In a rematch of the 2016 WAFL Grand Final, Peel Thunder and Subiaco go head to head in a second semi final clash that will decide the first of 2017’s grand finalists.

The Lions will hold home ground advantage on Sunday at Leederville Oval, coming off a one-week break to start the finals as reward for winning the minor premiership.

The winner will earn another week off ahead of the grand final at Domain Stadium on Sunday 24 September, while the loser will face off in the preliminary final against the winner of the first semi final between South Fremantle and Swan Districts.

Head to head
Played: 53
Subiaco: 45
Peel: 8

What the coaches said
Cam Shepherd (Peel)
Most of our boys work, so we train in the evening while the Fremantle boys only train in the morning. One of the great challenges of coaching this side is bringing it together on a weekend. In essence we have really good quality people and players at Peel and similarly at Fremantle. The leaders drive the relationship and (Zac) Dawson, (Nick) Suban and (Garrick) Ibbotson have been the ones to drive it along.

Jarrad Schofield (Subiaco)
Those (regular season) wins gave us the week off but a new season has now begun. Clancy Wheeler has come through well and will put his hand up for selection but (captain) Kyal Horsley has a couple of boxes to tick. If he is not 100 per cent, we won’t play him. 

The key points

  1. Subiaco’s season has been one of the all-time greats, winning 19 straight matches since dropping their round one clash with South Fremantle on 18 March.
  1. The winning streak included three wins over Peel, by 15 points in round four, four points in round 11 and 46 points in round 18. 
  1. Peel’s most recent win over the Lions came in the 2016 Grand Final, when the Thunder prevailed by 23 points.
  1. Subiaco’s Liam Ryan looms as the biggest threat to Peel. The 184cm forward won the Bernie Naylor Medal with 68 goals in 2017, the most in the past seven years and 14 more than his nearest rival.
  1. After keeping South Fremantle’s Cory Dell’Olio scoreless in last week’s qualifying final, Ryan Nyhuis might get the role of shutting down Ryan. In the 2016 Grand Final, Nyhuis helped keep Ryan to one goal
  1. Sam Collins finished the regular season with the second most marks in the WAFL with 135 from 17 games, trailing Ryan Cook of South Fremantle who took 138 marks from 20 games.
  1. Peel fielded 14 Fremantle-listed players in the qualifying final. This could reach the maximum of 15 against Subiaco with the potential returns of Brennan Cox and NAB AFL Rising Star nominee Luke Ryan.