Peel Thunder’s history making win against East Perth on Sunday was setup by their fast start and that focus will remain says defender Sam Collins.

Peel leapt out of the blocks to kick four goals in the opening term while restricting East Perth to just two behinds up to quarter time.

“We knew we had to come out with a really fast start which we did today,” Collins said on Sunday.

“It was great to get the win.”

Peel make history

Shane Yarran led the way for Peel up front, finishing with three goals and producing two brilliant pieces of play to put East Perth under pressure.

He smothered an attempted clearance from the Royals in their defensive 50 in the second quarter and laid a great tackle after giving away a free kick in the third term.

Collins said the Fremantle forward set a good example for the team.

“We put the challenge out to all the guys who came back to play Peel finals to really bring their best effort and he really did today,” Collins said.

“He’s got a lot of flare, he’s really quick and a quality forward.”

Matt de Boer continued his impressive form for Peel, laying 10 tackles, gathering 31 touches and kicking a goal as Peel harassed East Perth at the contest.

“Matt had a great game today,” said Collins.

“No matter what week it is, he always gives great effort.”

Collins, who played 12 games for Fremantle in 2016, said the experience of AFL football put him in a good position ahead of the WAFL finals.

“I learnt a lot going up and playing at the level above, more importantly just the way I need to defend one on one and that’s what I tried to focus on today,” he said.

“Coming back, it’s just about focussing on the little things and hearing the feedback and really trying to implement that.”

Collins says the team are focused on a fast start when the Thunder face West Perth at HBF Arena in Joondalup on Sunday, 11 September.

“(We want to) play the way we did today,” he said.

“(We want) a really fast start and make sure we are bringing our effort and playing our role and really building the ball and using the ball to the best of our ability.”