Peel Thunder didn’t have the response they wanted after the bye going down to East Perth by 33 points at Rushton Park.

The Thunder applied pressure and were fast-paced, maintaining a low margin at every break.

Going into the last term trailing by one point, Peel were outrun by the Royals who kicked six goals to the Thunder’s one, ending the game 11.10 (76) to 5.13 (43).

Leroy Jetta carried the Thunder, kicking four goals and gathering 20 disposals.

Cameron Sutcliffe was solid with a game-high 37 disposals, while Sam Collins stepped up in the defence with 26 touches.

But it wasn’t enough to beat the Royals who dominated play in the final quarter.

The second quarter saw things get worse for Peel with the side struggling to convert in front of goal with five behinds, while East Perth kicked two goals in the opening minutes.

Luke Ryan said the Thunder’s biggest struggle was their ball use.

“Just not going into contests when we should have and just letting balls get over the back, it really hurt us,” he said. 

“ We just need to stick to (our) structures.

“If we start sticking to our structures we’ll improve.”

The third term saw the Thunder increase the pressure with goals from Matthew Taberner and Jetta, narrowing the margin to just one point at the final change.

East Perth struggled to put a score on the board with only three behinds for the quarter.

Ryan said Jetta had a big impact on the game.

“Unreal performance to score four goals,” he said.

“Even his forward pressure was pretty good but to kick four goals was a bonus.”

Ryan said Fremantle defender Sam Collins was an essential player for the side, despite the loss.

“He’s just strong all day.

“He didn’t lose a contest and played really well.”

Peel Thunder takes on Claremont next Saturday at Fremantle Oval.