Royals Preview Round 20

East Perth will take on equals Peel Thunder at Medibank Stadium this Saturday, in a pivotal game that could help cement the Royals spot in the top five. 

If East Perth can muster a win at against the Thunder at home this weekend, they will put themselves a game clear of Peel for finals contention. 

Coming off a bye last week, the Royals have to not be complement with an extra week’s break and must not also take playing at their home ground as a given advantage. But it’s worth noting that at Medibank, the Royals have a 14-4 track record against Peel.

Jonathon Giles comes back into the starting 22 at full forward, whilst Eric Mackenzie returns to bring some stability and experience to the full back line. Traditional backman Tom Lamb has been given a run at half forward, with all-rounder Paddy Brophy falling back instead. After consecutively being one of East Perth’s multiple-goal kickers in the last fewk weeks, Craig Wulff will also start on the left forward pocket. 

East Perth has a strong midfield with Malcom Karpany, Corey Adamson and Tom Cole. But they’ll have to put up a strong effort against Peel’s dynamic duo in Nick Suban and Tendai Mzungu. 

Thomas Omodei has also been called up to start on the Royals interchange.

The last these teams met was back in Round 10 and Peel did a superb job of keeping the Royals goalless after the first quarter. If East Perth’s forwards can utilize their height and muscle they should be able to put on a solid offensive effort. The Royals cannot solely rely on their dominant midfields and reliable backline to win them the game.

Check out the boys preparing for the clash below!