Rampant Thunder cruise past Demons

Peel Thunder claimed its seventh win of the season on Saturday, marching to 62 point win over the Perth Demons at Bendigo Bank Stadium.

A seven goal third term paved the way for Peel, who now sit third on the McDonalds WAFL Premiership ladder after 14 rounds.
Zac Clarke (21 disposals, 36 hit outs, 1 goal) performed strongly, while Tendai Muzungu (26 disposals, 6 tackles) and Matt Taberner (7 marks, 4 goals) also played starring roles.

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The match began and Perth looked far from the side that was propping up the rest of the competition. The Demons matched Peel’s early pressure, with neither side able to make any convincing forward 50 entries.

That all changed at the six minute mark, when Gerard Ugle grabbed the first major of the match for Peel.
That seemed to set the Thunder alight, with goals to Taberner and Josh Deluca coming either side of a centimetre perfect snap from Max Duffy.

The small forward did well to keep the ball in play in the pocket, before burning off a Perth defender and finishing much to the delight of the crowd.

Perth needed to find a spark, and it came at the start of the second quarter through former Western Bulldog, Brennan Stack. Stack scooped up the ball inside fifty under intense pressure and converted with a snap over the shoulder. 

Callum Collard continued the Demon revival, closing Peel’s lead to eight points after just five minutes of the term. 
After weathering the storm, Peel applied some pressure of their own, with Duffy grabbing his second major while Muzungu chimed in with his first since his return from AFL duty.

Peel continued to press hard with the likes of Lachie Weller (23 disposals, 6 I50’s) and Jacob Ballard (24 disposals) giving Peel first use of the football, however inaccurate kicking left the door ajar for the Demons. 
Former AFL forward, Mitch Morton converted from a free kick for the Red and Black before another Stack crumb and goal, saw Perth come within touching distance.

Approaching half time and with the game precariously balanced, Duffy continued his fine form in front of the sticks, giving Peel a 16 point lead at the main change.

Peel started the brighter of the two teams after the break, with Brady Grey kicking an opportunistic goal before Taberner showcased his aerial prowess.

The 198cm forward marked strongly inside 50, and kicked truly before continuing his dominance minutes later, out-marking three opponents before going back and kicking his third

However he wasn’t the only Fremantle-listed player impressing the crowd at Bendigo Bank Stadium, with Tom Vandeleur crashing the pack and breaking two tackles before slotting the fourth of Peel’s seven goals for the quarter.
The Thunder headed into the final change with a 56 point buffer, however the Demons were first out of the blocks with goals to Dene White and Jacob Payne. 

That was followed by Duffy and Taberner completing their quartet of goals, while Paul Duffield kicked his first of the day to wrap up Peel’s 62 point victory.

Peel head to Medibank Stadium next Saturday to take on the ladder-leading, Subiaco Lions, before returning to the Bendigo Bank Stadium on July 11 to take on East Fremantle.