Inaccuracy in front of goal was the costly factor for Peel as they went down by eight points to West Perth at Rushton Park in Mandurah on Saturday afternoon.

10 Fremantle-listed players were in action with an opportunity for Peel to strengthen their position in the top half of the table going missing as the hosts kicked 9.18 in the narrow defeat.

Fremantle's Liam Reidy (28 hitouts) and Peel's Riley Smith (27 hitouts) dominated the ruck duel giving the Thunder the advantage going inside 50 (52-48).

Experienced defender Joel Hamling (14 disposals, 12 marks) had another impressive display in his second game back from an AFL stint as he stood tall for Peel late in the game.

Nathan Wilson (20 disposals, four inside 50s) provided pace off half back while Ethan Stanley (13 disposals and a goal) added some silky class on the wing.

Will Brodie (30 disposals, six tackles) and Nathan O’Driscoll (19 disposals) were valuable through the midfield as the game swung back and forth.

The game started in emphatic fashion as Wilson launched a booming goal from outside 50.

Peel controlled most of the territory battle in the first, but a high-pressure game saw both teams struggle to link clean possession together.

Some clean work out of the centre saw Brody Wemm (two goals) kick the Thunder’s second.

Peel's Benjamin Hancock (21 disposals, five inside 50s) pumped a deep ball inside 50 which saw Fremantle forward Matt Taberner (two goals) take a strong contested mark to put Peel ahead.

A late goal from Jack Sears (15 disposals, one goal) allowed Peel to head in to the first break with a seven-point lead.

A quick centre clearance started the quarter strong for Peel as Ben Middleton (8 marks, one goal) went back and extended the Thunder lead.

West Perth responded with three of their own goals and regained the lead before Stanley found himself in space and levelled scores.

The quarter was largely dominated by West Perth as the visitors’ forced turnovers and went into the main break with an 11-point lead.

Taberner started the second half with a piece of brilliance as he snapped a beauty from the pocket.

Peel had the ball locked in their forward half early in the third but were unable to capitalise on opportunities before West Perth punished the home side on the counterattack.

A late flurry of action and some desperate defending from Jacob Blight (19 disposals) in the dying seconds denied West Perth a goal to keep the margin at just three points heading into the last quarter.

With everything to play for, Reidy put the Thunder ahead with an early goal in the last.

Hamling was influential in keeping Peel in the game as he soaked up pressure, taking strong defensive 50 marks allowing Peel to build from the back.

Unfortunately for Peel they were unable close out the game kicking just one goal and seven behinds as multiple players missed opportunities in the final term, allowing West Perth to walk away with the four points.

O’Driscoll reflected on the loss post-game.

“Joff (Valentine) summed it up pretty well at the end there in the change rooms," O'Driscoll said.

"I think we kicked 1.7 to their three straight in the last, so accuracy was a big factor.

"All round all day we weren’t defending hard enough, and we weren’t playing our footy.

“They snipped us a few times through the corridor and it’s just not our footy, like we need to defend hard. We are a very contested side and we just weren’t playing to that."

O’Driscoll praised the individual performances of his teammates despite the result.

“Since (Ethan Stanley) walked in, his work effort has been first class… he’s come in as a mid-season recruit and he’s put his best foot forward," O'Driscoll said.

“His impact has been great, he’s got so many tricks up his sleeve, and you saw it today a little bit.

“Our backline is really experienced. We've got Brady Grey, Traye Bennell, Nathan Wilson… Joel Hamling. So, we’ve got a really good backline who are teaching guys like Hugh Davies the ropes."

Peel Thunder 4.3 6.6 8.11 9.18 (72)
West Perth 3.2 8.5 9.8 12.8 (80)

Peel Goals: 2 - M Taberner, B Wemm 1 - L Reidy, B Middleton, N Wilson, J Sears, E Stanley
West Perth Goals: 5 - T Keitel 3 - D Dixon 2 - G Julian 1 - L Meadows, M Peirce