Peel Thunder’s last month of football has been formidable.
After battling through the middle portion of the season with a raft of injuries, Cam Shepherd’s men have returned to full strength and will enter Sunday’s WAFL Grand Final at Domain Stadium determined to win Peel’s maiden flag.
The addition of Connor Blakley, Ed Langdon and Harley Balic to the midfield group has helped, with the Thunder outmuscling and outrunning their opponents at the coalface in three consecutive finals wins.
Matt de Boer and Tendai Mzungu have been dominant, as have ruckmen Zac Clarke and Jon Griffin.
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But perhaps the biggest source of improvement has stemmed from Peel’s defensive unit.
The Thunder have not conceded more than 70 points since their round 22 loss to Subiaco at Rushton Park, when the Lions managed a score of 93.
Until round 23, Peel conceded an average score of just 70 – the second lowest in the league – but have still markedly improved their defensive output against good opposition.
Claremont managed just 45 points against the Thunder in round 23 at the Show Grounds, despite a season average of 86.
East Perth, who averaged a score of 76 this year, also felt the heat in their Elimination Final at Rushton Park when they were restricted to just 37 points in windy conditions.
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West Perth’s Semi-final total of 45 points at HBF Arena was well below their season tally of 75, and the typically high-scoring South Fremantle Bulldogs (91-point average in 2016) posted just 70 against the Thunder at Fremantle Oval.
The inclusion of Alex Silvagni has allowed Sam Collins the freedom to peel off his man and affect the contest, while Ryan Nyhuis has adjusted to a more attacking role out of defence.
Ethan Hughes is also growing in confidence across half-back and looks to have significantly developed his ability to read the play.
His improvement has been aided by the work rate of midfielders Nick Suban, Ed Langdon, Connor Blakely, Matt de Boer, Tendai Mzungu, Josh Deluca and Clancee Pearce, all of whom have run hard in transition to restrict space in their opponents’ attacking half.
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When moving the ball forward, the likes of Nyhuis, Hughes and Darcy Tucker have pinpointed teammates to slingshot the ball forward of centre.
And if no reasonable avenue out of defence has presented itself, Clarke, Griffin and Michael Apeness have provided a target down the line.
Restricting Subiaco is tough. Former Fremantle player Hamish Shepheard (51 goals) and agile forward Liam Ryan (39 goals) have been damaging all year while ruckman Clancee Wheeler (22 goals) has made an impact when pushing forward.
But Peel have conceded an average score of just 49 over the last month, and will be confident of continuing their strong form to claim the club’s first premiership.
