Football
19 June, 2025
Thunder win by a point
In an absolute thriller, the Southern Mallee Thunder defeated Horsham by a single point, in Saturday's clash in the Wimmera Football Netball League.
Final scores were 13.11 (89) to 13.12 (90).
The difference after the first quarter was just five points to the advantage of the Thunder, and by half-time they had grown the lead to 20.
But kicking with the wind and with a fast-paced forward brigade, the Demons made the most of the advantage and held the lead going into the final quarter by 18 points.
The Thunder staged a miraculous comeback in the final ten minutes, with Rupert Sangster kicking a pair of quick goals to level the scores.
The Demons couldn’t halt the momentum, and a rushed behind handed the Thunder the lead, and ultimately, the win by the narrowest of margins.
"We got the job done but the contest was tight and I wasn't sure if we were going to get there in the end, but to the boys' credit they dug deep and played a fantastic last quarter," coach of Southern Mallee, Kieran Delahunty, said.
"The Demons were kicking with the wind in the third and we missed opportunities at our end that we would convert usually and it would have kept us with a buffer, but to their credit they got a run on, their tail up, and were hard to stop in that quarter.
"I think we were four goals down halfway through the last quarter so it certainly didn't feel like we were in the box seat, but as I said, the guys started converting and making the most of their opportunities up forward and with scores levels we managed to get a rushed behind and that was enough to get us over the line."
Delahunty said with the crowd behind them it was a good game of footy, but he suspected the Horsham side would be considering themselves a tad unlucky.
Jasper Gunn and Benjamin Janetzki tried their best for the Demons all day and Lachlan Hobbs banked four majors for the side, while Sam White and Angus Dewar were great for the Thunder, with White kicking four goals.
Delahunty was full of praise for White who, the coach said, could play at both ends of the field but played in the forward line on Saturday.
"He was enormous for us – he's got the ability to play at both ends of the ground," Delahunty said.
"He's played down back all year but on Saturday he played up forward, provided a need for us while Brayden Ison is missing, and he certainly played a great match up there.
"Angus Dewar played his second game for us and was great.
"Matty Lloyd played a game with his brother Billy – Sydney Swans' VFL had a bye and he was keen to come down and play a game with Billy – and he was awesome."
All in all, Delahunty said his side had been playing some good football but it had been inconsistent, like their season to date.
"A win like that will certainly galvanise the group," he said.
