Thunderbirds soar with big win

By Charlotte Knoke

The Adelaide Thunderbirds produced four strong quarters, winning by an enormous 22 goals against the Melbourne Mavericks. The Thunderbirds sealed the win by winning every single quarter and using all ten of their players.

The Mavericks were on a high after their historic win last week, while the Thunderbirds were likely feeling confident following their back-to-back victories. However, to start the match both sides had some early mistakes but it was the Thunderbirds who scored the first three goals in a row.

Once the first quarter was in full swing, both teams were going goal-for-goal until Gabby Sinclair missed a shot and Adelaide picked up the rebound and capitalised.

Latanya Wilson then picked up an incredible intercept on the following centre pass and the Thunderbirds found themselves with a six-goal lead.

The T’Birds put the Mavericks under a lot of defensive pressure which forced some errors and caused them to give up possession.

The Mavs were struggling to even get the ball down into their goal circle while the Thunderbirds continued ticking away on the scoreboard.

Shimona Jok landed a crucial Super Shot for the Melbourne side and Kim Jenner then immediately picked up an intercept giving them the ball once again. Sinclair sank two back-to-back Super Shots which allowed them to claw back the deficit.

The Thunderbirds held onto their lead and ended the first quarter up 16-11.

The back-and-forth of possession between the two teams continued in the second quarter, with both pick-ups and offensive penalties causing the change.

Kim Jenner picked up a stellar intercept for the Mavericks and they capitalised, but the Thunderbirds seemed to remain in control.

Just prior to the second Power Five period, there were once again some mistakes from both teams with each side picking up some ball and then losing it again. But it was the Adelaide side that seemed to come out on top.

The Thunderbirds got out to a 10-goal lead which forced the Mavericks to go for the two-point shots, but the T’Birds’ defenders were all over them and putting them under immense pressure.

Natalie Butler (nee Medhurst) entered the court as a temporary replacement player for Eleanor Cardwell who was ruled out of the game due to injury. Butler brought a wealth of experience having played 236 national games and she scored a Super Shot on the buzzer but unfortunately for the Mavs it didn’t count.

At halftime, the Thunderbirds were up 32-18.

After the halftime break, the Mavericks were wanting to reduce their 14-goal deficit but they didn’t have the best start as the Thunderbirds gained possession on their first centre pass.

The Mavs continued to struggle to penetrate their shooting circle and the Thunderbirds continued to pick up ball and capitalise, extending their lead even further.

Laura Scherian entered the court for the T’Birds and her speed and connection with Romelda Aiken-George was strong and seamless which made it difficult for the Mavs to defend.

Olivia Lewis picked up a crucial intercept for the Mavs and the midcourters quickly got the ball down for the shooters to score. This seemed to give their side a boost of energy and momentum before heading into the third Power Five period.

Lucy Austin entered the court for the Thunderbirds but the change up had no impact on their connection with one another, with the Adelaide side continuing to score.

A missed Super Shot from Austin provided the Mavs with the opportunity to score and Butler landed a two-point Super Shot. 

The Thunderbirds were happy to keep scoring one-pointers and didn’t seem phased as they kept ticking away on the scoreboard, without the need to risk going for Super Shot.

It just didn’t seem like the Mavericks’ day as they had multiple missed Super Shots in a row from both Jok and Butler.

The Thunderbirds were able to increase their lead out even more and finished the third quarter up 47-27.

The Thunderbirds once again rotated their line-up for the fourth quarter, with all ten players entering the court during the game.

The Mavericks looked stronger and more connected in the final quarter but it was just too late for the home side to make a comeback.

The team in pink continued to pick up ball and punished their opposition on the scoreboard by extending their lead even further.

The last quarter was undoubtedly the Mavericks’ strongest, as it has also been in previous weeks, but they left their run too late to still be in the contest to win the match.

Sinclair scored a much-needed Super Shot just before the game finished but Austin reciprocated with one of her own right on the buzzer.

In the end the Thunderbirds finished the game with a 22-goal win, defeating the Mavericks 59-37.

Georgie Horjus was named Player of the Match after receiving 57 Nissan Net Points powered by e-powered. She scored four goals, had 16 goal assists, 14 centre pass receives and 29 feeds across the match where she played in both wing attack and goal attack.