History

Peel Thunder Football Club was formed in 1996 after the West Australian Football Commission (WAFC) granted a ninth licence in the WAFL to the Mandurah-Peel region. The licence was issued on the condition that the club be ready to compete in the 1997 Westar Rules season. Geoff Miles was appointed as the club's inaugural coach and Phil Gilbert appointed captain. The Thunder managed just one win in 1997 and finished last on the ladder, with Scott Simister winning the inaugural best and fairest. They managed another one-win season in 1998, before going winless in 1999.

Between 1997 and 2014, the Thunder failed to qualify for the finals, with their best season coming in 2008 when they recorded an 8–12 win–loss record and a sixth-place finish. During that time, they collected nine wooden spoons, including three in a row twice (1997–99 & 2011–13), and finished second last seven times.

In 2014, Peel became directly aligned with the Fremantle Dockers of the Australian Football League, an arrangement which saw Fremantle's reserve players playing exclusively for Peel in the WAFL for the first time. In 2015, the second season of this arrangement, Peel qualified for the finals for the first time in its history, finishing third on the ladder with a club-best record of 13–7.

In 2016, the Thunder finished the home and away season in fourth place on the ladder with an 11–9 record. Despite a drop off from 2015, Peel headed into the WAFL finals with a huge boost thanks to Fremantle's poor season in 2016. With Fremantle missing the finals in 2016, it provided Peel with a huge contingent of players for their finals campaign. The Thunder won three do-or-die finals in a row against East Perth, West Perth and South Fremantle respectively to reach their first ever WAFL grand final. In the grand final, Peel defeated Subiaco by 23 points to win their first WAFL premiership. Peel's midfield had too much running power and grunt inside for Subiaco, with Docker Connor Blakely winning the Simpson Medal on the back of 38 possessions. Fellow Docker Ed Langdon was also an important contributor with 39 disposals, eight marks and a goal.

Peel Thunder went on to win another Premiership in 2017 after finishing the home and away season in third position on the ladder. They were defeated by South Fremantle in the Qualifying Final, putting them in the Second Semi-Final where they won against Subiaco. The Thunder then played the Grand Final against Subiaco where they defeated The Lions by 16 points, coming from behind in the final quarter. Peel Thunder also became the first team since 1993 to win a Premiershop after finishing third on the ladder after the home and away season. 

Peel Thunder finished 7th on the ladder in both 2018 and 2019, missing out on the Finals Campaign both years. 2020 came with another wooden spoon for The Thunder, finishing with 0 wins and 8 loses after the season was forced to start late due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. 2021 saw another 7th place finishing position for Peel Thunder, with 6 wins and 12 loses throughout the season. 

Peel were a foundation member of the WAFL Women's competition in 2019. The club recorded their first senior women's premiership in the competition in the 2020 season.

The 2022 season brought a return to the Finals Series for The Thunder, after finishing in 5th place with 11 wins and 7 loses. Peel Thunder played South Fremantle in the Elimination Final, who they defeated by just 9 points to move on to the First Semi-Final. This Semi brought another loss to The Thunder after playing against Claremont and, resulting in a 59 point loss and an end to The Thunder's 2022 season. 

2023 brought a 3rd place finishing position for The Thunder, leading them in to a strong Finals Campaign where they beat subiaco twice to make it into the WAFL Grand Final for the first time since 2017. However, Peel Thunder were no match for East Fremantle who defeated them for the Premiership 85 to 46. 

The Thunder had their strongest season so far in 2024 where they finished the Home and Away season second on the ladder, after missing out on the Minor Premiership in the final game of the season against East Perth. The Thunder played in every round of the finals campaign, including a 1 point win over Claremont in the finals seconds of the 4th quarter after an impressive goal by three-time Premiership Player Blair Bell. The Thunder made it into the 2024 Grand Final at Optus Stadium, where they defeated East Perth by 33 points to take home the WAFL Premiership for the first time in 7 years. Fremantle's Neil Erasmus took home the Simpson Medal, with Scott Tuia and Michael Sellwood highlighting their abilities for Peel Thunder with an impressive game. 

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)