Netball
5 June, 2025
Thunder strikes against Tigers
A frosty start was reserved for the weather as the moddies showed no signs of being chilly playing an excellent game of netball.
Taking on a younger Nhill side, the Thunder crew’s sportsmanship shone through with lots of support and guidance being given to others.
We have been working hard on leading and being in front of our players at training, and this came to fruition yesterday.
Our players avoided crowding through careful consideration of their court movement, passed with strength and accuracy and made sure they were trying to be in front of their players.
It was a huge day on the scoreboard for our little Thunder stars with a massive 28 goals being scored.
Lola led the charge with 10 goals followed by Matilda, Layla, Kaija and Emma all scoring multiple goals.
Awards: Mealsbox Milkshake - Lola Huf. Lolsie is a gem to coach and shone in both attack and defence, but it was her sportsmanship, support and respect for others that stood out yesterday. Netball is about far more than scoring goals and winning games, and this girl has it all.
Thunder Canteen - Hayden Clugston. Hayden is showing constant improvement and his game yesterday put it all on display. His court movement, passing and defensive skills were all influential on the game. Well done, Hayden.
The Thunder girls made the long trek to Nhill this weekend, greeted by sunshine and a bitter chill in the air, with more than a few hesitant to part with their warm jackets!
Despite the cold, the team stepped onto the court with clear intent: break Nhill’s first centre pass and Pippa Shannon delivered right from the whistle.
Her strong start set the tone for what was a cohesive and spirited team performance across all four quarters.
In attack, Pippa Shannon, Layla and Emily combined beautifully, applying relentless pressure and being rewarded with vital intercepts.
Their teamwork and composure around the ring provided excellent support to the shooters and kept the momentum going in Thunder’s favour.
Ava and Felicity were rock solid in the ring, linking play and finding space in the ring with smart movement and clever positioning.
Their connection and unselfish play helped create great shooting opportunities and kept the scoreboard ticking over.
Down in defence, Pippa Fisher, Mia, Elka and Amelia formed a formidable wall. Pippa Fisher’s intercepts were game changing, while Mia, holding strong in GK, was quick to clean up loose balls and rebound with confidence, turning defence into attack with confidence.
The work the girls have been putting in at training on timing, leads and chasing down loose balls was clear to see.
There were many fluid passages of play as the ball moved seamlessly from defence to attack, a credit to the girls’ growing confidence and teamwork.
In the end, the Thunder girls were rewarded with a dominant and well-deserved win. A fantastic effort all-round, well-done girls!
Final score: SM Thunder 34 defeated Nhill 4
Awards: Pippa Shannon, Pippa Fisher, Layla Chivell
The Thunder 15s girls had a thrilling win over the Nhill Tigers, edging them out by just one goal in a tightly contested match.
The team came out strong in the first half, with the goalies shooting accurately and confidently.
The mid-court players provided plenty of options, running hard throughout the game, while the defenders worked tirelessly to create turnovers whenever possible.
After making several changes in the third and fourth quarters, Nhill were able to claw their way back to within a couple of goals with only minutes to play.
Credit to the Thunder girls for settling their nerves in a stressful situation to hold on to a 1 goal win!!
A great team performance and a well-deserved win – go Thunder!
Final score: SM Thunder 29 defeated Nhill 28
Awards:
C Petschel Towel Award – Luca Landrigan: For working tirelessly in attack and shooting with great accuracy. A fantastic effort all game.
Lanes and Games Award – Amaya Eckermann: For consistent and fierce driving in attack, along with excellent front cuts that created strong leads and passing options.
The girls had an extremely close game this week going goal for goal most of the game against Nhill, only just losing, 34-38.
The whole team worked very hard, putting pressure over all the balls and using their channels down the court as they have been working on at training.
The bests this week went Phoebe Bigham, who got many of intercepts and rebounds down Nhill’s end of the court for the girls.
Esther Kelly got second best this week, working well in the defence end making plenty of leads and reading Nhill’s play well for many of intercepts.
Taylor Hauselberger got the third award this week with brilliant moving and finding space in the ring, scoring herself 17 goals.
Final score: Nhill 38 defeated SM Thunder 34
Awards: Phoebe Bigham, Esther Kelly, Taylor Hauselberger
By the time C grade took to the court the sun was out and Rachael Watson was looking for sunscreen.
Pressure was also on because both A and B grades both had great wins in their games and C wanted to continue a successful day.
Nhill got the jump early with a couple of quick goals but the defensive pressure from Hayley and Kiara was too good and got the girls back into the game.
For a lot of our game it was goal for goal and everyone was on the edge of their seats.
To mix things up more Remy and Bronte where down in goals having a field day sinking them from every corner of the goal circle.
Clarissa and Kiara proved that they really are a force to be reckoned with in defence these two really work well together which in turn got those rebounds which ment goals.
Kate needed a break from Centre in the final minutes of the last quarter so Rachael donned the Centre bib and didn’t look out of place.
Spirits were high as the girls came away with a win. Enjoy the week off girls!
Final score: SM Thunder 37 defeated Nhill 32
Awards: Bronte Eckermann, Clarissa Bigham
Thunder vs Nhill was a fantastic game.
No wind but the sun was out. It was goal for goal at the start of the game.
Denita and Issy did a great job at bringing the ball down and getting it into the ring.
They did some fantastic passes to Shelby and Macey who were unstoppable in the ring.
The defensive pressure was unbelievable the whole game.
Half time the score was pretty even.
The girls knew we had to fight until the end and that’s exactly what every single player did.
Jaida and Coco put the pressure on Nhill's attack causing great turnovers.
Tia did an amazing job keeping her player from shooting and got some great turnovers.
Brooke played an unbelievable game getting so many intercepts, which lead to thunder being up by 6 at the end of the 3rd quarter.
The girls knew it wasn’t over yet.
Every player gave it their all until the very end.
The last few minutes of the game the girls did some amazing turnovers all down the court which lead to Thunder winning 48-35.
The girls were very happy to get their first win on the board.
Great game girls! Not one person gave up the whole game and everyone got around each other.
Final score: SM Thunder 48 defeated Nhill 35
Awards: Brooke Rentsch, Macey Huf
Overall, the team worked seamlessly to get the win together.
Multiple changes through the game made no difference to the style of play.
Defenders were about to lock down the Nhill shooters with multiple intercepts and making them shoot goals from out of their comfort zones.
Mid courts had strong drives and were able to land onto the ring for better passes into the ring.
Shooters were able to hold their ground and move around to adapt to the different defenders which were placed on them. It was a good team win again for the books.
Final score: SM Thunder 55 defeated Nhill 33
Awards: Abby White, Emma Mill
