West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Monday 27 July 1936, page 6


WEST PERTH STRONG. Claremont Badly Beaten. Claremont made a poor showing at Leederville on Saturday and was administered a crushing defeat by West Perth. Although without Marinko, Tyson, Pola and P. Walsh and finishing with back and wing men limping in the forward pockets through injuries received in the course of the game, West Perth was uniformly strong and, playing steady, even football, gave an impression of latent power with which its winning margin could have been well increased above the 63 points it was. Claremont was well served by its centre players but could not make use of the opportunities they created. It went to pieces against the strong opposition and by the time the last quarter was reached had completely crumbled. The teams were:WEST PERTH.-Backs: Flemming, Benton, Flegg. Half-backs: Jeavons, Buttsworth, Tetley. Centres: Drew, Anderson, L. Walsh. Half-forwards: Coward, McDiarmid, McCurdie. Forwards: Cashman, Lewis, R. Screaigh. Ruck: O'Keeffe, Beveridge. Rainoldi (rover). Nineteenth man: Forbes (did not play). CLAREMO\NT.--Backs: Sutherland, Batt, S. Moloney. Half-backs: S. Headon, Clarke, Grieve, Centres: Bee, G. Moloney, R. Lovegrove. Halfforwards: Cook, Birmingham, Boys. Forwards: Jones, Hopkins, Guthrie. Ruck: Reeves, R. Moloney. Hooper (rover). Nineteenth man: Farley (replaccd Clarke, leg injury, in second quarter). UMPIRE.-V. Sparrow. The game began with both sides playing open football and finding their men with well-directed foot-passing, the solidness of West Perth's backs swaying the play in this team's favour. Its forwards working nicely, West Perth found it easier to penetrate the opposing defence and its score mounted steadily, althoughI

its kicking for goal was poor. Claremont's centre line, in good form, led well into the forward lines, but West Perth s backs, in contrast to Claremont's, were brilliant. It was ten minutes before Claremont scored-a behind. Flemming hurt his leg and went to a forward pocket, McCurdie taking his place in a bacs pocket. When West Perth's centre line, notably Anderson, got going West Pertlh took command and peppered the goal, but many shots went astray. In a brief rally Claremont scored another behind, but West Perth was winning in nearly all parts of the field and led at the first bell with 4.10 to 0.2. Claremont's backs watched their men more closely in the second quarter and sent back several attacks. Winning in the ruck for the time being, Claremont carried the ball on and goaled three times in the first five minutes. This effort, however, proved to be a flash in the pan Claremont unaccountably took to kicking the ball high without getting much distance, playing into the hands of the highflying West Perth backs. Claremont was never again in the hunt. Its kicking became wretched and its play lost cohesion. Clarke. who had been off form, was carried off with a leg injury. West Pertn re-established its big lead without bustling itself and the play became desultory, Claremont losing the few chances it haa through muddling forward work. Halftime scores:-West Perth, 7.11; Claremont, 3.5.After After half-time, Hopkins was sent to centre half-forward against Buttsworth and Birmingham replaced him as fullforward, goaling in the first minute. West Perth replied with three goals in the next three minutes. Claremont had lost dash and was playing spasmodically, kicking loosely and not backing up or shepherding. Its centre line was its oqly tnit functioning properly and the forwards showed indecision and kicked behinds where goals should have resulted. Although it eased up a lot, West Perth at no stage lost its hold on the game and led 12.14 to 7.12 at the bell. West Perth was so much in the ascendant that there was no interest in the play in the last quarter. Drew, limping badly, had been sent from the wine to a forward pocket opposite Flemming but such was West Perth's cohesion and Claremont's poor defence that he got two goals. Claremont faded out. Whec it did send the ball down, its forwards were badly astray and all the shots the; had were wasted in behinds. In the closing stages West Perth were scoring almost at will and only its lackadaisical way of kicking the ball out of bounds or through the behind posts kept its score down to little more than double that of Claremont. Final scores:WEST PERTH .... 17.21 (123pts.). CLAREMONT .. .. 7.18 (6Opts.). Goal-kickers.-West Perth: Lewis (5 Beveridge (4), Flemming (2), Rainoldi (2), Drew (2), O'Keeffe and R. Screaiga. Claremont: Reeves (3), Hopkins (2Guthrie and Birmingham. For West Perth. Buttsworth defended brilliantly in the first half and was still outstanding when hampered by a leg injury in the last half. Beveridge was if inestimable value in keeping West Perth's system going. He was a powerful in fluence throughout. Tetley, remarkably sure and consistent, was unbeaten at half-back; O'feeffe, marking well, was another strong factor; and Benton kept goals in his best form. Lewis, good in the air and keeping position, made an effective goal-sneak and unlucky kickine rcbbed him of a bigger tally of goals. Coward and Flemming were the most outstanding of the rest of a solid team. Claremont's best player was G. Maloney, who did great things at centre but ha I a heartbreaking job leading to the forwards and trying to keep his team to. gether. Lovegrove and Bee completed -t strong centre line. Reeves and R. Moloney played strongly, both following

and placed. S. Headon, Grieve and Batt were the best of the backs and Jones showed that he is returning to form.