By Murray Silby
Thunder has passed another difficult test in Round 11, to record its eighth win of the VFL W season to defeat Richmond at Punt Road by 23 points, 7.10 (52) to 4.5 (29).
Richmond started the game well with the first three scoring shots of the game, with Courtney Wakefield featuring heavily among the action, kicking 1.2. Unfortunately for the Tigers, their four scoring shots only resulted in the single major, which Thunder was able to match with one classy goal from the boundary going the way of Jordann Hickey.
That didn’t come until the 15th minute of the quarter, but despite this, the difference at the first change was just two points.
Wakefield continued to be a threat for the Tigers in the second term, adding her team’s two majors for the quarter.
Emma Swanson was the only Thunder player to kick a goal during the same term, leaving the visitors trailing by five points at half-time.
The third quarter was all about the visitors though as Thunder set about building a decent lead in a low-scoring game.
It could have been bigger too with some straight kicking.
Thunder put on 3.6 for the term to the Tigers’ single point. Swanson was her dangerous self up-forward, adding a goal to her tally making it two for the game, while ‘sneaky’ Sue Nalder and Marijana Rajcic also scored one.
The five-point deficit at half-time quickly became an 18-point lead at three-quarter-time.
Thunder pressed home its advantage in the final quarter with another two goals – to Katie Streader and Jordann Hickey – with Richmond adding just the one thanks to Kate Dempsey.
“They (Richmond) were very good,” Thunder coach Tim Weatherald said. “Probably that first half the ball spent most of the time in Richmond’s forward half of the ground. They formed a big wall, and we weren’t able to move the ball out of our defence to get into the forward line.
Weatherald was pleased with the way Jessica Sedunary bounced back from what she’d described as a quiet performance the week before and said his on-ball division had given Thunder plenty of opportunities.
“I thought Jasmyn Hewett in the ruck gave us first use of the ball and Ebony Marinoff really fed off that. It was just her second game for the club, and she put in probably a best on ground performance,” he said.
“She’s a dangerous left-footer, and she kicks the ball really well, and she’s always been a great tackler as well so Jazzy really got Ebony into the game, and also Emma Swanson was good, as was Renee Forth in the midfield as well.”
Weatherald said Thunder’s defence had held up under some intense pressure from the Tigers, particularly in the first half.
“Gemma Cusack played at centre-half-back for the first time, Sammy Barnett has been great as well down at full-back and first-gamer Stevie-Lee Thompson, she played a great game across half-back as well,” he said.
The victory has reinforced Thunder in the top four of the competition and places it among the front-runners for the premiership along with Collingwood, Hawthorn and the Geelong Cats.
“There’s a top four, and only two get a double chance, so you really want to finish in that top two, and that’s probably still in our own hands,” Weatherald said.
“We get to play Collingwood and Hawthorn, who are first and second, so we need to make sure we win against Williamstown and obviously next week against Casey, but I think the big two games will be Collingwood and Hawthorn in our last four games from here on.”
Weatherald said it was a thrill for the Thunder squad to play on Richmond’s home ground at Punt Road – now known as the Swinburne Centre – with all its history.
“We spoke about it before the game,” he said. “We got to do a warm-up on the ground before the game and just had a look around with the MCG in the background.
“Collingwood and North Melbourne were playing at a similar time to us with all the supporters walking past and going up to the coach’s box you walk through the old grandstand, which probably hasn’t changed for 100 years it felt like, so it was brilliant and I told the girls to really soak it up and enjoy the atmosphere there. You don’t get to play on ovals like that very often. It was a great experience.”
SCORES
Richmond: 1.3, 3.3, 3.4, 4.5 (29)
NT Thunder 1.1, 2.4, 5.10, 7.10 (52)
GOALS: Richmond – Courtney Wakefield 3, Kate Dempsey.
NT Thunder – Jordann Hickey 2, Emma Swanson 2, Sue Nalder, Marijana Rajcic, Katie Streader.
BEST: NT Thunder – Ebony Marinoff, Jasmyn Hewett, Jordann Hickey, Emma Swanson, Abbey Holmes, Renee Forth.