Reserves Grand Final RecapSunday, September 22, 2024 - 1:31 PM - by Chris Pike

EAST Fremantle has produced an emphatic Grand Final performance at Optus Stadium to win a first Reserves premiership in 16 years on the back of a dominant display from versatile big man Reuben McGuire.

Claremont came into Sunday's Grand Final having lost just one game in the reserves all season and qualified straight into the decider on the back of beating Subiaco by 10 points in the second semi-final.

East Fremantle did finish the season in second spot but lost to Subiaco in the qualifying final and then had to win into the Grand Final the hard way beating South Fremantle in the first semi-final and Subiaco in the preliminary final.

The Sharks made the perfect start to the Grand Final with a goal after a minute to Jack Cocking before Noah Dean added another at the nine-minute mark.

Claremont did manage the only other goal of the first term through Dylan Mulligan to just be seven points down at quarter-time.

The Sharks then started the second term strongly too with goals to Zach Rankin and Jamie Meade. Again the Tigers got just one back through Ben Evans, but East Fremantle kicked the last goal of the half through the left boot of Matthew Burton to be up by 19 points.

East Fremantle then blew the Grand Final apart to start the second half with the Sharks going on to have the premiership wrapped up by three quarter-time.

They kicked five goals in the first 19 minutes including a second each to Burton and Cocking, and that saw the Sharks up by 42 points at the last change.

Claremont did breathe some life briefly into the game with the first three goals of the last term to get back within 22 points, but Burton kicked the sealer with his third and East Fremantle went on to win 11.6 (72) to 6.7 (43).

Reuben McGuire won the Merv McIntosh Medal after a best on ground performance just 12 months on from being on the same ground helping East Fremantle to the league premiership in 2023.

The versatile and agile big man dominated the Grand Final with 24 possessions, 35 hit outs and seven marks.

Matthew Burton kicked three goals from his five kicks for East Fremantle with Jack Cocking adding two goals.

Max Murphy finished with 22 possessions and another league premiership player from last year, Jackson McDonald, had 22 along with Noah Dean 22, Griffin Vladich 20, Ethan Paholski 20, Austin Ball 20 (11 tackles) and Declan Pauline 18.

Claremont will be disappointed to not have capped a standout season with the premiership but Zane Sumich kicked two goals while Felix Rogers gathered 20 disposals, Kai Dehavilland 18, Mitchell Barron 16 (10 tackles) and Bailey Banfield 16.

WAFL RESERVES GRAND FINAL 2024

EAST FREMANTLE        2.2    5.4    10.5    11.6 (72)
CLAREMONT            1.1    2.3    3.5    6.7 (43)

EAST FREMANTLE: Goals – Burton 3; Cocking 2; Meade, Dean, Rankin, Paholski, Holmes, Wills.
Best – McGuire, McDonald, Dean, Ball, Pauline, Rankin, Paholski, Vladich.

CLAREMONT: Goals – Sumich 2; Kantilla, Disisto, Mulligan, Evans.
Best – Rogers, Barron, Dehavilland, Banfield, Williams, Matthews, Greenaway.

MERV McINTOSH MEDAL: Reuben McGuire (East Fremantle)