Netball
15 May, 2025
Thunder opens with determined draw
The Thunder recorded a dominant win against Minyip Murtoa on Saturday, the final margin being 30 goals.
Led by Steph Thomson, the Thunder were on the ball from the get-go.
The Burras were down by eight at the end of the first quarter, 20 at half-time and 22 heading into the final quarter.
"We had a really strong start and settled into the game early," Thomson said.
"Our defence was strong, creating intercepts which we converted into goals.
"Our subs also made a difference in another hot game, giving some girls a rest and coming back on fresh."
Thomson said her side also had a lot more control and patience moving the ball this week: both things they had been working on hard at training to get right.
The coach said there were brilliant performances all over the court, and gave mention to some.
"Sydney (Thorogood) played another strong defensive game," she said.
"Jodie (Hayes) for her movement and feeding in to the goalies.
"And a special mention to Caitlin (Douglass) and Connie (Rule), who were put into positions we hadn’t planned or trained for."
The coach herself was also outstanding, and had accuracy in goals despite being fatigued and under pressure.
Minyip Murtoa's better players were Johanna Griffiths and Stacey Arnold.
Under 13s
It was a chilly morning for Thunder's under 13s but the sunshine made for a perfect early game.
The girls got off to a fantastic start, scoring the first three goals through Amelia Brain and Ava Puckle, who worked well in the ring.
Sophie Frankel and Pippa Shannon provided excellent support and plenty of talk, helping to build strong momentum.
The team worked hard to convert turnovers into scoring opportunities, finishing the first quarter locked at seven-all.
In the second and third quarters, Minyip Murtoa gained the upper hand, moving quickly and cutting off our passes into the ring.
Despite the pressure, our defensive trio – Elka Huf, Pippa Fisher, and Felicity Keller– did not let up, working relentlessly to disrupt entry into the Burras’ goal circle.
We also saw strong contributions from newcomers Layla Chivell and Ellerdy Seipolt, who came on in the midcourt and created space while showing great teamwork.
Emily Watson and Felicity Keller showed their versatility by playing both ends of the court, switching seamlessly between defense and attack.
Heading into the final quarter three goals down 19-22 , the team made a few positional changes, including Felicity Keller moving into the goal ring.
The girls dug deep and fought hard, creating some excellent passages of play and capitalising on opposition errors.
With only 30 seconds to go, Emily Watson read the play perfectly, intercepting a pass and quickly transitioning the ball down court to Ava Puckle, who scored the final goal to level the match in a thrilling finish 30-all.
All 10 girls played their roles exceptionally well, making it hard to choose the best on court.
Well done to the team for a determined performance and a well-earned draw.
Final score: Thunder 30 drew with Minyip Murtoa 30
Awards: Ava Puckel, Sophie Frankel, Amelia Brain
Under 15s
It may only have been round 4 but Saturday May 10 will be a highlight of season 2025.
The 15s girls scored a sensational, long-awaited win with every team member contributing to the 13-goal triumph.
The defensive pressure from Addi, Liv, Lily S and Amaya was strong throughout the whole four quarters, while goalies Luca, Ruby and Liv scored with little hesitation and looked at home in attack.
Thanks to a very solid effort in the mid-court from Lilly P, Giaan, Dakota and Kenz, the defensive pressure was relentless and the effort in attack was memorable for all the right reasons.
Well done, girls, on playing four wonderful quarters of netball, playing with effort, poise and grace.
All team members should all be really proud.
Final score: Thunder 35 defeated Minyip Murtoa 22
Awards: Lilly Puckle, Giaan Eckermann
Under 17s
The girls worked well as a team, really starting to blend together, keeping up with the Burras for the first few quarters.
However, they just couldn’t quite keep up, the final score being 54-27.
The girls were putting pressure on all the ball and leading towards the ball, as they had been working on.
Best on court went to Marlie Knorpp, who was taking in all the advice the coaches gave her and had brilliant leads to the ball.
Second best was Taylor Hauselberger who when outside the ring had brilliant leads and passes in looking for the best option.
She had amazing moving within the ring as well.
The girls had an exceedingly great game today, with their improvement as a team being very visible.
Final score: Minyip Murtoa 54 defeated Thunder 27
Awards: Marlie Knorpp, Taylor Hauselberger
C grade
It was another warm afternoon for round 4.
Minyip Murtoa were fast of the mark this week which meant the C grade girls had to defend strongly.
Coach Bronte Eckermann took the court for the first time this season since rupturing an Achilles tendon last year.
This meant team manager Krissy was thrown into the deep end, but she rose to the occasion and made lots of needed changes.
In the end, Burras held on and we couldn’t bring home the win.
Final score: Minyip Murtoa 42 defeated Thunder 23
Awards: Coco Landrigan, Kim Decker
B grade
The B grade girls took to the court with a slightly different team but that didn’t stop them from giving it their all on another warm day.
The defence girls had a few different combinations to try to tackle the on-point Burras' shooting, with Luca Landrigan and Hayley Yorke making their B grade debut battling it out down that end.
Together with Brooke Rentsch and Jaida Baldwin-Monk they fought hard all day.
Phoebe Bigham and Tia Credlin worked well together in the goal ring with Denita Reid running the centre and Kate Gibson in wing attack.
The Burras had a very strong game but the Thunder girls will turn up stronger this week and hopefully take home their first win.
Final score: Minyip Murtoa 67 defeated Thunder 30
Awards: Phoebe Bigham, Hailey Yorke, Denita Reid
– CONTRIBUTED – with ZOEY ANDREWS