Thunder too hot for Fire
Huge NPL win secures club history
FOOTBALL: After not managing to win a game until round nine and changing coaches after five games, not many people would have put money on South-West Thunder chalking up their first back-to-back National Premier Leagues Queensland wins this year.
The NPLQ underdogs secured that piece of history against Sunshine Coast Fire on the weekend, the 6-1 win providing a glimmer of hope in what has been a relatively quiet season for the club.
The return to form of Mustafa Jafari was the major talking point for assistant coach Mick Turvey, who is glad to see the club’s talismanic striker finally finding the net again.
“He got a hat-trick here last year so we pumped that into him today that this is the place you started scoring goals,” he said.
“He has been working harder in training and shed a few kilos. He is starting to show a bit of form and he is getting better and better.
“He is a quality player and he let himself down by not doing the work but now he’s putting in the effort and the
hard work is paying off.”
Three points on the road is vital for the Thunder side that has struggled in their travels this year.
Going into a string of games of home, Turvery said the pressure is back on them to make Clive Berghofer Stadium a fortress if they are to match the eight wins they secured in 2016.
“The mood will be really good on the bus but not for the driver who is taking us back, me,” he said.
The South-West Thunder women were not as lucky, going down 6-0 to UQFC for a second loss at home.