Sport
25 June, 2026
Thunder rested and ready for redemption
Rested and revitalised from a bye, the Thunder A grade netball side will be back on court this Saturday, coming up against Nhill.
And it could be a battle, as Nhill are eighth on the ladder while Southern Mallee are ninth.
The pair met in the first round of the season, with the honours going to the Tigers, but narrowly, 43 to 40.
In that game Connie Rule and Phoebe Bigham were in fantastic form for the losing side, while Kristy Alexander and Zara Polkinghorn led the way for the victors.
Coach of the A grade Thunder team, Lachie Exell, said the opposition for this week had had some close losses in games against the better sides recently so he knew they were playing well.
"I think for us it's continually working on translating what we're doing as a team at training onto the court on game day," Exell said ahead of the clash.
"Given we have some newer and younger players on the team this year who aren't always able to train together, we're working our way into understanding our individual roles and how that fits into team structures when playing on Saturdays.
“It was close last time and it might be similar this coming weekend, I'd imagine, and I'm planning for that."
Exell added consistency of effort was always a big factor for the Thunder.
However, he said, in the back half of the season the side would be looking at consistency of execution of gameplay and skills for longer periods.
"Given we have a different team to the last few seasons, that was always going to take time, but they're getting there and that's so exciting for us for the rest of the season and building block for the next few years as well," Exell said.
As far as this Saturday goes, though, Exell said he was hoping for a contribution that was even across the side when it came to leading the way.
And as for who on the opposing team they would be looking to limit in terms of their impact on the match, Exell said it would be the Nhill goal attack Ruby James.
"I think Ruby is having a great shooting season for Nhill and when she's on, she's very accurate and moves well," the coach said.
The game will be played at Hopetoun Recreation Reserve.