Strong display from defender Jordan Clark as Fremantle thump West Coast in western derby

Former Railways talent Jordan Clark enjoyed a solid outing in his first western derby appearance as the Dockers surged home to an emphatic 55-point victory over the West Coast Eagles at Optus Stadium on Sunday.

Clark played across half-back for most of the game, finishing with 21 disposals, two inside 50’s and five intercept marks in Fremantle’s derby domination.

His first half was particularly impressive, cutting off a number of Eagles attacks and setting up the winners going the other way.

Clark was named in the Dockers best players in his first taste of derby football and also earned a vote in the Glendinning-Allan Medal.

Former AFL player and ABC radio commentator Sharrod Wellingham gave Clark one vote for his display and the medal was won by teammate Lachie Schultz for his 23 touches and two goals.

North Albany product Jeremy McGovern battled hard all day against an aggressive Dockers side, stamping out several of their attacks and finishing with a game-high 15 intercepts.

McGovern was named captain for the contest and the big man led by example as he worked tirelessly in defence, despite the Dockers bombarding the Eagles defensive 50 all evening.

Eagles coach Adam Simpson heaped praise on McGovern post-game as he acknowledged the persistence and consistency of his defensive stalwart.

“McGovern was our captain tonight and he’s been carrying the load a fair bit probably for the last five weeks with our injury concerns so I’m proud of him,” he said.

The Dockers overall team performance proved to be the difference however, keeping West Coast to just one goal for the entire first half.

The crushing win propels the Dockers to fifth on the ladder as they look towards next week’s fixture against Greater Western Sydney at home.

The Eagles will also look to bounce back when they face Collingwood on Saturday night at the MCG.

Meanwhile North Albany junior Darcy Cameron impressed in Collingwood’s 13-point loss to Geelong, collecting 13 disposals and kicking two goals in the third quarter.

Ex-North Albany player Mitch McGovern didn’t feature for Carlton this round after suffering a hamstring injury at training which is expected to leave him sidelined for up to four weeks.

The youngest of the McGovern brothers had been terrific for the Blues early in the season after transferring to defence and the Blues remain unbeaten after three rounds.