Storm after first

Apoor few weeks of football has cost Jeparit-rainbow another top-three finish in Horsham District league. But as we know, it’s only the top two sides that get any real benefit in a six-team finals series so it will be just down to business for the Storm in this year’s campaign. Jeparit-rainbow’s entry into the competition has been a success story, especially for a club that had faced an uncertain future in the now defunct Mallee league. The Storm’s inclusion into Horsham District football has, apart from bringing with it players and extra football intrigue, also added a new community into the competition family. Jeparit-rainbow’s foundation clubs Jeparit and Rainbow have long and colourful histories and as a combined sporting organisation fly the flag for communities living on the fringe of the Big Desert. But while the Storm has enjoyed consolidation and reinvigoration, the big hoodoo it faces is it is yet to chalk up a finals win in league.

The longer it goes on, the tighter the noose becomes.

The top-end talent of the Storm is as good as any in the competition.

Pivotal forward Peter Weir has the ability to control the air waves, joint coach Ashley Clugston is a proven star at several levels and goal-kicker and ruckman Sam Cranna should give first use of the ball to the team’s small men.

Ashley Clugston in particular has wowed Wimmera-mallee crowds, team-mates and opponents alike in big games in the past – often in finals or in representative games.

He has an uncanny sense of where the goals are and is hard to stop when his tail is up and he finds space to manoeuvre.

Then the team has the likes of Sean Bayzand, Luke Murphy and Shane Maslin who all have the street smarts to control the stoppages and get first use of the ball and Justin Cozens if available is often a good bet to win 50-50 contests.

Brent Marra, Brodie Grant and Elliot Bath are others who can turn a game very quickly with their approach at the ball. its history in the