Heartbreaking defeat in decider for Claremont league team and four Great Southern products

Claremont suffered a heartbreaking three-point loss to South Fremantle in the 2020 WAFL grand final to end a painful day for the Tigers at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Sunday. Four Great Southern players took to the field on the biggest day on the WA football calendar in the league decider. The Tigers had all three teams in grand finals but were unable to walk away with any premierships and the tense league defeat was the hardest pill to swallow after they hit the front in the final term. North Albany junior Declan Mountford played a considerable amount of time through the midfield after captain Kane Mitchell dislocated a shoulder early in the first term. The hard-running Mountford worked hard through the centre along with Simpson medallist Jye Bolton and Jared Hardisty. Mountford was named in the Tigers’ best, amassing 16 disposals and a game-high 11 tackles. Royals and Albany product Tyron Smallwood played as a high half-forward and had plenty of important moments. The speedy player finished with eight disposals, five tackles and two inside 50s. Tom Baldwin, who hails from Jerramungup and played footy for Royals, was used across half-back and was serviceable in defeat. The small defender finished with eight disposals and two tackles but was able to chop off a number of Bulldogs attacks. Albany’s Dylan Smallwood came back into the league side at the expense of Borden’s Anthony Davis. The older Smallwood brother played as a key defender against the Bulldogs’ tall forwards and had two disposals but laid eight vital tackles as the Tigers defence tried to hold the Bulldogs out in the dying stages. The Tigers took a two-point advantage into the last quarter and led by three points halfway through the final term before Mason Shaw kicked a goal to put the Bulldogs up. Jimmy Miller marked and goaled for the premiers at the 18-minute mark to extend South Fremantle’s lead to nine points but the Tigers responded straight away through Declan Hardisty to reduce the margin back to three. The ball was locked in the Tigers’ forward line for much of the final few minutes but they were unable to hit the lead again, the Bulldogs winning 6.10 (46) to 6.7 (43) in an absolute thriller.