Football
27 June, 2024
Eagles and Thunder square off
The Warrack Eagles host the Southern Mallee Thunder at Anzac Park on Saturday in what is going to be a tough match in round ten of the Wimmera Football Netball League.
In football, the Thunder are currently sitting first on the ladder with seven wins and one loss, while the Eagles are down the bottom without a win.
Despite where the Eagles sit, Thunder coach Kieran Delahunty knows they have improved.
"The Eagles on their home ground are a better side by a few goals and have definitely improved since round one. I expect a solid hitout and another tough encounter," Delahunty said.
Eagles coach Matt Walder looks forward to the challenge and wants a more sustained effort for longer.
"We are at the stage now where we take what we learned from the first half of the season, now that we have seen everyone once, and try to close the gap," Walder said.
"Over the last four to five weeks, we have shown longer periods of sustained senior level football, and now it's trying to tie it in for a full game, not 60 minutes or 80 minutes, whilst keep developing strong senior mindset to play four quarters.
"When we meet the metrics we set, we are in the contest; when we don't, we're not. We are still developing our attacking part of the game with the ball in hand."
The Thunder have some dangerous forwards, notably recruit Brad Lowe. They have Will Batson, Tim McCormick, Machok Garang, or Kyle Cheney, who can go to him.
Walder's conundrum, however, is that Cheney kicked six goals last week, so keeping him up forward may be the best plan of attack.
"It's hard to reject that fact, and he has been a good avenue to goal and settle in there, but the good thing about Kyle is that he has that versatility and can swing both ways," Walder said.
"We could go small and mobile without him as we have some hybrid forwards, or we could go tall. We are starting to put everything together, so we will see what happens on Saturday."
While Machok Garang, Jake O'Donnell, and Kyle Cheney have been consistently good this season, Walder pointed out Declan Powell, who he thinks is about to break-out after returning from injury three games ago.
"Declan does some inside and outside work for us and can play both sides of the game. I think he is ready to launch," Walder said.
"As a young fella, he shows a lot. He has the capacity to win the footy and breaks some lines as well."
In the reserves, the Thunder sit in fourth on five wins, while the Eagles are last without a win. The Eagles under-17s are a great chance, sitting in fifth on three wins, whilst the Thunder are seventh on two wins. This is an important clash for both teams, as a win for the Eagles will give them a good chance to make the finals, while a loss for the Thunder will see them two games behind fifth spot.
The under-14s should be another hotly contested match. The Thunder are seventh with two wins, and the Eagles are eighth with one win. A win for the Thunder will keep them within reach of the five.
The Thunder netballers face an important match and will find it tough against a young Eagles outfit who are improving each week.
The Thunder sit in fifth spot with three wins, and with Minyip Murtoa and Stawell, also on three wins, this is an eight-point game for all three teams.
The B-grade is even more important for both teams, as the Eagles sit in fifth and the Thunder sixth on three wins. Dimboola and Nhill are seventh and eighth, a game behind, so a win for either team will see them a game clear in fifth.
The Eagles C-graders are up for the challenge. They are sitting last without a win and face a Thunder side that needs to win to stay in touch with the top five. The Thunder are currently sixth on three wins, one game behind Minyip Murtoa. A loss to the Thunder and a win to the Burras will be disastrous for the Thunder's finals aspirations.
The Eagles C-reserve are sitting fourth on the ladder, whereas the Thunder are last. The Eagles are a game clear of Dimboola in fifth and a game behind Stawell in third, so a win to the Eagles keeps them in a handy spot in the five.
In junior netball, it's third v fourth in the under-17s, with the Eagles a game clear of the Thunder in third.
In the under-15s, the Eagles are fifth, one game clear of Nhill, with the Thunder in eighth. Nhill plays bottom-placed Minyip Murtoa, so if the Tigers win and the Eagles lose, Nhill will be equal on points.
The under-13s are a must-win for both clubs. The Eagles are sitting fourth, one game clear of DImboola in fifth, while the Thunder are sitting sixth, one game behind Dimboola. The Thunder need to win to stay in touch with the five.