Finals Analysis – Peel ThunderFriday, September 9, 2022 - 11:10 AM - by Chris Pike

PEEL Thunder is back in the WAFL finals for the first time since winning back-to-back premierships and while they enter from fifth position, they do so on the back of plenty of momentum.

It was a rough start to life in the WAFL for the Mandurah-based club from their entry in 1997 and it wasn’t until 2015 that they broke through to play finals for the first time. 

It then wasn’t until 2016 when they won a final for the first time and the Thunder went on to win a maiden premiership that year, and backed it up the following season. 

However, they haven't made it back to the finals since until now and Peel will be entering this finals series under coach Geoff Valentine confident they can do some damage even from fifth position.

Peel had to beat Swan Districts in the last round on Sunday just to qualify for the finals but they did so in emphatic fashion winning by 92 points to have now won seven of their last eight matches.

Their finals campaign begins on Sunday against South Fremantle in an elimination final at Fremantle Community Bank Oval, the same venue against the same opponent they won the preliminary final of 2016 and qualifying final of 2017.

THE SEASON SO FAR

Peel started the season with a big win at home against East Fremantle before a tight loss to West Perth and the mixed start continued with a win over West Coast, but then one-point loss to Perth for the 2-2 start.

It was then a 26-point loss to South Fremantle but Peel bounced back with an impressive win in Mandurah over Claremont the following week, and backed it up by winning at the death over Subiaco in Round 7.

The Thunder then led virtually all day before losing to Swan Districts at Bassendean with the rollercoaster ride continuing with a 65-point win over East Perth the next week, and then a loss to East Fremantle at the WACA Ground.

The Thunder lost to the Falcons again by three points at Joondalup in Round 12 before starting to build some momentum with four consecutive wins against Subiaco, Perth, East Perth and South Fremantle.

That put Peel right back in the hunt to play finals before a loss to Claremont meant to guarantee their place, they would need to win their final two matches.

The Thunder ended up doing that firstly beating the Eagles by 73 points and then thumping Swans in the last round on Sunday by 92 points.

That sees Peel finish the season with an 11-7 record as the second best scoring team in the WAFL at 87.2 points a game.

KEY WINS OF THE YEAR

It was the last performance of the season against Swan Districts that sent a real message of what Peel was capable of in 2022 heading into the finals.

With both teams playing for that fifth and last finals position, Peel put in a remarkably dominant performance from the outset to end up winning by 92 points against a team that had their own finals aspirations.

However, just three weeks earlier the win for the Thunder against fellow finalists and their elimination final opponent South Fremantle will give them great confidence too. Peel won that game at Lane Group Stadium by 14 points and will take great confidence from it.

MATCH UP WITH FELLOW FINALISTS

The only team in the finals Peel wasn’t able to beat throughout 2022 was minor premiers West Perth, but both games they played were tight affairs. 

The first was in Mandurah in Round 2 when the Falcons prevailed by 11 points in an entertaining affair before Peel also went down in a scrap by three points in tough conditions at Joondalup in Round 12.

Going back further, Peel has lost six in-a-row against West Perth and hasn’t beaten the Falcons since Round 1, 2019.

Peel opened the season by overrunning East Fremantle at Lane Group Stadium in Round 1 to win by 32 points but the Sharks got revenge in Round 10 at the WACA Ground with the 11-point victory.

Beyond that, Peel has won 13 of the last 17 clashes with the Sharks including a run of nine straight between 2015-18.

The Thunder beat the third placed Claremont in their first meeting this year in Round 6 at Lane Group Stadium, winning by 22 points. The Tigers hit back, though, winning by 15 points in Round 18 at Revo Fitness Stadium in what was the last loss Peel has suffered.

Prior to that win over Claremont in Round 6, Peel had lost six in-a-row against the Tigers.

Peel and South Fremantle only met four weeks ago in Mandurah with the Thunder winning that game by 14 points as they prepare to do battle in this Sunday's elimination final.

South Fremantle did win the opening clash this season over Peel by 26 points also at Fremantle Community Bank Oval which gave the Bulldogs a six-game winning streak against the Thunder.

PLAYERS TO BE EXCITED ABOUT

The Peel midfield is going to take some stopping led by ruckman Lloyd Meek and then with his Fremantle-listed teammates Mitch Crowden, Connor Blakely, Ethan Hughes, Neil Erasmus and Karl Worner all likely to be around him.

The Thunder also have the benefit of 151-game AFL veteran Nathan Wilson setting up play off half-back, AFL premiership defender Joel Hamling to take on the big jobs down back, and there'll be either Jye Amiss or Matt Taberner there as the main target in attack.

There's no question Peel will benefit from the health and depth of the Dockers especially while they are still alive in the AFL, but there's plenty of local talent ready to make their mark for the Thunder too.

Haydn Matthews has had the best season of his career while captain Ben Hancock is working back into form after a tough season as is reigning fairest and best winner Tyrone Thorne while premiership players Blair Bell and Traye Bennell are doing well at either end of the ground.

KEYS TO WINNING

If Peel is able to capitalise on their strengths in the middle of the ground starting with ruckman Lloyd Meek, they are going to be tough to stop. If he is able to hold his own in the hit out department and then provide an option around the ground, he will be a massive factor.

Then the midfield brigade led by Mitch Crowden, Connor Blakely, Neil Erasmus and Ethan Hughes along with some outside flair from the likes of Joel Western and Liam Henry give the Thunder plenty of strengths.

The back-line might not be their great strength but if they can hold up relatively well, with their midfield power and then a variety of options in attack with either Matt Taberner or Jye Amiss along with Josh Treacy, Sam Sturt and Blair Bell, then kicking winning scores won't be a problem.

IMPORTANT STATS

80 – The number of WAFL games that Peel has played since winning the 2017 Grand Final

51 – The amount of players Peel used throughout the season, the second most of any team

87.2 – The points Peel have averaged scoring per game this season, to be second across the league

243 – The goals kicked by the Thunder this season, the most in the competition

5 – The number of times this season Peel has kicked over 100 points, the most in the WAFL

2nd – While Peel has struggled in first quarters, they are ranked second across the season in each of the second, third and fourth quarters