Peel Thunder have bounced back from a loss against Claremont last week to beat fellow finals contenders East Perth at Medibank Stadium on Saturday.
Fremantle players Tendai Mzungu, Matt DeBoer and Matt Taberner starred in a display which saw the Thunder comfortably dispatch the Royals by 36 points, keeping them to only three goals in a dominant second half.
Mzungu and Taberner were big inclusions to a Peel side that saw a return to form after a shaky few weeks, which saw them lose to Claremont and Swan Districts and have their finals chances exposed.
A tight first quarter saw possession hotly contested and scoring opportunities scarce as East Perth went into the break only five points ahead.
Fremantle defender Ryan Nyhuis and Anthony Morabito were strong for the Thunder, with the pair standing out from the backline to impose themselves on the game early.
With the warm sunshine beaming across Medibank Stadium, the second quarter saw a much more open game with Peel enjoying majority of the ball and scoring opportunities.
Taberner was impressive in front of goal, with the tall forward kicking two majors in the quarter as well as finishing the game with 23 possessions and 16 kicks as well as eight marks in a confident display in the forward line.
Morabito carried his good first quarter form into the second, with de Boer and Mzungu active and confident in the midfield.
A lapse in concentration late in the second quarter saw East Perth score two quick majors to ruin Peels hard work and leave the Royals only 13 points off the lead come half time, building the tension for an interesting second half.
The third quarter saw Peel assert their dominance on the game, restricting East Perth to only two points whilst adding 36 points of their own to extend their lead to an impressive 46 points.
Jonathan Griffin kicked his second of the game in a quarter that also saw Mzungu and Jack Hannah add themselves to the scoreboard to push Peel into a commanding lead going into the last quarter.
Peel were to add to that lead with the first two majors of the fourth quarter to seal the result, with a late East Perth fightback only managing to reduce the deficit to 36 points, the match finishing Peel 13.11(89) to East Perth’s 7.11 (53).
De Boer was a highlight for the Thunder, finishing with 39 possessions, 14 kicks and 25 handballs in a commanding midfield performance alongside Mzungu, who finished with 35 possessions and 23 kicks to boost their selection hopes for next week.
Mzungu was quick to put the focus on the team performance that Peel showed rather than his impressive individual showing.
“As the team improved I felt like I improved with them, it was a total team performance today.
“Our pressure around the ball was really strong and guys like Anthony Morabito and Kieran May down back did a really stellar job,” Mzungu said.
“Hopefully it can springboard us into September”.
Mzungu also commented on Anthony Morabito’s performance, praising the defender for his constant work.
“He was super down back today, I can’t speak highly enough about playing with him and how much effort he gives,” Mzungu said.
The result leapfrogs Peel Thunder above East Perth into fourth on the WAFL ladder with two games to play, heading into their bye round next week.
