Peel Thunder celebrates 20 years of footy | photos

The Thunder won the right to become the ninth side in the West Australian Football League in 1996, but first took the field as a team on March 30, 1997 against South Fremantle.

Their first game left much to be desired.

After having just eight months to piece together a side, made up mainly of players from the local regions, Peel was trounced 8.4 (52) to 25.10 (160).

Scott Simister, who won two of the club’s first three best and fairest awards, and led the goal kicking four times, recalled Peel’s entrance to the league as “a huge challenge”.

“It was pretty tough early. A lot of people doubted if a team that far south could stay in the competition or not,” he said.

“Every year, it seemed to be hit and miss whether we’d still have a club.

“It was hard to entice players and they didn’t have the club rooms they have today.”

The drubbings came thick and fast for the Thunder.

In their first seven games, their smallest losing margin was 57 points, with the rest all above 100 points.

It wasn’t until May 17, in round eight, that the club first tasted victory with a thrilling three-point victory over Claremont.

“That first win probably stands out to me as the highlight of my time in the club,” Simister said.

“I remember the feeling around the boys just being ecstatic. Everyone was pumped.”

But the glory was short-lived.

Peel’s run of losses resumed, and it wasn’t until round 17 in 1998 that they won again.

The club posted just two wins in its first three years in the league.

“On the field, we obviously didn’t have much success, but we were a tight-knit group off the field and the camaraderie really kept us going,” Simister said.

“We all enjoyed playing together and we’d all hang out during the week or on the weekends. That certainly helped.”

In reality, it was a dismal first five seasons for the Thunder. But in 2002 there was a little ray of sunshine. Peel had its first Sandover medal winner in Allistair Picket and the club won a then-record seven games.

The first flag came two years later in the colts competition, where the Thunder was led by current-day hero Rory O’Brien.

The colts backed it up with another premiership in 2005, while the reserves were runners-up.

Peel’s next point of success at league level came in 2008, when a fiery forward named Hayden Ballantyne won the club’s second Sandover medal.

Since its inception, the club has produced AFL stars like Ballantyne, Daniel Wells and Ben Howlett.

Some its higher draft choices include Wells (pick two), Scott Gumbleton (pick two) and Harley Bennell (pick three).

Current chief executive officer John Ditchburn, who has been a part of the club for 15 years, said Peel was able to develop a number of strong players over the years despite the lack of team success.

“One of the reasons we were put in place to start with was to provide a pathway and that’s been outstanding,” he said.

“Obviously, the first 10 years of our club was a struggle with a lot of tough times, but we’ve still had 30 players drafted in our 20 years.”

The club moved out of its old country-style club rooms in 2011, into a new state-of-the-art facility.

Then, in 2014, Peel signed a landmark deal aligning it with the Fremantle Football Club, while East Perth signed with the West Coast Eagles.

The alignments brought a backlash from the remaining seven WAFL clubs, but Ditchburn was adamant it would bring the club sustained success.

“We’ve always had a focus on sustained success, be that through developing our own talent or our alignment,” he said.

The results speak for themselves.

The Thunder appeared in its first finals series in 2015, but was promptly eliminated after consecutive losses to the Falcons and Royals.

Then, in a stunning turn of events, the club was able to turn the table in 2016 and topple Subiaco in the grand final to claim their first league flag, which they unveiled at last week’s game against East Fremantle.

“It’s an unbelievable time really,” Ditchburn said.

“The first time you get to unfurl a premiership flag in front of a home crowd is just a ‘wow’ moment.

“To have three of our life members carry it out and hoist it in front of our supporters was a really moving moment for us as a club.”

Fittingly, the Thunder will again take on South Fremantle this weekend – 20 years and a few days after the two teams met in Peel’s historic first ever game..