VFL-W-Rd-11-match-preview

Thunder hungry to tame Tigers – Round 11

19.07.18 10:31

By Murray Silby 

NT Thunder will be hoping to inflict a fourth-straight loss on Richmond when the two sides meet at the Swinburne Centre in Round 11 of the VFL W on Saturday afternoon.

Thunder, on the other hand, has bounced back from a couple of losses to record big wins over Geelong and Darebin in recent weeks and appears to be back to the form that led to five straight wins at the start of the season.

Last week Thunder held Darebin goalless until the final quarter before running out 40-point winners and the week before that, it held Geelong goalless until the third quarter before recording a 65-point win.

Thunder is back to its high-scoring best, but it’s the fanatical defensive and offensive pressure that the wins have been built upon.

Against Darebin, Thunder had 28 more disposals than the Falcons, but Thunder laid a round-high 93 tackles to Darebin’s 63.

In her first game, Adelaide AFLW star Ebony Marinoff recorded a round-high 18 tackles in her Thunder debut.

And up forward, another debutant, Abbie Holmes, kicked four goals.

“It was just a good game when everyone did their bit and that just flowed really nicely,” winger Katie Streader said.

“It was a great game to be part of. It actually makes it fun as well when that pressure’s off as well when you know everyone is playing their role and it brings it together.”

Streader said the club’s two losses in succession in Rounds 7 and 8 to the Southern Saints and Collingwood forced Thunder to reapply itself to the task at hand.

“We’ve got a good attitude to it and I think the losses helped us re-evaluate what we need to do to make the changes needed to make sure we’re not getting complacent and I think having some losses mid-season is beneficial for that because you don’t go through the whole season and get to the end undefeated and then come undone if you have a loss.

“So I think it was a good chance to look at what we need to work on and how we can strengthen those areas of weakness and I think everyone’s got a pretty good attitude going into the games we’ve got left.”

One of the Tigers Thunder will have to watch this weekend is Lauren Tesoriero, who, in an 18-point loss to Casey last week, gathered a massive 14 kicks, 11 handballs and nine tackles.

She also has 40 clearances from six games.

Thunder has plenty of firepower to draw on as well though, including dangerous forward Jessica Sedunary, who has 14 goals for the season so far.

Streader says the mood at the club is buoyant and the players are ready for another trip south, their second in succession.

“There’s a really positive vibe around the club,” she said.

“It is a bit surreal (playing clubs like Richmond), but when you think about it, it’s just another game of footy so I don’t think about it too much. You just get on with it I guess.”

Now captain of the Pints NTFL side, Streader was first introduced to the game while at university in Ballarat, but only took up the game seriously when she arrived in Darwin.

She said she didn’t expect to get the chance to play for Thunder when its entry into the VFL W was announced, but she’s glad she has.

“To be honest I never really thought I’d be a part of it (the Thunder program) so it’s pretty exciting to have the opportunity to do it and it’s great that they’re getting so many local girls involved,” she said.

“They’ve invested a lot into us and we’re getting some really good opportunities so hopefully they keep us in the competition and we have another crack next year as well.

“I’m really enjoying it. It is a lot of commitment and a lot of effort, but it’s rewarding and it’s paying off I think. It’s a great opportunity for us girls and I don’t think I’d have the same opportunity if I wasn’t in Darwin.”

 

VFL W Round 11 – Richmond v NT Thunder, 12pm Saturday 21 July, Swinburne Centre, Richmond.