Thunder empathise with Pride
The South-West Thunder women will be the only National Premier Leagues Queensland club west of Brisbane in 2018.
Ahead of their game with Peninsula Power today at Clive Berghofer Stadium, Ipswich rivals Western Pride’s omission from the women’s competition next year has presented the Thunder with a larger talent pool to scout from.
The Thunder’s assistant coach Anthony Bigby said while the recruitment process is just beginning, there is a level of empathy for their Ipswich rivals.
“It is fair to say that we are sympathetic,” he said.
“There are certainly a
bunch of players there who are looking to come and play for us but Brisbane is an hour away too and clubs from there could be looking to grab those girls.
“I don’t just assume they are ours for the taking. We’re open to talking to them if there’s anyone from down there who wants to play football.”
Bigby is still dealing with a bare-bones squad ahead of the encounter against the only undefeated team in the league, and any new additions would be welcomed into the club next season.
The first priority however is cracking the top four, something Bigby and the Thunder are not giving up on just yet.
“Mathematically it is possible but realistically the challenge for us now is to see if we can finish the season with a few more wins under our belts,” Bigby said.
The South-West Thunder men are also at home as they play Redlands at Clive Berghofer Stadium in their postponed round 14 game.
The Thunder men have moved up to seventh on the ladder on the back of a good run of form.
They will be keen to add to their run of results against ninth-placed Redlands.