Claremont (Reserves) has recorded a thrilling three-point victory over a wasteful Peel Thunder at Bendigo Bank Stadium.

After a tense two-point victory over South Fremantle in round 15, the Tigers made the most of their chances against the Thunder to prevail 11.2 (68) to 9.11 (65).

The Tigers welcomed Jared Hardisty into the side for his first appearance of the season after a wonderful State under-18 tournament for WA, while Ryan Lim made his debut after Tom Ledger was recalled to the League side.

Ashley Fitzgerald made his debut for the club and would feature prominently in the Tigers’ win.

After a tough and tense start to the game, Jackson Starcevich continued his fine form by kicking the opening goal of the game to give the Tigers a great start on their travels.

The lively Fitzgerald would then show why he was picked for his first game in Claremont colours by kicking truly from the forward pocket to give the Tigers an early 11-point buffer.

The hosts then hit back through Jarrod Bowman, before a spearing pass by Kiefer Yu resulted in a goal to Josh Tilley, and restored the Tigers’ 11-point margin.

The Thunder reduced the margin after a goal to Kristin Thornton, although the Tigers would have the last say of an entertaining first term, as goals to Keegan Knott and Sam Lamont gave the visitors a 16-point lead at the first change.

The hosts began the second term with goals to Sam Barndon and Bowman (second) to reduce the margin to just four points, before the Tigers responded through Tilley (second) after the ruckman was set up by Darcy Cameron.

A second goal to Knott saw the Tigers out to an 18-point lead, only for the Thunder to reply through Jesse Hockings and Brennan Gillam as both teams traded goals in an absorbing contest.

A third goal to Knott, this time from tight on the boundary line gave the Tigers a 10-point lead at the main break, despite the hosts recording 12 more I50m entries for the half.

This statistic was not lost on coach Nigel Wilson, as he implored his players to win more of the football through the midfield and demanded a greater team-effort in the second half.

If the first half was entertaining, the third term was anything but, as both teams added just the one goal each after a titanic arm wrestle.

Fitzgerald threatened to be the difference alongside Knott in the Tigers’ forward line as he kicked his second goal, while Thornton added his second major for the hosts.

This saw the Tigers take a six-point lead into the last change, as Wilson encouraged his team to run, work hard, and play smart football in the last term.

The Tigers made a great start to the final quarter when Starcevich kicked his second goal after being set up by Jake Murphy.

A fourth major to Knott saw the visitors out to a 17-point lead at the seven-minute mark after a wonderful transition from defence.

The hosts, however, were not out of the game by any stretch, as Thornton kicked his third goal to reduce the margin to 11 points at the 12-minute mark.

Another arm wrestle followed, as both teams cancelled each other out over a 12-minute period which yielded no goals.
A second goal to Hockings at the 24-minute mark of the final term reduced the Tigers’ lead to just three points, however, that would be enough to see the team make it consecutive wins after a four-game losing streak between rounds 10-14.

Sam Lamont took home the players’ player award for a terrific running game, which included several hard-ball gets, while Starcevich (two goals) and Jack McPhee were solid contributors.

The Tigers were also well served by Knott (four goals) and debutant Fitzgerald (two goals), while Hardisty, Tom Willett, and Yu all won plenty of the football.

In a further boost, Murphy and Aaron Holt both got through their second games back from injury unscathed.

The win sees the side in fifth position on the ladder, percentage outside the top four, but level with West Perth on eight wins.

The Tigers will now look to make it three consecutive wins when they host Swan Districts at the Showgrounds in round 17.

By Dan Scamozzi.

CLAREMONT 5.0 8.2 9.2 11.2 (68)
PEEL THUNDER 2.2 6.4 7.8 9.11 (65)

GOALS
CLAREMONT: 4 K. KNOTT, 2 J. STARCEVICH, A. FITZGERALD, J. TILLEY, 1 S. LAMONT
PEEL THUNDER: 3 K. THORNTON, 2 J. HOCKINGS, J. BOWMAN, 1 B. GILLAM, S. BARNDON

BEST
CLAREMONT: S. LAMONT, K. YU, J. MCPHEE, J. STARCEVICH, J. HARDISTY, K. KNOTT
PEEL THUNDER: K. THORNTON, J. MATHERS, K. WESTWOOD, J. BOWMAN