DEMONS FALL JUST SHORT OF THE TIGERS

By Mark Thornber

Round 8, Perth v Claremont

At Claremont Oval , Saturday 4 May 2013

Perth                           2.2       7.2       10.5      14.11    95

Claremont                  6.2       9.3       13.6      15.10    100

The Perth Football Club certainly did all their supporters proud on Saturday as they went within a whisker of pulling off an upset win against reigning premiers Claremont at Claremont Oval on Saturday.

In perfect conditions for football Perth kicked to the showgrounds end of the ground in the first term. Claremont kicked the opening goal through Ruckman Mitch Andrews at the 4 minute mark. The Tigers were looking very good early on with sharp shooters Ian Richardson and Paul Medhurst both hitting the scoreboard early on.

The Demons kicked their first major through a clever snap by Brennan Stack. The Tigers seemed to have the advantage in the centre square and were constantly driving the ball deep into their forward line placing pressure on an overworked Perth defence.

The returning Hayden Busher kicked Perth’s second goal, however at quarter time it was the home side that led after booting 6 goals 2 to 2 goals 2. The second term saw Perth slowly work their way into the match mainly through the tough running ability of Brett Hodge.

Stack kicked Perth’s 3^rd goal and this was soon followed by another to Captain Paul Bevan as the Demons came right back into the contest. Jared Risol was playing a superb rebounding game in the backline and was receiving great support from the reliable Matthew Tedesco.

When big man Fraser McInnes booted a long 50 metre goal the match was back on level terms as the Demons were playing some great team football. Unfortunately a couple of late errors including a double 50 metre penalty paid against Chance Bateman saw the Tigers kick a couple of late goals in the term to take a 13 point lead into half time, as tempers flared between both side’s as they left the ground.

The second half saw the Tigers kick the first goal as they again jumped out to a 3 goal lead. Perth was trying hard and gaining plenty of the ball in the midfield through Hodge, Michael Florio and Ali Smith, however had difficulty spotting targets up forward.

The quarter was fairly evenly matched on the scoreboard as just when Perth closed the margin the home side steadied. Florio kicked a long ball into Perth’s open forward line to allow Matthew Moody to run into an open goal only to see the dangerous Richardson convert truly for the Tigers almost straight away.

At three quarter time Claremont had increased their lead to 19 points after kicking 4 goals to 3 for the third term. The last quarter did not start well for the Demons with Claremont kicking a goal within 30 seconds.

Perth really needed a lift and despite Bevan appearing injured and losing defender Nick Kane in the first quarter they suddenly started to lift as the likes of Ali Smith and Daniel O’Sullivan took advantage of Christian Eyres good ruck work.

Bevan booted his 3^rd goal and when Moody kicked his second and his sides 12^th the vocal Perth fans sensed a real upset was possible. Unfortunately the time clock was not working, however Perth just kept coming as Eyres continued to palm the ball beautifully down Smith’s throat.

Kyle Reimers marked strongly and converted to bring Perth within 11 points and when Stack bounced through a sensational goal up against the boundary line Perth had hit the front by a point. As brilliant as Stack’s goal was at one end Medhurst kicked a great goal soon after to again reinstate the lead to the Tigers.

With surely only minutes remaining Perth fans held their breath as they attempted one more forward thrust when Risol was aided by a 50 metre penalty, however his shot at goal missed, and with now only seconds left the siren sounded as Claremont held on to win a thrilling match by just 5 points.

Although losing Perth showed some wonderful character late in the match to hit the front and this was well appreciated by a healthy group of Perth supporters at the game.

Hodge played a wonderful hard running match picking up 26 touches and has certainly proven this year he is a quality midfielder and not just a tagger. Florio continues his fine season and picked up 22 possessions and was well supported by Smith.

Stack must have impressed State Selectors by booting 5 goals. Risol played his best match for his new club and Tedesco repelled many of the Tigers forward moves all day.

Next week there is a general bye in the WAFL due to the State match with Perth playing Subiaco at Medibank Stadium in Round 9.

Goals: Stack 5, Bevan 3, Moody 2, McInnes, Busher, Boyle, Reimers 1.

Best: Hodge, Stack, Risol, Florio, Tedesco, Smith.