PEEL Thunder coach Cam Shepherd said he was proud of his players’ attitude during their 18-point win over Swan Districts.
The Thunder rebounded from a heavy defeat to South Fremantle with a much-needed win which kept them in the hunt for the finals.
They had over 60 more disposals and 13 more inside 50s than Swan Districts, who they led at every change in skipper Gerald Ugle’s 100th game.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOWDanyle Pearce led the way for Peel with 35 disposals, while Sean Darcy was dominant in the ruck with 31 hit-outs and three goals.
Shepherd said the performance highlighted the mental toughness of the team after the previous round’s disappointing showing.
“We played really strong footy across the whole day, from the opening bounce, I’m really proud of the boys,” he said.
“We won clearances, we had a really strong attitude and intent to respond to a really poor performance against South Fremantle.”
Shepherd also praised the attitude of Fremantle Dockers star Bradley Hill, who played his first game since March and collected 25 disposals.
“Sometimes when AFL players play at lower levels, some take it easy, but Bradley certainly didn’t,” he said.
As attention turns to Peel’s Friday night clash with an undefeated Claremont side, Shepherd admitted he was happy the chance of finals football had not evaporated.
“I would rather be 3rd than 6th, but we’re in a position to have an impact on the rest of the season,” he said.