Peel Thunder have secured a win and a position in the 2017 WAFL Grand Final following a 24-point victory over Subiaco at Leederville Oval.
After a nail-biting final quarter, the Thunder secured the win 14.8.(92) to 10.8.(68).
Peel started the game off strong, kicking five goals to the Lions three keeping Subiaco goaless until 25 minutes into the first term.
Fremantle Docker Luke Ryan said the team's composure around the ball ultimately helped secure the win.
“We stayed composed around the ball and hit up the 45's and had a lot more kicks and even when we had the kick count we had a lot more tackles which was good,” he said.
Ryan commended Matt Taberner’s accuracy in front of goals, which continued throughout the entire match, finishing with four goals and 19 disposals.
“He’s been working on his goal kicking a fair bit, he kicked well… It makes our job a lot easier,” he said.
Subiaco started off the second quarter with a goal but Peel hit back with four consecutive goals of their own.
Ryan applauded Cameron Sutcliffe’s effort from the match, kicking two goals and 27 disposals.
“It’s a massive work effort…[he’s] hard on the inside and hard out on the outside, which is something he's really good at and I love playing with him,” he said.
Peel were able to continue their lead throughout the third term, kicking three goals to Subiaco’s five.
Ryan said a large part of this came down to their defenders and defensive structure.
“Just pressure all day…we knew finals were going to be massive, [Sam Collins] was outstanding, he’s like a general back there,” he said.
Peel kept their lead throughout the fourth term, kicking two goals to Subiaco’s one.
Ryan spoke about the importance of keeping the energy up throughout the fourth quarter and finishing hard.
“We knew they were coming…we just stayed composed and stuck to our game plan and got the ball forward,” he said.
“We had a lot of pressure from up front and that helps us backs and we got a couple of goals from big Sean Darcy, which is always handy.”
The Thunder will have a bye in the upcoming week and will face the winner of the Preliminary Final between Subiaco and South Fremantle in the Grand Final on Sunday 24 September.
Ryan said the team will spend the week watching vision and focusing on improving.