Words: Michael Flynn
Image: Kevin Farmer/Toowoomba Chronicle

South West Queensland Thunder attacking midfielder Ryan Ensor continues to shine despite the difficulties his side has faced on the pitch in their debut NPL Queensland season.

With two matches left to play in their first senior campaign, Thunder are without a competition point and are resigned to a bottom-placed finish this season.

However, one bright spot has been the form of the Ensor, whose three goals make him the Toowoomba-based club’s top goal scorer.

The 17-year-old, who originally hails from Kingaroy, has even come to the attention of Hyundai A-League club Newcastle Jets with his performances this season.

“I went down there for a week to start with and trained with the top team. I trained with the likes of Jeronimo Neumann and Kew Jaliens and that went really well,” Ensor said.

“I was a bit nervous trying to impress and everything, but they asked me to come down again last week just for a day to train with the youth team.”

Ensor said he hopes that once he finishes his secondary schooling later this year he will be well-placed to take the next step in his career.

“It would be great to be part of that Newcastle Jets Youth team and that is my goal at the moment,” he added.

Ensor further explained he has developed markedly this season in the senior men’s competition after playing Under 16’s last year for Thunder.

“I’ve loved it. Aside from the scores, I’ve learned so much about the physical side of the game,” he explained.

“I’ve gotten a lot stronger, having to muscle older players off the ball and all that, and just playing the game quicker.”

Despite the lack of results for Thunder, Ensor said there is still a relentless positivity amongst the playing group and coaches at the club.

“To go to training each week, I see all my teammates with smiles on their faces and still laughing,” he explained.

“It’s pretty inspirational to see that we can lose eight or nine to nil and they are still saying we can win next week. It’s inspirational being with those kind of people.”

With the growing popularity of NPL Queensland across social media channels, Ensor added that he and his teammates didn’t put too much stock in negative comments from those outside the club.

“The people don’t get to us but I think the results get to us more than anything else,” he explained.

“I think throughout the season we have learned that you have to look to the next week and if you put your hardest effort in, then that’s all we can ask for.”

Ensor added that he hopes his side will pull a surprise result in their final two matches against Sunshine Coast Fire and Redlands United to close out the season.

“We’re pretty eager to get out to both those games and to see if we can get a point or three on the board. It would be absolutely awesome to finish the season like that,” he concluded.

Thunder face Fire this Sunday at Sunshine Coast Stadium. Kick-off is scheduled for 2:15PM.