Peel Thunder playing for form as finals draw near

After the match, Peel players and coaches would have been kicking themselves about dropping the lead in what should have been a victory over the league powerhouse.

But their disappointment would have been eased when they heard the news that both East Fremantle and East Perth had lost, assuring Peel a spot in the finals.

Now, with one game to go before the post-season sparks into action, Peel will be playing to head into the post-season on the back of a win over an in-form Claremont outfit.

Peel can only head into the finals as high as fourth on the ladder, meaning they will play an elimination final (potentially at Bendigo Bank Stadium), against either East Perth or East Fremantle.

Finding strong form before the elimination final will be imperative to Peel’s chances.

But despite Claremont sitting in seventh on the ladder with only seven wins on the year, Peel could go into the match as underdogs.

The Thunder were prolific in their first three quarters against the Lions, which alludes to the fact that they should overcome the Tigers.

But last time the two sides met, four weeks ago in round 19, Claremont upset Peel to the tune of 45 points.

Since round 16 when they upset South Fremantle, Claremont has been on fire. 

They’ve won four of their last six games, with the two losses coming against Perth and West Perth by eight points and one point respectively.

Last week, they crushed East Fremantle, dealing out a 99-point belting to the Sharks.

While the result would have pleased Peel at the time, it’s now a daunting prospect to know they must overcome a strong Tigers outfit.

Another harsh reality for the Thunder could come at the selection table, with Fremantle coach Ross Lyon saying he is open to sentiment when choosing his 22 for Fremantle great Matthew Pavlich’s last match.

That means the likes of Tendai Mzungu, Matt de Boer and Clancee Pearce could all be in the frame for Dockers selection. All have performed well for Peel in 2016.

But with that comes the possibility of young players or short-term Freo servants to be brought back to Peel Thunder.

Connor Blakely, Ed Langdon and Darcy Tucker could all return to the Thunder, while Matt Taberner or Michael Apeness could be pushed back to make way for Pavlich.

Each of those five names has made a difference in certain games for the Thunder this year.