Peel Thunder has recorded its third consecutive victory after an emphatic 90-point win over Perth at Lathlain Park.
Hayden Ballantyne kicked two goals and had 13 disposals in his first game back from a hamstring injury, while Luke Ryan had 31 possessions and Brennan Cox pulled in 17 marks.
Peel were quick out of the blocks and had their first goal on the board in the opening minutes, but the Demons hit back quickly in a tight first quarter.
The Thunder ran away with the game in the second term, opening up a six-goal half-time lead.
Another six goals in the third quarter effectively finished the game and the final margin could have been even bigger if Peel had kicked more accurately in the final term.
Ruckman Jon Griffin, who kicked two goals from 19 possessions, said the Thunder were keen to start the game strongly.
“We knew that Perth were going to come out firing,” he said.
“They had a good win against Claremont so we knew that we had to be really aggressive at the start of the game, so it was a focus.
“ I thought we came out and our intensity was really good and we came home with the four points."
Griffin said the last quarter had been equally impressive.
“We have sort of been disappointed with our last quarters and it’s been an area that we have been wanting to improve and continue to improve over the year,” he said.
“I’m not sure if its match fitness or anything like that but the guys played a really good solid last quarter today, it was just a great result for the team.”
Other strong performers for Peel included Leroy Jetta and Josh Deluca, who both kicked three goals, and Sean Darcy, who kicked two goals and had 18 possessions.
Griffin added that he was pleased to see Peel’s Fremantle-listed players perform strongly, including the returning Ballantyne.
“(Ballantyne) was really good,” Griffin said.
“It’s obviously great to see Hayden running around. He hasn’t lost anything in terms of speed and agility.
“He was moving really well, he was only going to do 60 per cent or 80 per cent of the game, and he played really well and got through it, and it’s exciting times for him.
“Brennan Cox was good in the backline, the whole backline played really well, Luke Ryan, the fast tracking of those younger boys each week is amazing and it’s obviously great to see them playing some good footy.”
Peel’s next game is against Subiaco at Bendigo Bank Stadium on Saturday 3 June.