By John Townsend

Claremont went to Broome but Lazarus did not go with them.

After two matches marked by remarkable comebacks, it was too much for the Tigers to expect a third miracle in a row.

Instead, Claremont surrendered second place and 12 percentage points after sustaining their second defeat of the season in the 18-point loss to East Fremantle.

And it was Claremont’s first loss in six visits to the north of the State during which the Tigers have won WAFL matches in Karratha (2000), Newman (2002), Broome (2006), Port Hedland (2007) and Kununurra (2013).

The trip to the Kimberley could also mark the farewell of power forward Jack Buller who is a key target in the AFL’s midseason rookie draft.

Buller had his moments against the Sharks but could not impose himself in the fashion that he did in the early rounds this season.

Claremont’s most potent players at McMahon Oval were small forwards Talon Delacey, Zac Mainwaring and Tyron Smallwood who each kicked two goals in the 9.8 (62) to 11.14 (80) result.

But as the Tigers found in their comeback wins over Swan Districts and East Perth, they could not maintain their effort over the four quarters.

Those matches were characterised by slow starts requiring great resolve and considerable effort to overcome large deficits.

This time Claremont led at half-time, won the last quarter to maintain their excellent record at the end of matches but lost the contest in the third term when they gave up five goals and were able to score only one themselves.

Ollie Eastland dominated the ruck with 41 hit-outs and 16 disposals around the ground as East Fremantle decided to use part-timers Hugh Dixon and Jarrad Jansen in the position.

Declan Mountford (21 disposals, 13 tackles, 7 inside 50s) and Jye Bolton (33 disposals and a 55-metre goal) relished Eastland’s aerial control but Claremont were not able to fully exploit the ruckman’s career-best form.

And East Fremantle’s capacity to win contested marks in their forward line was critical, particularly in the third term when Dillon O’Reilly, Cody Leggett and Kyle Baskerville each

 converted strong captures.

Mainwaring got the scoring underway with a clean snap after a clinical one-on-one win over WA defender Cam Eardley before Max Minear soccered from close range to ensure scores were level at the first break.

Delacey produced a marvellous goal early in the second term when he burst through a pack, spun away from a defender and kicked truly while Mainwaring also snapped well and Bolton finished the half with a trademark long bomb after getting on the end of a Joel Western pass.

Smallwood regained the lead in the third quarter when he marked and kicked accurately but it was to be the last time Claremont were ahead as the Sharks found scoring options inside their attacking zone.

Smallwood’s clean finish gave his team some hope shortly after the last break but Eastland’s long-range strike and Delacey’s second major proved too little too late for the Tigers.

Rebounding defender Teia Miles maintained his prolific impact with 26 possessions, including a game-high 23 kicks, but too many of his fellow backmen were unable to match his influence.

Claremont now face a resurgent Perth at Mineral Resources Park, a ground where the Tigers have a superb record with 30 wins from their past 34 matches, but know that anything less than a four-quarter effort might be fatal.

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CLAREMONT 2.2 5.5 6.6 9.8 62

EAST FREMANTLE 2.2 4.7 9.9 11.14 80

GOALS – CLAREMONT: Delacey, Smallwood, Mainwaring 2; Bolton, Eastland, Minear.

EAST FREMANTLE: Leggett 3; O’Reilly 2; Baskerville, Turner, Jansen, Gorringe, Montauban, Holmes.

BEST – CLAREMONT: Eastland, Bolton, Mountford, Miles, Delacey, Mainwaring.

EAST FREMANTLE: Leggett, Joyce, Turner, Jansen, O’Reilly, Walker.