TEN games into the season, Peel Thunder is sitting primed to play finals footy in 2016.
The Thunder currently reside in fourth place on the ladder, but only on percentage, as they share a win/loss record with East Fremantle in third and West Perth in fifth.
All three sides have a record of six wins, four losses and sit two wins above East Perth in sixth.
The encouraging thing for the Thunder is that they are coming off an impressive win against East Fremantle, which bought the sides to even.
The Sharks were on a four-game win streak when they hosted Peel, but the Thunder controlled the game for four quarters and claimed a 26-point win.
Thunder coach Cam Shepherd labelled the win as “encouraging”, and praised his side’s senior and junior leadership.
“The boys really stepped up. (Rory) O’Brien, (Tendai) Mzungu, (Gerald) Ugle and the rest of our senior boys impressed with their leadership,” he said.
“Our younger guys were able to follow that lead and play some strong football.”
The chase for a top-five berth will see side’s rely on all players to contribute, an aspect of Peel’s win that pleased coach Shepherd.
“We don’t necessarily always look at stats but more of how our boys contribute, and they all played really well,” he said.
“We were happy across the board – very encouraging.”
But the Thunder will need to build on the impressive win, as they now face a daunting fortnight.
This coming Saturday, Peel tackle perennial powerhouses and reigning premiers Subiaco, who are currently second on the table.
After that, the top-of-the-table South Fremantle await.
Shepherd said carrying momentum from the East Fremantle win over was pivotal.
“We need to make sure we take what we did against East Freo and bring it into our next couple of games,”
“Versing the top three in three weeks isn’t easy, so we need to make sure we’re at our best.”
The Thunder take on the Lions at Medibank Stadium on Saturday, June 4 at 2.15pm.