Matt de Boer wins Peel Thunder fairest and best

The gun midfielder became a hero within the halls of Rushton Park when he played a significant part in the club’s first premiership, and now his name will be forever displayed on Peel’s honour boards as a best and fairest winner.

De Boer’s win follows his second-place finish at the WAFL’s Sandover medal in a home-and-away season where he played just 12 games for the Thunder.

But it’s been a mixed fortnight for the Peel star, who was delisted from the Fremantle Dockers just three days before winning their affiliate club’s top honour.

He is now the second consecutive player to be cut from the AFL club and win Peel Thunder’s best and fairest in the same season, following on from Jacob Ballard in 2015.

But the inside-pressure machine looms as the most likely of Fremantle’s nine delisted players to get an AFL lifeline, with his form at the WAFL level this season speaking for itself.

Peel head coach Cam Shepherd said de Boer was a treat to have on the field.

“He’s the kind of player you love to have on your side,” he said.

“His work ethic is outstanding and the way he executes his footy is second to none.”

The premiership coach praised de Boer for his on-field leadership, saying he helps to get other players involved.

“The way he leads from the front is the sort of thing you look for in every player, he demands high standards from everyone,” he said.

“Matt’s the type of player that brings the best out of others. He’s really hard in and under and you need someone like that to win the footy for you.

“I think everyone involved in the footy club will look back on this year fondly and Matt’s contribution to the team will always come to mind.”

De Boer’s 2016 season with Peel began with a vintage individual performance. In the side’s narrow loss to Subiaco he collected 26 disposals and laid eight tackles.

The week after, he tallied 34 disposals and six tackles to help the Thunder squeak by East Fremantle for a three point win.

He went on to finish the season (including finals) with averages of 30 disposals and eight tackles per game to go with his nine goals for the year.

De Boer will now continue his search for an AFL lifeline. If his quest should fall short it is likely he will return to his original WAFL club, Claremont.