East Perth left thunderstruck in Peel dominationSaturday, April 10, 2021 - 7:32 PM - by Breanna Redhead

PEEL Thunder have bounced back from last week’s loss, defeating East Perth in a thumping 24.10 (154) to 7.7 (49) victory at Leederville Oval on Saturday afternoon.

Both sides played to their strengths in the first quarter, East Perth dominating the hit-outs. Seasoned Royals ruckman Ajang Ajang having 15 over ex-eagle Will Schofield’s five in the opening quarter. 

While his dominance in the ruck allowed the Royals to clear the ball, their poor delivery inside 50 found them struggling to maintain possession for long.

Conversely Peel was much more structured in their play, allowing them to bring the ball up the field more cleanly and produce 5.2 in the first quarter. 

The trend continued into the second quarter, with East Perth attempting to remedy their poor ball use to no avail. 

The Royals appeared hesitant to clear the ball, chipping the ball around and consequently failing to move the ball and execute play despite the clean 50/50 possession count come half time. 

The game was played in Peel’s territory with both teams looking to flood the forward 50, with all 36 players regularly in the back half. Despite the pressure Thunder benefitted from the proximity to goal kicking 9.5 to round out the first half, Ben Hancock contributing 3 to the side.

East Perth appeared to give up the ghost in the third quarter, conceding 8.3 and responding with a meek 2.4 themselves. Clearly losing motivation from the scoreboard, the Royals often left the victors unguarded allowing them to quickly reach the century mark.

The final quarter continued the reign of Thunder, who added another 6.2 to their total, taking more than a 100 point triumph over the Royals, who never managed to settle into moving the ball. 

Despite their sizable loss, the Royals got notable showings from both Matthew Young and Mitchell 
Dobson who each produced 2.1 for the side, a valiant effort given the lack of clean delivery into the forward line. 

Angus Scott also lead the match with 34 disposals, once again proving the high possession rate for the Royals but their inability to use the ball well.

The Royals will move forward still in search of a win, while Peel Thunder have proved their crisp execution with the ball and look to continue their powerful gameplay going ahead in the season.

OPTUS WAFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON – ROUND 2

EAST PERTH            2.1    4.2    6.6    7.7 (49)
PEEL THUNDER            5.2    9.5    17.8    24.10 (154)

EAST PERTH: Goals – Young, Dobson 2; Magro, Ajang, Kerr.
Best – Scott, Young, Ramsay, Willcocks, Kerr, Lynch.
PEEL THUNDER: Goals – Thorne, Hancock 3; Lawler, Bell, Randall, Western, Middleton, Cullen, Henry 2; Schofield, Howlett, Banfield, Crowden.
Best – Schofield, Thorne, Duman, Hancock, Randall, Western, Blakely, Merrett.