By Kyle Champion
It was a dismal day for NT Thunder as the Magpies proved that Victoria Park is their domain. The result had Collingwood 5.10 (40) defeat Thunder 1.1 (7) to hand the NT its first loss of the season.
From the opening bounce, Collingwood was on the attack early. The ball was living in the Pies forward line early as the home advantage had Thunder off on the back foot.
Sarah Dargan kicked the first goal of the game as Collingwood’s momentum started to build. The combination of Chloe Molloy and Brianna Davey in the centre proved to be poison for Thunder’s midfield.
Lisa Roberts and Angela Foley were working overtime in defence as Collingwood pilled on the pressure. The Pies had multiple chances in front of goal but failed to convert.
Unfortunately for the visitors, Molloy soon popped up in the goal square to kick Collingwood’s second major.
Thunder needed a goal, and Jasmyn Hewett responded. The final minute of the first term saw Hewett slot Thunder’s first from a tight angle after being paid for an infringement in the ruck.
Thunder began the second quarter with good intensity. Foley had been pushed into the midfield and NT was starting to win the clearances.
She was well complemented by Hannah Martin, who was digging hard into the contest. Hewett was working hard across the ground, and Nikki Gore contributed well on the outside. Thunder was starting to gain some ground.
However, the ball kept falling short of its mark as only a single behind for the quarter was managed.
On the other side of the field, Collingwood was proving inaccurate in front of goal. No goals were scored by either team in the second term.
The third quarter saw a tug of war as both sides fought to a stalemate for 10 minutes.
Foley, Hewett, and Martin tried desperately to turn the tide of the game, but Collingwood was dominating possession.
Soon Jordan Allen broke the drought by kicking her first goal of the game. Jamie Lambert was next to score as Thunder looked exhausted.
The Final term saw Collingwood soak up the time. Stoppages completely dominated the match as the margin proved to be too great for Thunder to challenge. A crumbing goal by Gemma Lagioia was the nail in the coffin to end a poor day for Thunder.
Senior Assistant Coach Ricky Nolan, who was leading the team in the game, believed the efforts in the middle of the ground is where Thunder fell short.
“We just got beaten in contested footy in the middle of the ground,” Nolan said. “Our structures broke down in the centre, and that was the main problem. We probably broke down in the first ten minutes of the game. They got on top of us early, they had the momentum, and it was up to us to beat them back from there.”
Nolan had a tough matchup for the day as a few of Thunder key players were absent.
“We were definitely missing some key players,” Nolan said. “Kristy Irvine and Machaelia Roberts are really tough in the contest. We have a few injuries out of this game also, we just have to ice them and get them out for next week.”
Thunder will face Carlton next Saturday at La Trobe University in Melbourne as they hope to bounce back from today’s loss.
NT THUNDER: 1.0 I 1.1 I 1.1 I 1.1 (7)
COLLINGWOOD: 2.4 I 2.8 I 4.10 I 5.10 (40)
GOALS
NT Thunder: J. Hewett
Collingwood: S. Dargan, C. Molloy, J. Allen, J. Lambert, G. Lagioia
BEST
NT Thunder: J. Hewett, N. Gore, K. Streader, A. Sheridan, H. Martin, A. Foley
Collingwood: B. Bonnici, B. Davey, G. Lagioia, K. Lynch, J. Allen, S. King