MATCH REPORT: PEEL THUNDER VS EAST PERTH - 7 SEPTEMBER 2016

Peel Thunder have broken through for their long awaited maiden finals victory, defeating East Perth 12.14 (86) to 5.7 (37) at Bendigo Bank Stadium on Sunday.

Zac Clarke (18 possesions, 27 hitouts and a goal) and Jack Hannath (20 hitouts and a goal) dominated in the ruck all afternoon against retiring Royals ruckman Paul Johnson, giving silver service to Matt De Boer (31 possessions, 10 tackles and a goal), Connor Blakely (25 possessions), Rory O’Brien (23 possessions and a goal) and Darcy Tucker (22 possesions).

Defender Josh Bootsma said it was a great day for the team and the club.

“We knew heading into the game it was going to be tough and competitive,” He said.

“Winning the first final in the club’s history is a great achievement- Before the game were pumped to try and get this win and we did.”

The Thunder used the breeze to their advantage in the first quarter, kicking four goals to none to set up a commanding 28 point lead at quarter time, but lost Anthony Morabito for the rest of the afternoon due to a quad injury.

The next two quarters saw the Royals attempt several fightbacks, but were ultimately unable to reduce the margin to single figures as the Thunder maintained a steady lead heading into the final quarter.

Kicking with the breeze in the final quarter, the Royals attacked relentlessly for 15 minutes with their season on the line, but were consistently repelled by the stalwart Thunder defence led by Bootsma, Sam Collins and Alex Silvagni, who ultimately kept the Royals scoreless in the final quarter.

Zac Clarke kicked a decisive goal to break the brought after 16 minutes, and the Thunder added three more goals in the final ten minutes to blow the margin out to 49 points and make the historic victory all the more sweeter.

Other great performances included Shane Yarran, who finished with 14 possessions and finished with three goals, while Michael Apeness proved to be a nightmare for Royals defenders, finishing with 17 possessions, nine marks (Including the mark of the day in the last quarter) and a goal.

Josh Deluca was the only other multiple goalkicker on the ground, finishing with 19 possessions and two goals.

Bootsma says the team is now looking ahead to next weekend’s Semi Final against West Perth.

“On your day anyone is beatable,” he said.

“We’ll look forward and assess what we can do next week- the boys will always bring 110% and try and change it around against them.”

The Thunder will take on West Perth in a knockout Semi Final at HBF Arena in Joondalup next Sunday, with the winner progressing through to the Preliminary Final.