Heated exchange: The umpires were in the thick of the action in the Thunder’s clash with East Perth.
CONCEDING 25 goals cost the Peel Thunder any chance of victory against East Perth in their clash on Saturday.
The Thunder were bolstered by the return of forwards Scott Lycett and Matt Battye, but a second quarter fade-out gave the Royals a healthy buffer which they carried through to the final whistle.
Both sides came out firing in the first with goals flowing at both ends.
The Royals grabbed a 17-point lead early in the first before the Thunder fired back through Battye and Brad Holmes.
A goal to Lycett after the quarter-time siren gave the Thunder a slender one-point lead heading into the first change.
The match continued to march goal-for-goal until two contentious free-kicks halted the Thunder’s momentum.
After the Royals scored a goal, midfielder Jamason Daniels remonstrated with the opposition, resulting in a second shot on goal in 20seconds.
The Royals converted and were handed another shot after Brad Triplett, on his return from injury, handed the side another shot on goal.
Three quick majors snapped the goal-for-goal deadlock and put the Royals out in front with their biggest margin since the early in the first.
It was a lead they never surrendered as the visitors piled on the majors.
Eight goals to four for the term saw East Perth head into the main change with a 27-point lead after Peel was denied a goal by the siren.
A quick goal to Holmes to start the third sparked the crowd into action, but a soft turnover on the wing resulted in a goal to the Royals and just a minute late, were followed by another.
As the margin pushed past 40 points, Daniels did his best to inspire his team with his fourth goal in teal colours but the margin remained out of reach.
Tensions threatened to spill over midway through the term as the Thunder fought hard to get back into the game but the Royals were able to punish the Thunder on the scoreboard.
The Royals lead, out to as much as 41 points was reeled in to 35 at three-quarter-time and the Thunder refused to lie down.
Lycett had his fourth for the day as the Thunder opened the last with the first three goals to bring them within striking distance.
But like the Royals had done all day, they found another gear and ran out 50-point winners.
Battye finished his day with four goals, while Holmes continued his dominant season with five.
The trio contributed 13 of the side’s 18 goals, but it was the inability of the side to stop the East Perth goals that cost them at the end of the match.
Captain Brendan Jones led his side with 27 disposals and eight tackles while Pat Travers, who passed a fitness test late in the week, collected 24 with seven inside 50s.
The Thunder have a bye this weekend as the State side travel to Adelaide to take on South Australia.
Holmes is the Thunder’s sole representative in the final squad after Kristin Thornton was omitted from the squad earlier this week.
In the other results, Peel Thunder went down to East Perth in Reserves 18.14 (122) to 13.14 (92) and the Royals came out on top in the Colts clash, defeating the Thunder 17.9 (111) to 10.6 (66).