The WAFL Eagles were outmuscled by a strong Claremont outfit at Mineral Resources Park on Saturday, going down by 51 points.
On what was a perfect day for football, the Tigers controlled the contest after quarter-time against the young Eagles, cruising to a 6.9 (45) to 13.18 (96) win.
Fresh off a much-needed bye, West Coast started brightly, challenging the Tigers early in an even and entertaining first quarter.
But after a tight opening term, Claremont flexed their muscle across the middle stages of the match to notch up their eighth win of the season.
The first quarter proved a genuine arm wrestle, highlighted by a fierce ruck battle between Harry Barnett, Archer Reid and Claremont’s Oliver Eastland.
Malakai Champion opened the scoring for West Coast after some sharp ball movement, before Josh Burke slotted a lucky second to put the Eagles ahead by 11 points.
Claremont responded with consecutive goals through Zac Mainwaring and Sam Alvarez, but Barnett pushed the Eagles back in front with a composed finish.
A late major from Jaiden Hunter had the Tigers leading by a point at the first break.
The second term belonged entirely to Claremont.
The Eagles were held goalless while the Tigers piled on six unanswered majors, including two each to Alec Waterman and Kieran Gowdie, to break the game open.
Their relentless pressure and polished execution saw the margin balloon to 35 points by halftime.
West Coast showed renewed intent in the third quarter.
Noah Long sparked a mini-revival with the opening goal of the term, followed by two more from the lively Burke, who ended the game with three majors.
The Eagles managed to win the third term. a rare achievement this season and brought the margin back to a manageable 26 points, giving themselves an outside chance heading into the final term.
But Claremont quickly reasserted their authority in the last, with Waterman, Gowdie and Mainwaring all hitting the scoreboard again as the Tigers shut the game down and pulled away.
Despite the result, there were positives for West Coast. Tom Gross continued to push his case for AFL selection with a strong showing. finishing with 28 disposals.
Rhett Bazzo was busy down back, racking up a game-high 30 disposals in a standout performance, featuring some quality intercept play.
Burke’s three-goal performance highlighted his physicality and creativity inside 50, proving a difficult match-up all day.
Claremont had plenty of contributors across the ground, with Benjamin Elliot influential through the middle, collecting 27 disposals and five inside 50s.
Sons of Eagles guns Waterman (four goals, 15 disposals) and Mainwaring (14 disposals, two goals) made the most of their opportunities up forward, while Kieren Gowdie added to the scoreboard pressure with three goals from 11 touches.
There were also positive signs from Campbell Chesser, who produced some promising passages of play on his way to 14 disposals and two inside 50s.
The Eagles’ intensity and contest work was inconsistent, and while there were moments of promise, it wasn’t enough to match Claremont’s class across four quarters.
The Eagles will need to bring the same intensity shown in the third quarter when they face a well-drilled Subiaco outfit next week.
WEST COAST 3.3 3.4 6.6 6.9 (45)
CLAREMONT 3.4 8.9 9.14 13.18 (96)
Goals
West Coast: Burke (3), Champion, Barnett, Long. Claremont: Waterman (4), Gowdie (3), Hunter (2), Mainwearing, Alvarez, O’Connor.
Best
West Coast: Gross, Bazzo, Chesser, Burke, Eastough, Johnston. Claremont: Waterman, Elliot, Rogers, Hunter, Gowdie, Bolton, Eastland.
