SOUTH Fremantle has made a habit of ending winning streaks, first against West Perth (four games) then previously undefeated sides Subiaco (Round 12) and now Claremont (Round 14). On the weekend, the Bulldogs all but put one foot into the finals series with an incredible 12-point win over the Tigers, 5.5 (35) to 3.5 (23).

South Fremantle continues to defy the odds, having lost several players throughout the course of the season for various reasons, and then when going down to the winless Perth three weeks ago, it looked like the season was going to hit an iceberg. However unlike Titanic, the Bulldogs coaching staff managed to steer the side not only back afloat, but thriving with wins over the top two sides and a thrashing of East Perth in between.

The first term against Claremont was a tough battle with the Tigers being the only ones to score with two behinds in quick succession midway through the quarter. However the second term could not have been more different with South immediately winning the ball from the middle, getting it forward and Annalie Polimeno converted 39 seconds into the quarter.

Despite that success, Claremont would flex its muscles over the next 15 minutes, piling on 3.0 to 0.2, as Megan Green, inclusion Bec Anderson and Jayde Musika would all convert majors. That stretched the lead out to 12 points with a couple of minutes left in the half. Few would have guessed at that point that the Tigers – who were winning far more of the ball – would not kick another goal.

Instead, it was Shannyn Pomersbach on the edge of half-time and then Madizen Wilkins and Tara Stribley early in the third. South Fremantle held forward half ascendancy during the premiership quarter and nudged the lead out to eight points at the final break despite the ball-winning abilities of Claremont’s midfield. The top three Tigers would finish with 86 disposals compared to the Bulldogs’ 61, which was symbolic of the overall picture.

Though the only stat that mattered to the Dogs was the scoreboard and when explosive top-ager Eva Flynn put the margin beyond two straight kicks, it was always going to be tough. South Fremantle’s defence held up strongly, and the Dogs used their run to work past a Tigers outfit that looked uncharacteristically slow.

After 11 matches unbeaten, South Fremantle had handed Claremont its first blemish of the season, knocking the Tigers back to second behind Subiaco. In the process, the Bulldogs maintained a top four spot but unfortunately watched as Swan Districts soared past them on percentage due to a triple-digit obliteration of the Royals.

Tigers midfielders Matilda Sergeant (32 disposals, two marks, six tackles and four inside 50s), Jayme Harken (30 disposals, three marks, 12 tackles and two inside 50s) and Sarah Viney (24 disposals, 13 tackles) racked the ball up on the inside, as Kate Orme (21 disposals, five marks and five inside 50s) was critical on the outside. Mackenzie Webb and Jacinta Valentini provided a spark for the Tigers.

However the work of Hannah Burt (24 disposals, three marks, five tackles and seven hitouts) and Tahleah Mulder (24 disposals, three marks, 12 tackles and four inside 50s) was crucial, while Hunter Cronin and Flynn used run and carry to transition the ball with Stribley and Melinda Bobby. Charlotte Vandenberg also took control in the hitouts, winning the battle and getting first hands to it.

South Fremantle travel to Steel Blue Oval in a massive third-against-fourth clash with Swan Districts next Sunday, while Claremont also hit the road in a rematch of the last three grand finals. The Tigers take on the in-form East Fremantle at Shark Park.

SOUTH FREMANTLE 0.0 | 2.2 | 4.4 | 5.5 (35)
CLAREMONT 0.2 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.5 (23)

GOALS:
South Fremantle: E. Flynn, S. Pomersbach, A. Polimeno, M. Wilkins, T. Stribley
Claremont: B. Anderson, J. Musika, M. Green

RMC BEST:
South Fremantle: T. Mulder, H. Burt, T. Stribley, E. Flynn, C. Vandenberg
Claremont: M. Sergeant. K. Orme, M. Webb, J. Harken, J. Valentini

AROUND THE GROUNDS

Subiaco took top spot thanks to a 43-point win over Perth at Sullivan Logistics Stadium. Leading by eight points at half-time, the Lions booted 5.5 to 0.0 in the second half to come away with the 8.7 (55) to 2.0 (12) victory. Krstel Petrevski racked up a ridiculous 39 touches while Lisa Steane had 333, both clunking six marks along the way and combining for 10 tackles. Perth co-captains Isabella Shannon and Holly Britton were outstanding for the Demons.

East Fremantle surged past West Perth into fifth on the ladder with a dominant 9.11 (65) to 0.1 (1) thrashing of Peel Thunder. Aside from a rushed behind in the first two minutes of the final term, the Thunder could not trouble the scorers as East Fremantle forwards Anjelique Raison and Chloe Reilly slotted three goals apiece in the win. Chloe Wrigley (31 disposals, seven tackles) found plenty of the pill once more.

The most one-sided match of the weekend was Swan Districts’ massive 15.12 (102) to 0.1 (1) thumping of East Perth. Taylah Edwards (six goals) and Summer Yarran (four) combined for 10 majors, while Jaime Henry (36 disposals) was massive on the inside, producing 26 handballs and finishing with 16 more disposals than any other player on the field. Elly Sara continued her strong season for the Royals, amassing 20 disposals and five marks.