WAFL 2024: Claremont coach Ash Prescott praises Tigers’ ability to weather storm in elimination final win

Claremont coach Ash Prescott lauded his team’s composure despite being “under siege” early in their finals opener before keeping their season alive against East Fremantle. The Sharks dominated proceedings early in the elimination final at Revo Fitness Stadium on Sunday but were wasteful, kicking 1.7 in the first term. Claremont hung tough before pouncing after the break, dominating the rest of the contest to claim an impressive 12.7 (79) to 7.13 (45) win over the reigning premiers. Prescott said the way his young side kept their cool under the immense early pressure was impressive. “We were under siege, and we did get pinned for a while,” Prescott said. “I thought we defended really well and when we’re able to get the ball forward, we looked quite dangerous. “It was nice because we had to find a way and we had to grind our way through that. We stayed really connected and we stuck to the fundamentals and then the scoreboard started to turn our way.” While several of their big-game players stood tall, including ruckman Ollie Eastland and Sandover medallist Bailey Rogers, Prescott was impressed by his group’s even spread of contributors. “We don’t highlight anyone, we just dig in and play our role,” Prescott said. “Some blokes will be heralded a little bit more and so they should for having great careers and good, strong contributions. “Our strength is our foot soldiers and our role players because they’re the ones week in week out who allow the other players to do their job too. “It’s a really complementary way of looking at the game and that’s the way we want to play it.” The win sets up a first semifinal clash against Peel in Mandurah on Sunday. The Tigers have won four consecutive games since their 35-point defeat at the hands of the Thunder in round 18 at Lane Group Stadium, while Peel are coming off back-to-back losses for the first time this season. “We’ve got belief, and that belief is important, but we don’t look too much further than the first quarter,” Prescott said. “We’re really mindful of staying present and staying in the moment and enjoying it but not looking too far ahead. “It’s cliché but we’re living in that small quartile of quarter by quarter by quarter.”