Finals shaky for Peel after loss to Bulldogs

A 40 point loss to South Fremantle on Saturday afternoon has left Peel Thunder with a shaky chance of making the 2019 WAFL finals.

Peel needed the win to keep their finals hopes alive but quickly succumbed to the Bulldogs pressure and the scoring troubles that plagued them in round 13 and 14.

They now need East Fremantle to win against Perth this weekend before beating the Demons themselves in round 20 to scrape into the top five.

As with previous low-scoring weeks it was another slow start that hampered the Thunder from the beginning, managing just a solitary behind in the opening quarter while South Fremantle kicked 4.2 to jump out to an early 25 point lead at the first break.

The troubles continued in the second quarter as Peel hit the scoreboard just once to notch up their first goal of the game, while down the other end the Bulldogs continued the onslaught with 4.4 of their own to extend their lead to 47 at halftime.

The Peel players finally jumped into gear in the third quarter to kick four goals but by then the damage was done and, despite keeping their opponents goalless in the fourth quarter, they finished the game on the wrong end of the 82-42 scoreline.

With Peel scoring just six goals for the match Gerald Ugle kicked the lion’s share with three, while Lachlan Cullen kicked two and Ben Howlett the other.

Howlett and Keegan Power led the team for disposals with 22 each while Jackson Merrett, Brayden Lawler and Brett Bewley all finished with 20 touches.

Playing in just his second league match Jarvis Pina said a lack of pressure in the opening half hurt them.

“They were dominating the ball and we just couldn’t get it off them,” he said.

“I thought the way the boys fought back after the half was a credit to us, but obviously we couldn’t get the job done today.”

After 18 rounds and with just two games to go, Peel sit 7th on the WAFL ladder with 24 points, while Perth are in 5th with 32.

The Thunder will need to finish the season with wins in their last two matches to make the finals, starting with an away game to Swan Districts from 2.15pm, August 17.

PEEL Thunder’s colts have cemented themselves as the best team in the competition with a resounding 71-point win over South Fremantle.

The Thunder kept their opponents goalless for the first three quarters of the game, allowing them to score just 0.5 while booting 10.7 themselves to take a big 62 point lead into the last break.

The Bulldogs finally hit the scoreboard with three majors in the final quarter but Peel were able to kick four of their own to run out 94-23 winners.

Tyrone Thorne was lethal with five goals and Jaxon Pitts scored three while Jack Sears amassed a game-high 28 disposals, leading Thorne and James Ewing who picked up 25 each.

Peel remain on top of the colts ladder, three games and percentage clear of the second placed Claremont.

Peel’s reserves fell just three points shy of notching their second win of the season.

A slow start had Peel give up a 22 point lead at halftime but they came storming back in the second half, kicking five goals to two to fall just short of a memorable come-from-behind victory as South Fremantle held on win 57-54.

Tyson Powell kicked four goals and James Wiltshire kicked two, while Matthew Bogensperger had a huge 38-disposal game.

Peel remain on the bottom of the reserves ladder with just one win.

Peel’s women were also unable to pick up their second win of the season, going down to Claremont 52-33.