Eleven Fremantle-listed players were in action for Peel's preliminary final clash that saw the Thunder defeat Swan Districts, earning a spot in consecutive WAFL Grand Finals.
Peel have continued their strong finals run, defeating Swan Districts in a 47-point win at Steel Blue Oval in Bassendean.
The Swans didn’t hold back in the first term, drawing first blood with a goal inside 50 before adding four more consecutive majors by the 15-minute mark.
Peel however was still in the game, with seven shots on goal in the first term - with accuracy the difference between the two sides.
Peel turned it up at the 25-minute mark, increasing pressure on the Swans to gain momentum which set up a strong second quarter.
SECURE YOUR TICKETS TO THE WAFL GRAND FINAL AT OPTUS STADIUM
Corey Tregenza (eight disposals, four goals) began the second term with a bang, nailing Peel's first goal of the match which lifted the travelling Peel supporters.
Momentum then followed with Neil Erasmus (33 disposals, one goal) and Nathan O’Driscoll (24 disposals, 15 kicks) getting to work with strong chemistry to transition the ball to Cooper Simpson (six disposals, one goal) for a shot at goal.
Pressure shifted back onto Swan Districts after Matt Taberner (eight disposals, five goals) got in on the action kicking his first of five goals for the match.
Fremantle youngster Pat Voss (nine disposals, two goals) put Peel back in front with a snap for goal, silencing Swan Districts fans and giving reward for Peel’s dominant second term.
The Swans provided some fight with a goal late in the second, however Tregenza replied swiftly with another for Peel, taking their lead to nine points going into the halftime break.
Vocal Peel supporters lit up Steel Blue Oval as the players ran out for the third quarter.
Liam Reidy (51 hitouts, 15 disposals) displayed effective ruck craft to allow Blair Bell (15 disposals, one goal) to kick a goal just over a minute into the third term.
A tightly contested third term continued with Peel limiting Swan Districts to just one goal, resulting in a healthy 15-point lead for Peel going into a tense final quarter.
Peel continued to put pressure on the Swans in the final quarter with Voss charging inside 50, handballing over the top to Taberner (five goals, eight disposals) for another Peel major.
Strong composure by Karl Worner (21 disposals, 13 kicks) around the ground allowed for great drive to come from the Thunder backline.
Erasmus and Tregenza both got amongst the scoreboard late in the final minutes, extending the lead and securing Peel's WAFL grand final appearance.
Reflecting post-match, O’Driscoll highlighted how special the win was for not only the Peel players, but supporters too.
“Emotions are still pretty high,” O’Driscoll said.
“A lot of the boys are out here with their families now and we got the families in the room after and it's a great feeling."
O’Driscoll also emphasised how important it was for the team to go back to what they know after being down by 24-points after the first quarter.
“We just had to get back to again what we were good at and that was winning the contest and going forward and I thought we did that,” O’Driscoll said.
The young midfielder also praised the chemistry between Fremantle players Erasmus and Reidy.
“It’s unreal (their chemistry). They're both two young guns and it's really good to play with them in the midfield and they lead really well,” O’Driscoll said.
"I couldn't be happier for both of them,” O’Driscoll said.
Heading to a Grand Final against East Perth, O’Driscoll said he was excited for the challenge.
“(We will) review this game and then get down the funnel later on in the week and focus on East Perth. We'll review how we played against them last time and fix some things for sure,” O’Driscoll said.
“It's exciting and we'll get after it and play a role and hopefully get the win."
Peel will now face East Perth in the WAFL Grand Final at Optus Stadium on Sunday 22 September.
SECURE YOUR TICKETS TO THE WAFL GRAND FINAL AT OPTUS STADIUM
Peel Thunder: 0.7 6.10 8.11 15.13
Swan Districts: 5.1 6.1 7.2 9.2
GOALS
Peel Thunder: 5 Matt Taberner, 4 Corey Tregenza, 2 Patrick Voss, 1 Blair Bell, Neil Erasmus, Brady Grey, Cooper Simpson
Swan Districts: 2 Thomas Edwards, Benjamin Hewett, Leigh Kohlmann, 1 Jackson McLachlan, Lewis Tester, Bryce Watson
|
# |
Player |
K |
H |
D |
M |
T |
H |
I50 |
FF |
FA |
G |
B |
|
6 |
2 |
4 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
8 |
11 |
4 |
15 |
0 |
7 |
51 |
8 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
|
|
11 |
15 |
9 |
24 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
15 |
5 |
1 |
6 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
19 |
10 |
23 |
33 |
3 |
8 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
24 |
12 |
8 |
20 |
7 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
25 |
7 |
1 |
8 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
|
|
26 |
6 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
32 |
3 |
9 |
12 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
34 |
8 |
1 |
9 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
|
40 |
5 |
11 |
16 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
