Thunder Reign over Royals

It was a quality contest between Peel and East Perth at Bendigo Bank Stadium, but it was the home team who claimed the four competition points to advance to third on the ladder.

East Perth powered out to a 22-point lead to take the advantage at the end of the first quarter, but that 22-point margin ended up in Peel’s favour as the final siren rang. It was a similar state of affairs in round 5 when Peel got the better of East Perth by 23 points, but this time they didn’t do it so easily.

The Royals were sharp and aggressive around the stoppages with some great speed shown by Freddie Clutterbuck and Matt Rosa. They jumped to an early lead at the end of the first break, but Peel responded with four goals from six consecutive shots to open the second quarter. Peel’s big men outplayed East Perth to help snatch the lead at half time by just three points.

Both teams showed great skill and plenty of aggression to keep the game thriving in the third term with East Perth getting the edge. They went into the deciding quarter with a one-goal lead, but unfortunately it didn’t last long. Leory Jetta and Zac Clarke were on point for Peel snapping goals from all angles. The Thunder surged and seized the moment to kick a total of seven goals to Rowan Powell’s two in the final quarter.

Ruckman, Paul Johnson had a big impact with 18 touches, 24 hit-outs and 2 goals. Also impressing was co-captain Brendan Lee with 34 disposals and eight inside 50’s. Kane Lucas racked up 30 disposals, Matt Rosa 27, Mark Hutchings 24, Freddie Clutterbuck 23, Mitch Fraser 23 and Garry Moss 20.

Currently there are four teams sitting on equal points for fifth position on the ladder including the Royals and the Sharks. East Perth will be determined to get a win under their belt before their round 14 Bye. East Fremantle are coming off the back of a bitter five-point loss to Swans District and will also be looking to turn things around as the WAFL season continues into the back half.