Peel poise proves too strong for Perth

Peel return to the winner’s column with a hard-fought 19-point triumph over last place Perth.

 

Peel Thunder claimed their 10th win of the season with a 19-point victory over a hungry Demons side on

Saturday Afternoon. The win sees the club regain the top spot on the WAFL ladder.

 

Following the loss to East Fremantle and a week off with the bye, a fresh and motivated Peel Thunder got off

to a strong start, taking control of possession through the middle.

 

Cooper Simpson (12 disposals, six tackles, two goals) made his presence felt early, kicking the first goal of

the match and racking up a game high 8 first-quarter disposals.

 

Peel held possession in their forward half for a fair amount of the early first quarter, but were unable to make

it count on the scoreboard as a scrappy Perth team forced turnovers and remained competitive at 7-0.

 

A goal by Taj Wyburd half-way through the first quarter made way for Peel to further their lead but poor ball

usage saw Perth capitalise on a turnover for their first goal of the match only minutes after.

 

The Demons lifted late in the quarter and found a spark behind Aaron Clarke’s first goal of four, with

tensions flaring between the clubs before Matt Taberner (three goals, eight disposals) and Odin Jones kicked

back-to-back goals to give the Thunder a comfortable 19-point lead at quarter time.

 

The Demons came out of the break strong with pressure and intensity, earning themselves another goal

quickly through Aaron Clarke. However, Cooper Simpson’s dominant first quarter continued, hitting back

with a goal for Peel.

 

A beautiful snap from Perth’s Austin Davis thirteen minutes in started the Demon’s takeover of the second

term, taking the fight to an indifferent looking Thunder team.

 

Perth laid strong tackles and played with passion as they chased down the margin and piled on four

unanswered goals, snatching the lead, for the first time in the game, late in the quarter.

 

A vocal Demon’s crowd had to cover their eyes as young gun Bo Allan (14 disposals, three marks) delivered,

with a touch of class, inside 50 to a strong overhead-marking Patrick Voss. Voss, who kicked Peel back in

front with minutes left before the half, helped the Thunder lead by just one point headed into the main break.

 

Peel came out reenergised and started the second half dominantly. Huge ball-getting performances from Neil

Erasmus (34 disposals, six inside 50’s), Will Brodie (31 disposals, five inside 50’s) and Nathan O'Driscoll

(28 disposals, 21 handballs) in the midfield, as well as Liam Reidy's (42 hit-outs, nine disposals) centre work

stifled Perth in a formidable reply from the Thunder.

 

Strong presences from Luen Colton (two goals, two marks) and Matt Taberner up front, who combined for

three goals in the quarter, led Peel to a 15-point lead heading into the final break with all the momentum.

 

Brady Grey (22 disposals, three inside 50’s) opened the goal-scoring account in the last term, winning a hard

ball and shrugging off a tackle for a goal to push Peel’s lead to 20.

 

Aaron Clarke provided some light for Perth, booting his fourth goal of the day but back-to-back minus scores

and consecutive Peel Thunder goals buried the Demons and sealed the 13.8 (86) to 10.7 (67) victory for a

Peel Thunder team looking to cement themselves as bonafide contenders for the flag.

 

Defender Karl Worner (21 disposals, four marks) reflected on his recent strong form in Peel’s backline in

tandem with Ethan Hughes (14 disposals, nine marks) and Joel Brown (seven disposals, four marks).

 

"Connection is a really important piece, part of our backline."

 

“We're lucky to have such experience campaigners like Hughsey back there and young blokes like Bowey,

and Joely Brown." Worner said.

 

Worner also noted the message at half-time. The midfields received his praise.

 

“Getting our contest right, something we really value, as a team”

 

"Our midfields, credit to them, they really got to work. We were able to get the ball to ground and were really

tough around the footy.”

 

18-year old, promising AFL prospect, Bo Allan spoke on the ability to turn possession into positive scoring

opportunities.

 

“We struggled getting it inside 50 a couple of weeks ago against East Freo, so had the week off, [and] went

back to what we know”.

 

“We had some really good representation, some tall timber down there today so sent it long and trusted

that”.

 

Bo felt positive about the club’s chances at success going forward.

“The vibe is really high at the moment”.

 

Peel Thunder will be looking to continue their strong form heading towards finals against Claremont at Lane

Group Stadium on Saturday August 3rd.

 

Peel Thunder: 5.2 7.2 10.6 13.8 (86)

Perth: 2.1 7.3 8.3 10.7 (67)

 

Goals:

Peel Thunder: 3 M Taberner, 2 L Colton, C Simpson, 1 B Grey, N Wilson, T Wyburd, P Voss, S Kuek, O

Jones

Perth: 4 A Clarke, 2 K Johnston, J Chaplin, 1 B Schlensog, A Davis

 

By Luke Rechichi, Curtin University