Lion Cubs claim Premiership in crushing victory

Subiaco have claimed the 2020 Simply Energy Colts Premiership after a dominant display against Claremont at the weekend, running out winners by a mammoth 59 points. Lachlan Vanirsen capped off his sparkling season, claiming the Mel Whinnen Medal for the best afield, after he collected 32 possessions, took 11 marks, laid five tackles and booted a major. 

The Lions registered their first win against Claremont for the season in a match more important than any other, after losing against the Tigers in Round 1 and the First Week of the 2020 Finals series. Claremont finished the Home and Away Season atop the Colts ladder but simply weren’t good enough on the day going down to the Lions by 59 points, 15.12.102 to 6.7.43. 

Claremont burst out of the blocks early, kicking two of the first three goals of the match to signal their intentions for the game, but that was just about where their dominance on proceedings would end for the afternoon. The Lions managed to essentially even the ledger at quarter-time thanks to two goals in quick succession from Campbell Henderson and Connor Faraone as the Lions went into the first break with a one-point lead. 

The Lions came out in red-hot form in the second quarter as they piled on the scoreboard pressure to open up a 21-point margin halfway through the term. Despite a late Claremont major, Subiaco went into the half-time break with a 15 margin up their sleeves. 

The third quarter got underway with an early Tigers goal, to bring the margin back to single figures and create some tension in the game. From that point on though, the Lions put their foot down, dominating the quarter and opening up a 45-point lead heading in the final term, proving that the old adage of the third quarter being known as the “The Premiership quarter” still rings true in Season 2020.

The final term saw both sides trade goals, but ultimately the game was already won as the Lions closed out the match and their season with a commanding 59-point victory over Claremont.
The Lions were unrelenting forward-of-centre all game, recording 27 scoring shots to 13 from their 46 inside-50’s. Neil Erasmus was the chief destroyer, booting four straight majors from his 13 disposals, with spear-head Sandon Page kicking two goals of his own in an eye-catching third term. The aforementioned Vanirsen dominated the match to record the most disposals of any Lion, with Matthew Johnson (21 disposals, five marks, six tackles and one goal) and Connor Patterson (20 disposals, four tackles and one goal) providing strong support as always. 

The result of the match saw the culmination of a season’s worth of hard work and effort from all involved with the Colts team. In what will undoubtedly be one of the strangest years of football that all of the players and coaching staff will experience, they must all take credit for the way they compiled a strong body of work this season. For the players to overcome things out of their control and ultimately save their best game of football for the most important game of the year is a remarkable effort that they should all be proud of. The club as a whole is immensely proud of the side for claiming their second Colts flag in three seasons, as it is a reflection of the attitude that Subiaco holds towards performing strongly, regardless of the circumstances.

CLAREMONT    3.2    4.3    5.5        6.7      (43)
SUBIACO          3.3    6.6    12.8    15.12    (102)
 

SUBIACO BEST: L. Vanirsen, N.Erasmus M. Johnson, L. Henderson, T. Kennedy, C. Patterson, B. Morris.

SUBIACO GOALS: 4 – N. Erasmus 2 – S. Page 1 – C. Patterson, C. Faraone, M. Johnson, L. Vanirsen, L. Henderson, J. Gouge, T. Brockman, L. Mckay, J. Bilchuris.