Peel has claimed its second huge scalp of the season, defeating East Perth by 23 points at Medibank Stadium on Saturday.
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The 9.16 (70) to 7.5 (47) victory over last year’s Grand Finalists enhanced the Thunder’s credentials this season, while also notching their third win in succession for the third time in the club’s history – also a club record.
The Thunder forced its way back into the game after a wayward first half by booting seven goals to three in the second half, and nine of the next 13 after quarter time.
The Thunder’s defence was outstanding, with Brady Grey typically tough in the air and on the ground, while Alex Pearce stood up in the second half with some solid marks.
Tendai Mzungu staked his claim for a return to the Dockers with 27 disposals and nine tackles, while Jacob Ballard (29 disposals) and Brendon Jones (27) were typically prolific, as the Peel midfield combined to dominate the clearances.
But the efforts of Freo Dockers rookie Tom Vandeleur, 18-year-old Ben Hancock and debutant Mitch Gill up forward was what pleased Peel coach Cam Shepherd.
Vandeleur and Gill were both recruited as defenders, while Hancock played the majority of last season in defence, and both Gill and Hancock managed to boot their first WAFL goals.
“With Michael Apeness out and Matt Taberner with the Fremantle Dockers, we didn’t have that tall forward structure, so those three really gave us great service,” Shepherd said.
“The positive (with Gill and Hancock performing) is we need to show a pathway to our locals, and the way they played today showed that the bond is growing stronger in our group.”
Shepherd heaped praise on the defence, in particular Brady Grey and Alex Pearce, while also recognising how the midfield dropped back to help out.
“We want to play as good football as we can, we recognise that to become the best you need to beat the best, so we set ourselves to make a statement,” he said.
“We were challenged early, but credit to our boys we coped well and responded accordingly.”
Earlier, East Perth gained the ascendancy early with Kane Lucas opening the scoring within five minutes.
Peel seemed to lack composure in the midfield as the likes of Brant Colledge and Brendan Lee began to run riot.
The Thunder’s efforts were further compounded with a wayward second term, which provided two goals from eight scoring shots.
It took Peel 20 minutes into the second term to notch their first goal, through Jetta converting at the top of the goal square, but that was met with a quick response from the Royals, with Damian Lee slotting his first major on debut.
Hancock hit back with his first goal in league football also, but it was the Royals who went into the long break with a six-point buffer.
A four-goal third term kept the Thunder in the game, however with the visitors clinging to a two-point lead in the shadows of three-quarter-time, Craig Moller and Gerald Ugle both managed to sneak a goal apiece to stretch the margin to 14 at the final change.
When Josh Deluca slotted a goal from the opening bounce of the last term, the Thunder was headed towards its third win on the trot.
Peel now sits second on the ladder with a 3-1 record and has a chance to extend its winning streak to four and break a club record when it hosts winless Claremont at Bendigo Bank Stadium next Sunday.
