THUNDER TOPPLES REDLAND
TERRITORY Thunder has revived the Anzac spirit with a fighting win over a dogged Redland side in Brisbane yesterday.
Thunder had to overcome a dominant Redland following division led by their giant ruckman Craig Malone before finding their rhythm in the last half to run out 15.17 (107) to 10.8 (68) winners.
A three-pronged forward line worked a treat with Daly River product Adam Sambono booting four goals, spearhead Darren Ewing three and Damian Williams three from a mix of big marks and lead-up play.
Thunder took 2½ quarters to find the key to their running game with Malone’s 44 hitouts in the ruck and Hayden Bertoli-Simmonds and Clay Cameron getting plenty of the football for the bottom of the ladder Bombers.
Redland got to within 10 points of Thunder midway through the third term before a Sam Talbot goal from a set shot and snaps from Williams and Sambono gave Thunder some breathing space at the last change.
Thunder coach Andrew Hodges said the tight confines of the Redland ground and the home side’s ability to get numbers at the stoppages made the game a battle in the first half.
“It was a bit of a grind early on, which meant we had to be patient and stick to our structures and the game would open up for us,’’ he said.
“To the credit of the boys that is what happened and they were good enough to take their opportunities when they presented themselves.’’
Hodges was particularly pleased with his forward line, despite some errant finishing that saw only nine goals from 24 deliberate shots in the first three quarters.
“We’ve got some guys up there really playing well and presenting and creating with Boof and Adam kicking goals, but there are a lot of other guys playing their roles as well,’’ he said.
“Lachlan Collihole and Hugo Drogemuller were workhorses higher up the ground and Ben Rioli’s pressure around the ball created opportunities for his teammates, which was really pleasing.’’
Thunder’s focus switches to the Sydney Swans reserves this Friday, when they clash at 7.30pm at TIO Stadium.
“We’ve got some guys up there really playing well “