East Perth bowed out of the WAFL premiership race with a 49-point elimination final loss to Peel at Bendigo Bank Stadium yesterday.

The Royals failed to fire a shot in the opening quarter and struggled to wrestle back any momentum as the Thunder stormed home to record their first ever finals win 12.14 (86) to 5.7 (37).

Rory O’Brien got the home side off to a fast start when he converted a free-kick resulting from a Jack Redden high tackle into the game’s first goal in the third minute and Shane Yarran got Peel 12 points in front with a long set shot from outside the 50m arc four minutes later.

Josh Deluca added six more points to Peel coffers in the 13^th minute with a true right foot snap in traffic and Michael Apeness rounded out the Thunder’s first quarter rout with a straight set shot from 20m late in the period.

Peel extended its lead to 34 points when Ed Langdon streamed down the left wing, left Eric Mackenzie in his wake and dribbled home the Thunder’s fifth major from the goal square four minutes into the second term, but Malcolm Karpany kick-started an East Perth revival with a clever left foot snap moments later.

Jamie Bennell booted the Royals’ second goal with an imperious right foot snap 20m from goal in the 19^th minute and Will Maginness found some space and darted to the goal square to add another major to the visitors’ tally a minute later.

Jack Hannath put an end to East Perth’s goal streak with a six pointer of his own following a strong mark and straight kick in the 30^th minute and Brayden Bell rubbed salt in the Royals’ wounds when he dissected the tall posts with a right foot snap just seconds before the half-time siren sounded.

East Perth tough nut Patrick McGinnity got the Royals within 22 points when he converted a free-kick from 20m after copping a whack to the back of the head from Peel defender Josh Bootsma, but Yarran nullified his score with a strong contested mark and straight 50m bomb in the 16^th minute of the penultimate term.

Goals were few and far between in the penultimate term as spot fires broke out across the ground, but Maginness managed to snag one last major with a crafty check-side grubber from that worked its way through the big sticks late in the quarter.

With 22 points to make up in the final term, the last thing the Royals needed was for Zac Clarke’s ambitious left foot snap to sail through the goals in the 17^th minute.

Clarke’s goal seemed to take all of the wind out of the Royals’ sails and in spite of winning the final quarter supply battle, East Perth didn’t manage to register a goal in the final quarter.

Peel capitalised on its defensive and midfield dominance by booting three more majors late in the piece to seal a historic victory.

Malcolm Karpany stood tall in the face of adversity to collect 22 disposals and seven marks in addition to his second quarter goal and Luke Partington and Tom Cole battled hard for 21 disposals each.

Liam Duggan gathered the ball 19 times and stuck six effective tackles, Jack Redden collected two less disposals but equalled Duggan’s tackle count and Eric Mackenzie was steady at the back en route to an 18-touch, six-mark game.

First-year Eagles Kurt Mutimer and Jordan Snadden got the ball moving 15 times in the middle of the ground and Patrick McGinnity – who suffered a hamstring injury midway through the second quarter but played on – was influential despite only gathering the Burley 12 times.

Tom Lamb and Jamie Bennell collected eight possessions each.

Fraser McInnes was forced from the field less than two minutes into the second quarter after suffering a hamstring injury.