Sport
17 July, 2025
Thunder ready to strike against Burras
Fresh from a bye, the Thunder this Saturday will hit the road to line up against Minyip Murtoa in round 13 of the Wimmera Football Netball League.
It was the last break for the side before potentially contesting finals, with Ararat (July 26), Horsham Saints, Nhill, the Demons and Dimboola rounding out their 2025 campaign after this week.
Just who will contest finals is anyone's guess, Ararat being basically the only sure thing and Nhill looking extremely likely to be in the competition when it matters.
Thunder (third) and Stawell (fourth) are both on 24 points, while Minyip Murtoa (fifth), Dimboola (sixth) and Horsham Saints (seventh) are all on 20 points.
Even the Eagles, who claimed just their second win last week, are mathematically not out of the race.
But for the Thunder, their focus is purely on this week as they anticipate the bounce at 2.20pm at Murtoa Recreation Reserve.
"Every time we have played Minyip Murtoa it has been a good contest physically," Thunder coach Kieran Delahunty said.
"When they get their hands on the footy they are a good side and they certainly make you earn it, and I expect nothing different this week."
They could only look at the game coming up, and not ahead too far, Delahunty said, such was the closeness of the competition.
"It certaintly is a tight competition and that is all we have been focusing on the last month, taking it each week at a time," he said.
"But I think it is going to be an important six weeks for us heading into finals and we need to make sure we keep winning and, more importantly, qualify."
Delahunty said in the past few weeks his side had started to move the footy how they want to play and find form at the correct time of the year.
But they were also in form last time the sides met, with the Thunder banking a good win, the final scores being 18.9 (117) to Minyip Murtoa 11.8 (74).
Better players for the winners in that game were Bradley Stokes, Billy Lloyd and Jackson Fisher, while for Minyip Murtoa Dusty Cross, Luke Fisher and Timothy Mackenzie were all in brilliant form.
This time around, Delahunty said the key to success could lie in the key matchups.
"They've got a few players who are talented and there are going to be some key matchups," Delahunty said.
"The like of Oscar Gawith and Tanner Smith are certainly a couple, along with the McIntyre boys and Luke Fisher, Kade Petering.
"They've got a number of good players, so for us we need to make sure we come in with the right frame of mine and make sure we bring our A-game."