Watching the sparkling bursts from the back pocket from Blake Anderson warmed the hearts of all Claremont supporters at Subiaco Oval on Tuesday night when the Tigers crushed Queensland club Southport in a Foxtel Cup match.

It was a wonderful return to action by the dashing defender who was making his first appearance for the Tigers since he suffered MCL damage to a knee in the third quarter of the second semi-final of the Foxtel Cup against Port Adelaide at the same ground 23 months ago.

That injury in mid-July 2011 ended Anderson’s season and he took a break from football last year when he travelled to America to further his university studies.

Then, after a strong pre-season preparation last summer the 24-year-old Anderson suffered serious damage to his left ankle in a scratch match against East Perth at Leederville Oval early in March. He has left no stone unturned in his recovery process and should continue his bid to regain a place in the league side when he plays in the reserves match against East Fremantle at Claremont Oval on Saturday week.

The Tigers, the Foxtel Cup defending champions, gave a workmanlike display to defeat Southport by 54 points and will now travel to Adelaide to clash with the powerful West Adelaide side in a semi-final on Tuesday July 16.

Coach Marc Webb rested several leading players from the match against Southport and this provided the opportunity for Richard Cronin, Jack Richardson, Brendon Lim, Harry Court, Keegan Knott and Jared Hardisty to make their debut in senior ranks.

All six had their moments and it was quite remarkable that Richardson, Court and Knott each managed to score a goal with their first kick in the match.

Jeremy McGovern, recently recovered from a severe ankle injury and playing at full-forward and briefly at full-forward, shone as the outstanding performer on the night. He took 11 marks, had ten kicks and made five handpasses. He and Richardson each booted three goals and Court scored two, with his first two kicks.

Mitch Andrews was the outstanding ruckman, but, surprisingly, Southport dominated the clearances in the first half. The Tigers fared better at the clearances after half-time, thanks to Matt Davies, Tom Taylor, Tom Swift and Ben Daniher. It was quite unusual for a side which managed just four goals and was thoroughly outplayed to finish the contest with 31 clearances to Claremont’s 25. This discrepancy was due, in no small part, to many questionable umpiring decisions at stoppages.

Claremont fans delighted in the return of Swift, who retired after helping the Tigers beat East Fremantle in the league grand final last September. Swift, who is concentrating on his university studies, has been training for the past eight weeks and he was more than happy to help out, with so many players needing a well-deserved break from almost constant action.

Swift played on the ball and performed solidly, finishing with six marks, 14 kicks (including four clearances) and three handpasses. He was quickly under notice and gained his first kick after three minutes of play. This was an accurate pass to full-forward Anton Hamp, but the sortie ended with only a behind to Jack Bradshaw.

A little more than a minute later Davies, playing on the ball, sharked a Southport ruck knock from a boundary throw-in at right half-forward and delivered a pass to Richardson, who booted Claremont’s first major.

It took another six minutes for Claremont’s second goal, with busy wingman Taylor sending the ball deep into attack where McGovern gained possession and ran into an open goal. Then a great mark deep in defence by John Williams resulted in Taylor gaining possession and sending the ball to the goalsquare where Court soccered a major with his first kick in senior ranks.

Court got the next goal soon afterwards after accepting a handpass from James Thomson, who had received from Taylor. Then some good work from Swift resulted in McGovern marking and scoring his second goal. The scoreboard read Claremont 5.3 to Southport 0.0 and in the dying moments of the quarter Edward Mallan took a mark. The siren sounded and then Mallan kicked a point to get the visitors on the board.

Claremont’s sixth goal came just after four minutes into the second term, with Swift passing to Bradshaw, who got the ball on to McGovern for his third major. It was exciting to watch Anderson surging out of the back pocket and the entire defence was doing well.

Then at the 15-minute mark Williams, playing on a wing, hurt his left shoulder and took no further part in the match. The damage was not serious and he looks sure to be fit for Claremont’s next match, against East Fremantle in Kununurra next Saturday week.

A minute after the departure of Williams Daniher passed to Bradshaw, whose short pass found Davies for Claremont’s seventh goal. The eighth came less than two minutes later after some strong defensive work from Jesse Laurie and David Crawford ended with Richardson getting the ball to Knott for a goal with his first kick.

Southport’s Stephen Mills took a mark moments before the siren sounded for half-time. He then went back and scored his side’s first goal, leaving the scores at the interval 8.4 to 1.2.

The Tigers managed only two goals in the third term, the first coming after five minutes after Crawford repulsed a Southport attack and handpassed to Cronin. McGovern then took another mark before firing off a short pass to Swift for a goal. Haydn Kiel replied with a goal to Southport four minutes later and then a strong tackle by Taylor enabled Keifer Yu to boot the ball long into attack where Richardson took the mark and got his second goal.

Mallan replied with a goal to Southport to get the visitors within 45 points of the Tigers at three-quarter time. Almost eight minutes had elapsed before Southport’s busy Fraser Pope booted the first goal of the final term.

Claremont scored the final two goals of the match and a highlight of this quarter came when Claremont’s dedicated doctor Lionel Lim took a spectacular tumble on the far wing. Scans have revealed no serious damage.

It was a long kick forward from Thomson which enabled Richardson to soccer a gaol and Nick Winmar booted the final major after a good passage of play involving Swift, Thomson, McGovern and Knott.

Claremont has a bye this coming weekend and this will provide a splendid opportunity for all players to have a well-deserved rest before travelling to the north of the State for what should be a tough contest against East Fremantle on Saturday week.

The semi-final of the Foxtel Cup in Adelaide on July 16 will be against West Adelaide, who were most impressive in scoring heavily and thrashing Port Melbourne, 17.9 to 9.4 in a round one contest at the MCG.    

By Ken Casellas

Details:

Claremont 12.8 (80) beat Southport4.2 (26).

Scorers---CLAREMONT: J. McGovern, J. Richardson 3.1; H. Court 2.0; M. Davies, K. Knott, T. Swift, N. Winmar 1.0; J. Bradshaw 0.4; B. Daniher, M. Goyder 0.1. SOUTHPORT: E. Mallan 1.1; H. Kiel, S. Mills, F. Pope 1.0; 1pt forced.

Best---CLAREMONT: J. McGovern, M. Davies, T. Taylor, B. Daniher, B. Anderson, T. Swift, M. Goyder, M. Andrews, J. Richardson, J. Bradshaw. SOUTHPORT: F. Pope, S. Thynne, H. Kiel, G. Screech, S. Wish-Wilson, J. Macansh.