Peel Thunder created history on Sunday, when they beat the Royals to win their first ever finals game.

Let’s look at the talking points from their clash with East Perth.

Battle of the rucks:
Zac Clarke and Jack Hannath showed they are going to be a force in September for Peel, as they dominated the ruck contests. Clarke finished with 27 hitouts, while Hannath chipped in with 20 as the Thunder had 57 hitouts to East Perth’s 32.  Peel’s ruck dominance allowed midfielders Matt de Boer and Connor Blakely to drive the Thunder forward, finishing with seven and five inside 50s respectively.

Pressure around the contest:
In a physical encounter, locking the ball in at the contest was always going to be important. The Thunder finished the game with 67 tackles, with midfielder de Boer laying 10 as the team applied pressure around the ground. East Perth responded with 59 tackles of their own, in what was a bruising encounter.

Peel make history

The Yaz Man:
Shane Yarran showed Fremantle fans that he is going to be a very useful recruit in 2017 with a gutsy display for Peel. The 27-year old kicked 3 goals and his effort was typified by two brilliant pieces of play. He produced a great smother in the second term to prevent East Perth clearing their defensive 50, before atoning for a conceded free kick with an excellent chase and tackle.

AFL influence:
Dubbed the ‘mini-derby’ throughout the season, contests between Peel and East Perth have seen a number of AFL listed players take to the field. Sunday was no different with Peel fielding 17 Fremantle players, while the Royals had to do without several rested West Coast squad members. Fremantle’s fans would be happy with the endeavour of their players, as Peel moved the ball smoothly through the midfield and finished the game strongly.

The Thunder now face West Perth in a semi-final clash at HBF Arena in Joondalup on Sunday 11 September.

Bouncedown will be at 2.10pm and children under 16 are free.