Last weekend we were faced with unique conditions at Williamstown, including a howling wind, scattered rain and several serious injuries and we did not adjust accordingly. We started to react to things outside of our control, and this was a precious lesson that will stick with us for a long time to come.

Unfortunately, our injury list has doubled overnight, which means we will have four new faces coming into our Round 9 line up this afternoon, including three players who will make their debut on the weekend. As one door closes, another one opens, and we get to provide opportunities to reward players working hard and putting in good performances out on the track at their respective training bases.

We also have three of our young players out this week because they will be representing the Central Allies at Round 2 of the NAB AFLW Championships held on the Gold Coast next week. I am extremely honoured to be involved in this campaign, and I know this experience will educate our rising NT talent about what it takes to play at the next level. These players now have a responsibility to take their key learnings back to their respective clubs and programs they are involved in to continue to strengthen women’s footy in the NT.

The Thunder girls are looking forward to playing at home in our final doubleheader for the year. Our NEAFL and VFLW teams united for a combined captains run on Friday, and I believe this speaks volumes about the respect and togetherness these two teams have under the Thunder banner.

There is a real buzz around the place, knowing we will be walking into the Michael Long Learning and Leadership Centre today to play at our familiar TIO Stadium in front of our loyal supporters. This support has not gone unnoticed and is very much appreciated. We know that we will be tested against a quality Carlton team, but I have total faith that players can use the learnings from the season so far to get the job done.

We have a chance to redeem ourselves and give our all to get the four points. I hope to see you all down at the footy today. Go Thunder!