Royals oversee final round victory over Peel

Peel Thunder's shortened 2020 Optus WAFL Season came to a close on Saturday afternoon after a tough encounter with East Perth at Leederville Oval. With East Perth still an outside chance at making the 4 it was always going to be a tough ask for the young side, the job was made infinitely harder with veteran forward Hayden Ballantyne ruled out during the week with a hamstring injury. Despite this, it provided a final opportunity for all of the younger players to have a final chance at in-game development before the off-season break.

East Perth started the game strongly and while both sides only managed 7 inside 50's for the quarter, it was the Royals that did all the damage on the scoreboard as they booted 3 goals through Angus Scott, Eddie Simpson and Christian Ameduri. The Thunder did continue to show intensity around the contest, out tackling the Royals however they weren't without opportunity as East Perth managed to dispose of the ball 49 times more in the first quarter alone.                       

The Thunder did manage to see more of the ball in the second term and had more inside 50's but still remained goal-less until Jack Sears converted a set shot from a 50m penalty late in the second term.

The Third quarter was by far the most entertaining with both sides having a number of opportunities to score. The Royals inaccuracy aided the Thunder, as they kicked 3.5 to 3.2 for the quarter which provided some hope that a strong final term could give the visitors an unlikely victory.

Tyrone Thorne was highlighted by Coach Cam Shepherd during his final quarter break address for his efforts inside 50, illustrated by kicking both a goal and laying 8 tackles for the game.

The Royals took it to another level in the last, piling on 7 goals to nothing in the final term, with Jayden Magro and Angus Scott booting 4 between them. This coupled with a Subiaco loss briefly saw the Royals jump up into the 4. 

A trend throughout the shortened season has been the Thunder's struggle to get any ascendency from the ruck. Former Thunder Ruckman Scott Jones ensured this continued with 35 hit-outs, which resulted in the Royals winning both the clearances 33-28 and getting first use of the ball an extra 12 times.

Jackson Ramsay finished with 35 disposals while Angus Scott kicked 3. Outgoing Royals captain Patrick Mcginnity, Jayden Magro and Shaquille McKenzie all added 2 goals each. 

Michael Randall capped off his season with a career high 22 disposals, Matt Bogensperger despite turning the ball over in front of goal in third was handy down back with 20, Captain Ben Howlett worked tirelessly once again in the backline for his 19 and Jackson Merrett after 13 first half disposals was tagged out of it in the second half, only managing 16 for the game.

In a season that ended without a victory, hopefully will only be a minor setback as the club debuted 10 new players, with a number of them coming through from last years top of the table Colts side. This coupled with a good mix of experienced AFL calibre players and Premiership players should hold the Thunder in good stead for the years ahead as the team looks to return to finals action in 2021. 

LEAGUE FINAL

PEEL GOALS: Thorne, Middleton, Holmes, Sears 1

PEEL BEST: Randall, Thorne, Bootsma, Howlett, Rankin