FOR the third consecutive season, East Fremantle and Claremont will face off in the WAFL Women’s Grand Final, after the latter ended West Perth’s fairytale season in a 27-point win on Saturday. In front of home fans, the Tigers started strong in the first half, then withstood a challenge from the visitors during the third term and finished off like they started to salute, 8.7 (55) to 4.4 (28).

In a game deserving of its preliminary final status, the two sides who had won one each against the other in 2024, faced off for a spot in the decider against the red-hot Sharks. Claremont was gunning for its second flag in three seasons and third successive grand final, while West Perth, on a wave of momentum and improvement this season, hoped to reach a grand final in its maiden finals series.

The Falcons had finished sixth last season, a notable improvement on their wooden spoon winless season the year before, but quickly surpassed its five win effort to double that performance in 2024. Having stormed past Swan Districts in the do-or-die semi-final, West Perth was just one win away from reaching the final game of the year, and one that they would be able to play at home with Pentanet Stadium the predetermined grand final venue.

Though perhaps the fairytale story and most definitely the underdog in the clash, the seasoned juggernaut of Claremont with a bevy of experienced players, showed the mettle it takes to grind out a finals win against an opponent who has been there and done it before. West Perth had pipped the Tigers in the last encounter between the sides, but with defender Claire Ortlepp back in the side for the knockout final, Claremont was a different beat.

Controlling the opening term, Claremont peppered the goals and were unlucky not to have almost put the result to bed by quarter time. An early chance from over-age forward Bec Anderson from the goal post was deemed to have shaved the post, before the Claremont forward clunked a mark in a one-on-one four minutes later and made sure to put it straight through the big sticks for the opening goal of the game.

Claremont dominated field position, and finished the first quarter with five behinds, having not really made the most of the forward half possession. There was a poster and several ‘almost’ moments both from set shots and quick snaps, but when it was all said and done, the Tigers had kicked 1.5 to 0.1.

Finally getting some chances themselves, the Falcons started to get their hands on the ball, with Bianca Webb, Katherine Bennett and Brooke Hongell getting their hands on the ball and looking dangerous inside 50. But the latter two could only manage the two behinds under pressure, something they would rue in the next 10 minutes.

It took until the 11th minute for Claremont to finally have a meaningful inside 50, but within a minute, Kate Orme had found Bec Anderson who converted her second goal from a set shot. Within six minutes, Rachel Ortlepp had joined Anderson on two goals, with a set shot and then a classy snap putting her side up a massive 29-3.

There was feeling in the game as well, with a late tackle on Jacinta Valentini on the half-time siren bringing about a bit of push and shove and perhaps ever so slightly providing the Falcons with a spark of motivation for the second half.

Having waited almost 45 minutes to convert their first goal, relief washed over the visiting West Perth fans to Revo Fitness Stadium when Webb charged inside 50 and hit a lace-out pass to the top of the goalsquare where last week’s four-goal hero Erin O’Brien kept her feet to mark while opponent Lauren Hutton slipped to the deck.

O’Brien went back and converted her side’s first, and gave the Falcons a glimmer of hope. However the threat was far from over with Claremont tightening the screws and the pressure, with Eva O’Donnell looking dangerous close to goal, Anderson taking shots for fun and Valentini getting involved. It had resulted in just a couple of behinds, and unfortunately for O’Donnell, she would be carried from the field following an awkward landing in the goalsquare from a marking contest.

Claremont would respond to the O’Brien major midway through the term with Adele Arnup stalking the back of a pack close to goal, and once it got over the top, she was off to the races, giving her side a game-high 28-point lead.

But if Claremont thought it could ride off into the sunset and enjoy a big win, it was sadly mistaken, because a famed West Perth comeback was in the works. Fittingly it started with young gun Mia Russo, who, roaming out the back of a pack inside 50 received the handball from O’Brien and snapped around her body to an open goalsquare and it sailed home.

Three minutes later, the top-age teenage duo of Megan Norbury and Kaitlyn Roper managed to find O’Brien 40m from goal and in the blink of an eye, the three quarter time margin was back to 15 points. So when Brooke Hongell marked in the sixth minute of the final term, and went back to deliver another blow to the Tigers and cut the deficit to nine points, there would have been some nerves in the Tigers camp.

Many would remember the clash back in Round 12 where the Falcons trailed the Tigers by as much as 26 points nearing half-time and even by 17 points six and a half minutes into the last quarter. At the same point just six weeks later, the Falcons were only down by nine.

However that finals experience gap between the teams that have been there and done that before and the fresh and exuberant newcomers who had nothing to lose, began to show. Deep inside the defensive 50, Falcons defender Gemma Bailey attempted to rush a behind in the goalsquare but for one reason or another could not get a clean palm to it, keeping it in play for Anderson to scoop up and kick her third goal.

If that was not enough, then in the 11th minute of the term, Rachel Ortlepp put the icing on the cake with an incredible goal on the run, fitting of a side ready to challenge the ladder leaders. A great handball from Arnup to release Ortlepp saw her convert a goal under pressure and just remind the crowd of what the Tigers are capable of on the big stage.

Ortlepp would kick a fourth goal after Bailey lost her footing in the goalsquare in the final 30 seconds of the match, but that was just the icing on the cake. When challenged, the Tigers had stepped up and served decisive blow after blow and fended off a talented team with a bright future.

Claremont had plenty of contributors with Rachel Ortlepp (13 disposals, three marks and four goals) and Anderson (secven disposals, two marks and three goals) the two standouts up forward. The youth of Claudia Wright (16 disposals, five marks and four tackles) and Juliet Kelly (19 disposals, five marks and eight tackles) and experience of Jayme Harken (20 disposals, four marks and five tackles) and Kate Orme (16 disposals, three marks and three inside 50s) was critical to the win.

For the Falcons, Imahra Cameron (16 disposals, two marks and five tackles) tried hard all game, with wing Taylor Ferguson collecting a game-high 21 touches, and equal game-high five marks. Ruck Kailea Thomas might have been beaten at the stoppages, but did provide an important presence around the ground and in getting it forward, while the youth of Norbury, Russo and Roper were once again influential, as well the experienced Hongell.

CLAREMONT 1.5 | 4.5 | 5.7 | 8.7 (55)
WEST PERTH 0.1 | 0.3 | 3.4 | 4.4 (28)

GOALS:
Claremont: R. Ortlepp 4, B. Anderson 3, A. Arnup
West Perth: E. O’Brien 2, B. Hongell, M. Russo

RMC BEST:
Claremont: R. Ortlepp, C. Wright, J. Kelly, B. Anderson, K. Orme
West Perth: T. Ferguson, I. Cameron, K. Roper, M. Russo, K. Thomas