It was a wet and wild battle on Saturday between the WAFL Eagles and Claremont at Revo Fitness Stadium, the Tigers adapting better to the miserable conditions and securing a 12.7 (79) to 3.3 (21) defeat.

Senior Coach Kyal Horsley said the Eagles struggled with discipline and ball security under the difficult conditions.

“It’s hard to know what to make of the game, it was played in really trying conditions and we got a lesson in wet weather football from Claremont,” Horsley said.

“We didn’t handle their pressure well, we coughed the ball up too much, and as a team we were undisciplined and gave away 25 free kicks as well as four 50-meter penalties.

“On days where the ground is under water, you can’t afford to give up field position through poor ball security and free kicks, as it is so hard to move the ball.

“Through that, Claremont were able to trap the ball in their forward half and apply pressure until the chances inevitably came.

“As a group, we took plenty of learnings out of the game and with the forecast of rain again this weekend, we look forward to the opportunity of putting into practice they key elements we reviewed and finishing the season with a brand we are proud of.”

Top Performers:

Trey Ruscoe

Trey was one who handled the conditions the best, he played with a real intent and drove us forward on numerous occasions.

Archer Reid

Archer continued to work hard and provide a contest throughout the game, finishing with a goal from his 10 possessions and three tackles. He remained a great target for us when we did go forward and won his contest or created another one, his ground ball work was a highlight.

Jack Hutchinson

The stats sheet didn’t reflect the impact Hutch had on the game, his ability to knock the ball forward in the contest and strip the opposition of the ball was crucial in the conditions. He played with a real intensity that inspired his teammates.

AFL Listed Players:

Rhett Bazzo

He played a reliable game in really tough conditions, he stood up and won big contests which was crucial with the unpredictability of the ball movement on the day.

Harry Barnett

Harry played back for the full game this week and was up for the new challenge. He won some crucial contests and had some big kill spoils, finishing with a game-high seven spoils. He will no doubt have taken a lot of learnings from the experience.

Loch Rawlinson

Loch competed all day in tough conditions and compiled multiple roles. His ability to quickly surge the ball from the contest was crucial in opening the game up and getting us some momentum.

Jordyn Baker

Solid performance down back from Jordyn and he adjusted well to the conditions, he won some strong groundballs under heavy pressure and his confidence and performance grew from there.

Coen Livingstone

Coen battled hard for us all game and was creating a contest against two opposition for most of the game up forward, he had a strong impact when in the ruck with four clearances and four tackles.

Jai Culley

Jai set the standard for us on the inside and his work in tight was noticeable, he finished the game with seven clearances and 15 tackles.

Matthew Flynn

He played with a real presence and intent, he tried to lead the way all game and lift his younger teammates when the game was at it’s most fierce.

Ryan Maric

Strong return for Ryan in difficult conditions for a wingman, he brought others into the game offensively and ran hard defensively.

Coby Burgiel

It was great to see Coby get through his first game back from injury, it was a difficult game for him to get into as he was on managed minutes and playing up forward. We look forward to seeing him this week when he is playing more game time and up the field more.

Campbell Chesser

He worked hard in and under in tough conditions, he finished the game with nine tackles and surged the ball well from contest.