WAFL 2025: South Fremantle outclass Peel Thunder to put reigning premiers in danger of missing finals

Peel Thunder’s finals hopes are hanging by a thread as ladder-leaders South Fremantle flexed their muscles in a strong 35-point victory in Mandurah. Rubbing salt into the wounds for the Thunder was the loss of star on-baller Will Brodie to concussion in the opening minutes of their 11.8 (74) to 5.9 (39) defeat. The powerful midfielder’s absence hurt the Thunder, who would’ve thrived in the tough conditions which met both sides in the second half. Peel managed only the one goal after the main break in tougher conditions as South Fremantle consolidated their spot at the top of the table. It has left the Thunder with only four wins and a draw from 10 games and in serious danger of missing September action altogether after claiming the premiership last year. Despite the inclement conditions a strong crowd turned out for a rare appearance by Fremantle veterans Michael Walters and Jaeger O’Meara for the Thunder. Incredible sideways rain marred the third term as both sides tried their best to ensure they dominated territory and lock the ball in their front half as conditions to score were tough. The Bulldogs excelled in the conditions, with their excellent skills and execution of gameplan coming to the fore in a five-goal to zero quarter which set up the victory. Classy midfielder Jake Florenca (28 disposals, 10 tackles and seven clearances) and Matt Parker (23 disposals, 12 tackles and 11 clearances) were pivotal as the Bulldogs to make the most of the finer conditions early in the contest. South Fremantle ruckman Hamish Free (19 disposals, 41 hit-outs and six clearances) was able to share the honours against Fremantle-listed big man Liam Reidy (52 hit-outs, 16 disposals and five clearances) in an enthralling battle, while former Docker Ethan Hughes was an impenetrable force in defence. Backed by the breeze in the first term, the Bulldogs did enough with three goals, but it was against the wind in the second where they took control of the contest. The Bulldogs also booted two goals from 50m penalties which gave them a seven-point lead into the main break which featured a big melee. But it was the third quarter when South Fremantle made their move as Peel struggled to find a way to hit the scoreboard against the breeze, leaving the home side down by 36 points at the final break. Any hopes of a comeback for the Thunder were dashed when Matt Ward kicked his third goal for the day midway through the last quarter to seal the Bulldogs’ ninth win of the season. SCOREBOARD SOUTH FREMANTLE 3.3, 5.5, 10.5, 11.8 (74) PEEL THUNDER 1.0, 4.4, 4.5, 5.9 (39) Goals – SOUTH FREMANTLE: M Ward 3 I Winder 2 R Colborne B Donaldson J Florenca H Free R O’Hehir Z Strom. PEEL THUNDER: C Nicholls 2 J Delean I Dudley J Sears. Best – SOUTH FREMANTLE: M Parker J Florenca H Free T Blechynden E Hughes N Strom. PEEL THUNDER: S Tuia J O’Meara H Davies Q Narkle L Reidy O McDonald. Injuries – PEEL THUNDER: W Brodie (concussion). Umpires: R McCaw J Antulov M Caifano. Crowd: About 1200 at Lane Group Stadium.