Thunder claps on pressure

April 15 2014

Shepparton News

Goulburn Valley Suns got a taste of the talent the National Premier Leagues junior competitions have to offer, when Dandenong Thunder came to Shepparton on Sunday.

The Suns lost five of their six games and for the most part found the going a lot tougher than in their opening round fixture against Dandenong City.

Suns junior technical director Pat Kielty said the difference in resources showed.

‘‘Dandenong Thunder is an established club, they have a massive fan base, huge resources and plenty of funding,’’ Kielty said.

‘‘Looking at the under-12s, the physical difference made all the difference. The skill level was the same, but they were enormous.

‘‘The lack of numbers is killing us at the moment. We had players backing up and playing extra games in higher age groups.’’

The under-13 side was the Suns’ sole winner for the day, defeating the visiting Thunder 5-2.

The Suns came from a goal down to lead 2-1 at half-time, before going on to win, courtesy of goals to Fraser Gosstray (two), Nick Elder (two) and Louis Gorman.

The under-14 team was level at half-time, thanks to a strike from Liam Fiore, but went on to go down 4-1.

It was a trend that continued throughout the day, with the Thunder doing most of its damage after half-time.

The under-18 clash was 0-0 at half-time, only for the Thunder to record a 3-1 win.

Matt Gleeson scored for the home side.

The under-16s trailed 1-0 at the break, in a much improved performance on last week’s 10-0 defeat, but eventually lost 7-0.

Under-14 player Willy Sauilima found the net for the Suns in the under-15 side’s 10-1 defeat and Anthony Damchev got his name on the scoresheet in a 5-1 loss for the under-12 team.

Kielty said coaching curriculum was already showing out on the park, despite the heavy defeats and short time frame the teams had been together.

‘‘The drills we’re practising at training are working for us and the players are following what we want them to do,’’ Kielty said.

‘‘Their talking and communication is improving and the coaches are all enjoying it.

‘‘As we keep saying to the kids, it’s not about what we do this year.

‘‘The kids are up to it and they’re not dropping their heads.’’

Matches were played at the junior Suns’ new home base Vibert Reserve.

The Suns have a week off for Easter, before returning to the park away to Bentleigh Greens on April 27.