested mark on the right wing before passing accurately to Matt Goyder.

Soon after that Goyder gained possession again and his pass found Knott, who passed to Gillespie, surging forward from his position at centre-half-back. Gillespie kicked his second and another goal came two minutes later after a good passage of play involving Gilligan, Chaz Flint, Peter Mark, Coleman Cristinelli and Johnson. This move ended with knott receiving a free-kick in a marking duel. Knott kicked his second.

George Cunningham booted the ball long out of defence to Knott on the right wing where he took a bounce before firing off a pass to Bradshaw, whose pass was marked by the busy Johnson, who then brought up Claremont’s seventh major.

Bradshaw then scored the next goal after gilligan had handpassed to Flint, whose short pass went directly to Bradshaw. A 50m penalty made a certainty of the goal.

The Tigers trailed by 27 points at half-time before they were outplayed in the third term when they managed only two behinds while East Perth added four goals to go into the final term with a 52-point advantage.

Willett, dependable on a half-back flank for much of the first half, was working hard on the ball and he sent his side into attack in the opening minute of the last quarter as Bradshaw applied two wonderful tackles in rapid succession. But no score resulted and a goal to Miles Bradley stretched East Fremantle’s lead to 58 points.

At the resultant centre bounce Gillespie earned a free-kick. He burst forward and sent the ball to the top of the goalsquare where Bradshaw pulled down a splendid mark before playing on booting the second of his four goals.

East Fremantle replied with a major to Lewis Fasolo. Then Jack Richardson came under notice with a strong tackle. Bradshaw followed suit and he was rewarded with a free-kick for his tackle. Another goal was the result.

Again the sharks replied, this time with a goal to the dangerous adam waight. The Tigers bounced back immediately, with Goyder working hard in congestion before snapping Claremont’s 11^th goal. It was developing into a classic shoot-out, and Breakey got the next goal two minutes later.

Goyder clamped an excellent tackle on Fasolo and then Brandon Franz took a wonderful mark in defence before handpassing to flint, whose pass found Bradshaw.

Bradshaw passed to Johnson, who passed to Gilligan. But only a point resulted. Johnson, who had played solidly all day, received a free-kick and a 50m penalty. He celebrated with his second goal.

Cristinelli passed to Gillespie, whose kick was marked on the boundary line at right half-forward by bradshaw. But this time only a point resulted. And then in the final minute of the match Breakey and Willett worked the ball forward to Bradshaw, whose snap sailed through for his fourth and Claremont’s 14^th goal.

Details:

East Fremantle 20.7 (127) beat Claremont 14.6 (90).

Scorers---East Fremantle: A. Waight 4.2; C. Leslie 3.0; B. O’Brien 2.2; M. Bradley, G. Curley, C. Sutcliffe, K. Tropiano 2.0; L. Foster 1.1; S. Henson, L. Fasolo 1.0; K. King 0.1; 1pt forced. Claremont: J. Bradshaw 4.1; K. Knott 2.1; A. Gillespie, J. Johnson 2.0; A. Ruck 1.1; J. Aitken, H. Breakey, S. Fong 1.0; A. Gilligan 0.2; 1pt forced.

Best---East fremantle: C. Yeo, A. Waight, S. Henson, L. Fasolo, C. Leslie, B. O’Brien, S. Hancock, C. Papertalk, T. Chalwell. Claremont: T. Willett, J. Bradshaw, J. Johnson, K. Knott, A. Gillespie, M. Goyder, C. Cristinelli, T. Taylor, H. Breakey.

League: Tigers Fade Badly

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +1000

By Ken Casellas

Perhaps it was all too easy.

Many Claremont supporters were smiling smugly at half time at east Fremantle oval on Saturday. They were on good terms with themselves after basking in the sun and admiring the tigers as they piled on eight goals and held east Fremantle to a solitary point in the space of 19 minutes and 52 seconds in the second quarter.

Claremont had performed admirably to restrict the sharks to 2.4 when the home side had the advantage of a fresh breeze in the opening quarter, while scoring 2.3 against the wind.

There was a slight hiccup when East Fremantle’s 18-year-old debutant Max Duffy booted two goals in the first four minutes of the second term.

But then the Tigers simply overwhelmed the sharks as they ran riot and scored eight goals in just under 20 minutes of champagne football to go into the half-time break with a six-goal lead.

The sharks had managed only four goals in a half of football and things were looking grim for the home side.

Then a remarkable change came over the contest. The wheels fell off for Claremont as East Fremantle booted 15 goals in the second half and restricted Claremont to just three goals.

East Fremantle marched to a most impressive 34-point victory, while the Tigers will have to regroup and prepare diligently for next Monday’s clash against West Perth, who struck form with a fast-finishing victory over East Perth on Saturday.

Claremont started strongly, with Jarryd Morton applying a vigorous tackle on Justin Monaco and ruckman Mitch Andrews putting on a splendid block to assist Jake Murphy after a good passage of play involving Paul Medhurst, James Thomson, Ryan Neates and Lewis Stevenson.

Luke Blackwell was in fine touch and his first-quarter effort of five kicks (four directly to a teammate), three effective handpasses and a strong tackle was most encouraging. Neates was in grand form on a wing and medhurst was looking extremely dangerous.

The digital clock was showing 11min. 50sec. When Tom Lee drove the ball forward and chad jones took the mark in the right pocket before calmly steering the ball home for claremont’s opening goal.

Six minutes later it was another forward thrust initiated by Lee which resulted in Medhurst taking a mark at right half-forward, playing on and booting a goal.

After Duffy’s two early second-quarter goals jones was slung to the ground on the boundary line in the right pocket. He was awarded a free-kick and then a 50m penalty which put him dead in front at point blank range for his second major.

Then it was Jake Murphy to Mitchell, whose pass found a fast-leading Jones for the full-forward’s third goal. The next major came less than two minutes later. Gerrick Weedon earned a free-kick after receiving from Murphy, and Weedon’s pass went to Alex Silvagni, who outmarked tom Howlett before bringing up full points with a flour bag punt.

At the resultant centre bounce, Trinity Handley leapt high to knock the ball to Weedon, who got the ball on to Clay Mclernon. And Silvagni was enjoying himself, and this time he booted the ball over his shoulder for claremont’s sixth goal.

A Byron Schammer pass went to Mitchell for the next major before four young men recruited from claremont by the west coast eagles transferred the ball in a slick move from one end of the ground to the other for Claremont’s next goal. It was Stevenson to Jeremy McGovern to Neates to Anton Hamp, who took a strong mark at the top of the goalsquare.

It took almost five minutes for Claremont’s next goal, a long shot from Ian Richardson after he had received a Stevenson handpass. Another five minutes elapsed before a Blackwell handpass went to Murphy, who booted the ball to the goalsquare where andrews eluded an opponent, swiveled delicately and popped the ball through to give the tigers a six-goal lead at half-time.

Little went right for the Tigers in the third term when east fremantle turned the contest on its head, adding 9.3 to Claremont’s 1.2. Claremont’s goal came at the 15-minute mark when mcgovern soccered the ball through from close range.

The Tigers started the final quarter 13 points in arrears and many fans expected the side to storm to victory. But having the assistance of the wind does not guarantee success. The Sharks held control throughout the term and scored six goals while restricting Claremont to just two.

Claremont’s first goal came after six minutes after Stevenson, Weedon, Morton, Simon Starling, Mitchell and McGovern combined to work the ball out of defence and deep into attack. McGovern’s pass was marked by jones, who handpassed to schammer for the much-needed goal.

But the Sharks got the next two goals before Mitchell drove the ball forward at the 14-minute mark where Jones held a strong mark and brought up his fourth goal to bring Claremont to within 16 points of East Fremantle.

The Sharks then held the tigers at bay for the rest of the quarter while adding three goals to their tally.

Details:

East Fremantle 19.8 (122) beat Claremont 13.10 (88).

Scorers---East Fremantle: M. Duffy 4.0; J. Perham 3.2; J. Monaco 3.1; J. Schofield, L. Teakle 3.0; B. Dalziell, S. Menegola, R. O’Brien 1.0; J. Griffin, B. Sheppard, K. Stevens 0.1; 2pts forced. Claremont: C. Jones 4.2; A. Silvagni 2.1; I. Richardson 1.2; J. Mcgovern, P. Medhurst, B. Schammer 1.1; M. Andrews, A. Hamp, K. Mitchell 1.0; J. Morton, G. Weedon 0.1.

Best---East Fremantle: J. Griffin, M. Mcgough, B. Dalziell, K. Stevens, S. Menegola, J. Perham, M. Duffy, B. Sheppard, L. Teakle. Claremont: R. Neates, K. Mitchell, C. Jones, L. Stevenson, T. Lee, P. Medhurst, J. Murphy.

Reserves: Ruck is on the Move

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 +1000

By Ken Casellas

Thirty-nine hit-outs and three goals in the space of three wonderful minutes from Andrew Ruck gladdened the hearts of Claremont supporters who watched the powerful ruckman in action against Peel Thunder at Rushton Park on Saturday.

He is now fully recovered from a knee reconstruction after he was injured in a league fixture early in April last year and is getting closer to a long-awaited return to league action.

Ruck has gone through a long rehabilitation process and has now played in five reserves matches as he regains strength in his legs and body.

It was also most heartwarming to watch league captain Andrew Browne in action for the reserves side against Peel. He has recovered from ankle surgery and showed no signs of any leg problems. He played with his usual skill and composure in defence and should soon be ready to line up for his first league match of 2012.

The Tigers retained top spot on the reserves premiership table with a solid 26-point victory over the Thunder. Notable features of Claremont’s performance included the continued grand form of rugged midfielder Keifer Yu, the strength of Matt Davies in defence and the steady improvement shown by several members of the club’s 2011 colts team, most notably by Jordan Aitken, Matt Goyder, Hugo Breakey, Lachlan Davey and Keegan Knott.

Aitken continues to improve as a key forward. Not only did he kick four goals, but he also worked hard up the ground and drove the ball into Claremont’s 50m attacking zone four times. Davey, who has excelled as a key defender in both colts and reserves ranks, was switched to centre-half-forward and showed encouraging signs.

Knott is getting better all the time as a small forward with the ability to get to the front of the packs to collect the spilt ball. Goyder and Breakey, used as forward flankers and in the midfield, are progressing in splendid style. Other 2011 colts Sam Fong, Luke Falconer, Justin Geldard-Ker, Chaz Flint and Brent Luckman are also progressing nicely.

Claremont started Saturday’s match kicking into a stiff breeze and performed very well to be eight points in front at quarter-time. Aitken was up and about early and an excellent pass from him to Davey resulted in an early behind.

The opening goal of the contest took 14 minutes to arrive. A pass from Yu was marked by Aitken, who steered home an excellent goal into the wind. Aitken got his second a minute later after Rory Walton had gained the clearance from the centre bounce.

Walton again gained the centre clearance, courtesy of a free-kick, and Walton’s pass found Yu, who got the ball on to Davey for Claremont’s third goal. Soon after that Davey was under notice for his ability to put pressure on the Peel defenders and his tackle on Peel’s Brennan Gillam was a beauty.

Claremont’s fourth goal came after Ruck had handpassed to Davies, who speared a great pass to Davey, who booted the ball long to the top of the goalsquare where Knott, lurking front and square, gathered the crumbs and booted a goal.

The Tigers began well with the breeze and Jake Johnson made the most of a free-kick at right half-forward to send the ball with his trusty left boot through the tall timbers from long range. Just over a minute later Yu marked a Peel clearing kick and booted the ball deep into attack where Aitken made excellent position to take a chest mark before kicking his third goal.

Claremont’s seventh goal came eight minutes later when Knott applied a strong tackle on Peel’s Matheson Murdoch, who was caught holding the ball. Knott was rewarded with the free-kick which he converted into a six-pointer. The tackling by the Tigers was of a high standard and in the following couple of minutes Goyder earned a free-kick after tackling Peel’s Jackson Geary and Browne also got a free-kick for his fierce tackle on Brad Triplett.

The Tigers added a further four goals in the final seven minutes of the quarter. A handpass on the right wing from Knott to Goyder and a pass into the corridor saw Yu take an excellent mark before kicking a goal. A slick Breakey handpass to Goyder set up the next goal and then Johnson earned another free-kick a long way out at right half-forward for his second major.

In the final minute of the quarter and move involving Coleman Cristinelli, Yu and Flint ended with Aitken using his left boot to snap a goal just before the siren sounded for half-time, with Claremont leading, 11.4 to 3.6.

Peel began to apply considerable pressure early in the third quarter, but the home side was thwarted by some resolute defence from Tom Taylor, Browne, Davies, Brandon Franz and Richard Cronin.

Ruck moved deep into attack midway through the quarter to have a spell from his ruck duties and he took charge, kicking three goals in three minutes, the first coming after he marked a long kick forward from Cronin and the second with a snap shot after receiving from Davey.

Then good work in defence from Goyder, Taylor and Davies resulted in mark to Geldard-Ker, who got the ball on to Fong, whose pass found a leading Ruck for his third which gave the Tigers a commanding 55-point lead.

Peel replied with the final two goals of the quarter and they got the first goal of the final term after a free-kick and 50m penalty to Devin McFarlane. Then Fong passed to Aitken, whose pass was marked at centre-half-forward by Clay McLernon, who, aided by a 50m penalty, had no trouble in scoring Claremont’s 15^th goal.

Peel bounced back, scoring the next four goals, but Breakey stopped the rot, receiving from Geldard-Ker and kicking the final goal of the contest.

Details:

Claremont 16.8 (104) beat Peel Thunder 11.12 (78).

Scorers---CLAREMONT: J. Aitken 4.1; A. Ruck 3.0; K. Knott 2.2; J. Johnson 2.0; L. Davey 1.1; H. Breakey, M. Goyder, C. McLernon, K. Yu 1.0; P. Mark 0.2; R. Cronin, J. Geldard-Ker 0.1. PEEL: M. Battye 3.1; J. Mathers 2.1; B. Thornton 2.0; A. Devitt 1.2; L. Hansen, D. McFarlane, R. Mulgrave 1.0; J. Bristow 0.3; M. Green, L. McKenna, J. O’Driscoll, P. Young 0.1; 1pt forced.

Best---CLAREMONT: K. Yu, J. Aitken, M. Davies, A. Ruck, M. Goyder, T. Taylor, A. Browne, B. Franz, H. Breakey. PEEL: J. O’Driscoll, D. McFarlane, R. Mulgrave, M. Battye, C. Luff, B. Gillam, M. Green.