Football
22 July, 2026
Thunder rues missed chance against Warriors
Stawell made amends for their loss to the Thunder in round three of the season with a 25-point win against them on Saturday.
But they had to fight for it, down at both the end of the first quarter - 1.3 (9 to 4.1 (25) - and half time, 4.7 (31) to 6.2 (38).
The Warriors added 3.1 to their score in the third, compared to the Thunder's 1.1, to hold a five-point advantage going into the final quarter.
A further 5.5 compared to 2.3 in the final quarter set Stawell up for the win, with final scores 12.13 (85) to 9.6 (60).
Better players for the losing side included Jai Kennealy and William Page, while the winners were best led by Daniel Guccione and Thomas Eckel.
Goal scorers included Kieran Delahunty (three) for the Thunder and Paul Summers (five) for the Warriors.
Coaching Director of Southern Mallee, Jake Bridges, said he thought the side's first half was really solid.
"We were able to compete strongly around the contest, defend the ground well and play the game on our terms for long periods," Bridges said.
“Credit to the Warriors though, they were able to lift their intensity after half-time, gain some momentum through the middle of the ground and capitalise on a few moments that swung the game in their favour."
Bridges admitted further that the opposition were cleaner with the footy and when the game was up for grabs, they claimed their opportunities.
He added that against quality opposition, those moments are often the difference.
"From our perspective, we’ll continue to work on sustaining our execution and intensity for four quarters," Bridges said.
"There was still plenty that pleased us. I was really proud of the effort and commitment from the entire group.
"It was a genuine team performance where everyone contributed and competed for each other.
"We just weren’t able to finish the job and get the chocolates today."
But Bridges predicted that if his side can bring that level of intent and keep improving the small details, they'll give themselves every chance moving forward.
This Saturday, in what will be Round 14 of the season, Bridges' side will face off against Ararat at Alexandra Oval.
Ararat is currently second at 9-2, while the Thunder is fifth at 7-5.
But last time the sides met, it was the Thunder who got the four points - 8.14 (62) to 8.8 (56).
Jai Kennealy and Matty Lloyd led the way for the winners in that game, while Hugh Toner and James Jennings were the better players for the Rats.