Peel Thunder debutants earn praise in win over West Perth Falcons

Halls Head’s Matthew Piggott and Rockingham’s Damon Cramer both impressed in their first league appearances at the WAFL level with 14 disposals apiece.

Cramer, who has just returned from a stint with the WA under 18s, also tallied a goal, eight marks and four inside 50s while Piggott added six marks.

“I thought both of those guys came in and played their role and really gave us something in their debuts,” Shepherd said.

“They were going against very mature bodies and a good side in West Perth, so we were really happy with how they went about their first games.”

The duo had the luxury of debuting with an on-field look at some individual masterclasses as a number of players stood tall in the 9.15 (69) to 16.3 (99) victory.

Fremantle-listed forward Matt Taberner responded to being overlooked for a Dockers call-up with an enormous stat line, recording 25 disposals, 13 marks and a whopping six goals.

Fellow Docker Cam Sutcliffe wasn’t far behind with 23 disposals and four goals while Harley Balic (25 touches, one goal) and Sam Collins (25 touches, 12 marks) played key roles.

“I thought our intent at the footy was good all day,” Shepherd said of the win.

“We lost a couple of guys to injury but to the guys’ credit they didn’t waiver and continued to play a strong brand of footy.”

Peel’s accuracy was a key factor in their victory.

They booted 11 straight goals in the opening three quarters, and it wasn’t until the fourth that they registered their first behind.

Their dominance was sparked by their defence, that kept West Perth goalless until the four-minute mark of the third quarter.

“We defended well and fortunately we had our kicking boots on as well,” Shepherd said.

“I think the majority of our forward entries went to spots in front of the goal – we didn’t take many shots from wide angles which is pleasing.”

The Thunder now gear up for an East Perth outfit coming off a bye and banging on the door of a top-five position.