Icey weather conditions at Lane Group Stadium reflected the WAFL Eagles’ day out, falling to Peel Thunder by 74 points on Saturday afternoon.
Top-of-the-table Peel were dominant in their 18.8 (116) v 6.6 (42) defeat, utilizing the strong breeze to their full advantage, with their potent forward line performing at full force.
The home side drew first blood, a goal through Tom Emmett, who went on to kick his second major just moments later.
Peel started with the breeze and worked it well, recording five unanswered goals in the first before West Coast opened their account, with Luke Yeo kicking his first goal in his League career.
Peel highlighted how hard they are to stop on the attack, and responded on the scoreboard through Patrick Voss, to finish the opening quarter with a five-goal lead.
West Coast showed promise in the second term, Shannon Lucassen and Archer Reid both opening their accounts with much needed goals for the visitors.
The margin was down to an attainable 19 points, before Voss kicked another goal after the halftime siren, giving Peel a 23-point lead at the main break.
Ethan Sambo, who was excellent throughout the game, especially with his defensive pressure around the ground, was rewarded with a goal in the third, before Peel really put their foot down, kicking six goals for the quarter.
While West Coast had the better second quarter, the Thunder really took control in the second half, holding the Eagles goalless in the final term.
Voss was a real handful for the Eagles’ defence, finishing the game with six goals, while Matt Taberner enhanced Peel’s firepower with an additional four goals.
Lucassen and Reid finished with two goals each, while Harley Sparks (29 disposals), Andrew Gaff (26) and Jai Culley (25) were West Coast’s main ball-winners.
Coen Livingstone was an impressive feature for the Eagles, the young rookie tasked with the primary ruck role and showed signs of a bright future at the club, finishing with 15 hitouts and seven tackles.
PEEL THUNDER 6.3 8.4 14.6 18.8
WEST COAST 1.1 4.5 6.5 6.6
GOALS
Peel Thunder: Voss 6; Taberner 4; O’Driscoll 3; Emmett 2; Tregenza, Wilson, Simpson. West Coast: Lucassen, Reid 2; Yeo, Sambo.
BEST
Peel Thunder: Voss, Erasmus, Reidy, Brodie, Taberner, Allan. West Coast: Sambo, Lucassen, Sparks, Edwards, Culley, Gaff.
