Sports
Peel Thunder Clenches Third Premiership Title at WAFL Grand Final
Peel Thunder secured their third premiership title in the WAFL, defeating East Perth by a margin of 33 points in a tense Grand Final match held at Optus Stadium. Peel’s victory concludes a successful season during which they spent a notable 13 weeks atop the league ladder.
The Grand Final on Sunday saw Peel Thunder overpower East Perth with a final score of 14.8 (92) to 8.11 (59). A crucial third-quarter surge helped Peel pull away, consisting of five consecutive goals that ultimately sealed their victory.
The match began with East Perth’s Sam Van Diemen kicking the first goal, but Peel’s Matt Taberner quickly responded with a goal of his own. Despite East Perth leading by five points at the end of the first quarter, Peel took command in the second term, with significant contributions from Simpson Medallist Neil Erasmus, who scored two goals.
Upon returning to the field after halftime, East Perth managed to narrow the gap to just three points within the third quarter. However, Peel Thunder’s series of goals from Nathan Wilson, Cooper Simpson, and others expanded their lead to 32 points. Although East Perth made a final push, bringing the score within 10 points courtesy of a goal from Harrison Macreadie, Peel solidified their win with additional goals in the closing moments.
Neil Erasmus was awarded the Simpson Medal for his outstanding performance, compiling 26 possessions and 11 tackles. Peel’s Nathan O'Driscoll also impressed with 29 touches and a goal.
On the defensive end, Michael Sellwood stood out with 21 possessions. Other notable players for Peel included Karl Worner with 19 disposals, Will Brodie, and Scott Tuia among others.
For East Perth, Sam Van Diemen was a standout with three goals, while Harrison Macreadie added two. East Perth’s ruckman Scott Jones also had a significant impact with 51 hit-outs in the match.
The Grand Final day also featured other notable events, such as East Fremantle winning the reserves premiership and Claremont claiming back-to-back Colts premierships.
