Peel Thunder made certain they will head into the WAFL finals with a second chance under their belt after a seven-goal burst in the last quarter saw them topple East Fremantle on Saturday.
The Sharks restricted Peel to just three goals in the opening three terms but the Thunder responded with a flurry of seven unanswered majors to secure an 8.7 (55) to 10.8 (68) victory, a win that assures they will finish the season in third despite having a week left to play.
Peel was meticulous in the final quarter.
Led by Jon Griffin’s ruck dominance and some standout performances from Blair Bell in the forward line and Sam Collins in defence, they were able to turn the tide on what had been a poor performance in the opening three.
But it was the assistant coaching staff that head coach Cam Shepherd gave his initial praise to.
“It was a credit to our assistant coaches. (Marc) Webb, (Brent) Guerra and Roger Hayden were great in putting together a winning plan after a really poor two or three quarters,” he said.
“I thought they were keys to us winning along with a number of good performances on the field in that final term.”
Peel Thunder continued their recent trend of playing with an inexperienced line-up, again achieving strong results from young players.
First-year player Haydn Matthews was outstanding in just his 14th game, tallying 25 disposals and a goal, while Calvin Thorne recorded 22 touches.
“Haydn is really building and launching his league career in the right direction,” Shepherd said.
“He’s someone people probably didn’t expect to come on the way he has but he’s worked hard and is getting the results he needs to keep playing league footy.
“Overall we’re really pleased with how the younger guys have stood up in the past few rounds.”
The victory assures Peel will finish the year in third, after results went their way with Swan Districts and East Perth suffering losses to Claremont and Perth respectively.
The Thunder now prepare to face the second-placed South Fremantle in the final round of the regular season this weekend, who will also be their opponent in the first week of finals.
“We know where we will finish, and South Freo know where they will finish, so we’re looking forward to being able to play without the stress of ladder positions,” Shepherd said.
“It’s a good battle for us heading into the finals.”
The Thunder will host South Fremantle at Bendigo Bank Stadium, with bounce down scheduled for Saturday, 2.15pm.