Netball
30 May, 2025
Thunder battle against Saints
A beautiful day at Hopetoun on Saturday 24th May.
Southern Mallee Thunder hosted Horsham Saints for Round 6.
The Thunder celebrated Pink Day- with all players wearing pink ribbons and armbands.
Out with a bang, Thunder and Saints had equal scores at end of the of the first quarter, the energy on court was electric.
Bringing us into the second quarter, Saints in true Saints fashion had a quick run on with the play, but that was not going to stop Thunder applying incredible pressure to shut that down, finishing up the second quarter with a seven-goal difference Saints way.
The second-half game plan kept that same momentum and energy throughout.
The Thunder had some fantastic passages of play from everyone on court.
It was a great team game and showed true Thunder Spirit.
All the girls put their bodies on the line right until the last whistle.
Final score: Horsham Saints 57 defeated SM Thunder 43, walking away with our heads held high with the closest margin Saints have had this season.
Awards: Sydney Thorogood, Codie Sandford, Abby White
MODDIES
We united forces with Saints today in order to get a moddies game up and running. Our top age girls helped the Saints out showing great sportsmanship.
It was a highly competitive game with 20 goals scored between the two teams.
The girls worked hard on making space, timing their leads and passing with accuracy. Each player continues to show improvement each week.
Awards: Thunder Canteen - Emily Watson.
Em was influential in all positions and sets an excellent example of sportsmanship and effort. She continues to develop and is one to keep your eye on!
Mealsbox - Ariat Decker.
This little pocket makes up for her size with determination and a sprinkle of sass!
Ariat finds space on a crowded court, has great foot control and loves a crack at the goals.
Scrunchies - Ellerdy Seipolt
An injury cut Ed’s game short today, but she approached her netball with enthusiasm.
Bringing some new knowledge from the 13s, Ellerdy continues to blossom.
She tries her best no matter the position and is influential with reflective hands!
UNDER 13s
No wet weather this weekend for our home game in Hopetoun against the Saints, instead, it was the wind that decided to make an appearance!
The Thunder girls started off a little slow, with the Saints hitting the scoreboard early in the first quarter.
From the second quarter onwards, however, it was a much more even contest as our girls lifted across the court.
Our attacking end found its rhythm, delivering some excellent passages of play.
The timing and leads are improving each week, and it’s clearly paying dividends.
Felicity and Ava are becoming a formidable combination in goals, showing strong passing, accurate shooting, and determined rebounding.
They were well supported by the dynamic attacking trio of Pippa Shannon, Sophie, and Adalyn, who made their presence known with their voice and strong drives to the ball.
Down the other end, our defenders had to work overtime against a tall Saints attack.
Emma made an instant impact when she took the court, standing up to a much taller opponent with grit and determination.
Elka, Pippa Fisher, and Amelia never stopped applying pressure, working tirelessly to force turnovers and help transition the ball back into attack.
The girls had an impressive final quarter, with most of the play held in our attacking end.
While they weren’t quite able to close the gap on the scoreboard, their effort, teamwork, and continual improvement stood out.
Each week, these girls show how much they’re growing in both skill and confidence.
The coaches and parents couldn’t be prouder of the way they go about it.
Final score: Horsham Saints 41 defeated SM Thunder 33
Awards: Pippa Shannon, Sophie Frankel, Emma Saul
UNDER 15s
The Thunder 15s faced a tough challenge this week, going down to a clinical and well-drilled Saints side.
Despite the loss, there were some strong passages of play throughout the game, showing the team’s potential.
It was a hard-fought contest, but the real test will be how the girls respond and bounce back for next weekend’s match.
Final score: Horsham Saints 47 defeated SM Thunder 7 *(Mercy rule applied)
Awards: KMC Hair Positivity Award: Mackenzie Roche, for bringing a great attitude and energy to the court.
Warrack Electrical Award: Ruby Tregenza, for her determination and persistence in the goal ring.
Fierce Award: Lilly Saul, for showing real grit and resilience in defence.
UNDER 17s
The girls came into this game knowing it was going to be tough with Saints being a very strong team, however they played with all their efforts, only letting mercy rule come into play 51-1 at the end of the second quarter.
The bests this week went to Phoebe Bigham, who had excellent shooting in the first quarter and then was switched to defence and had arms over every ball, getting some excellent intercepts.
Elsa Byron got second best this week after being welcomed to the team for her first game, being moved around in many positions throughout the midcourt, and getting some brilliant intercepts.
Final score: Horsham Saints 51 defeated SM Thunder 1 *(Mercy rule applied)
Awards: Phoebe Bigham, Elsa Byron
C GRADE
Round six saw us take on Horsham Saints in Hopetoun.
We knew going into the match it would be a tough day in the office as the Saints are a top-of-the-table side.
Windy conditions meant the shots weren’t falling as well as they could’ve.
Hailey Yorke had a magnificent game against a very tall goal shooter.
The feeding into the goal ring was lovely from the midcourt.
Shelby Appledore returned again this week to help out and made an impact in the attacking end.
Kim was on fire with her movement and sharp leads.
Ultimately, Saints were just too strong and walked away with the win.
Final score: Horsham Saints 58 defeated SM Thunder 15
Awards: Hailey Yorke, Kim Decker, Shelby Appledore
B GRADE
B grade started strong and fierce up against Horsham Saints, but unfortunately after a tough game, fell short.
With quite windy conditions the girls did not drop their heads and continued to fight to the end.
Coco Landrigan stepped up into wing defence, keeping tight on her player and showing her strength throughout the game.
Tia Credlin held her own, starting off in wing attack where her height was an essential asset when feeding into the goal circle.
Issy Allan once again demonstrated her strength and the passion she has for netball on the court. When playing centre and wing attack, Issy never goes down without a fight.
Despite the opposition's defensive competition, the Thunder girls worked together as a team and did not give up all game - well done girls!
Final score: Horsham Saints 45 defeated SM Thunder 30
Awards: Coco Landrigan, Tia Credlin, Issy Allan
