General News
3 June, 2026
Eagles dampen Thunder spirit
A determined Eagles lineup took the Thunder by storm on Saturday, defeating the at-the-time ladder leaders by 12 points.
Led by best on ground Sam Hanna (four goals) in the forward line, Warrack recovered from a topsy-turvy game to grab the win 10.11 (71) to 8.11 (59).
The Eagles led by a point at the end of the first quarter, 2.3 (15) to 2.2 (14), but Southern Mallee had the better quarter after that, leading 6.6 (42) to 4.7 (31) at half-time.
The Kyle George-led side, with determination and grit, recovered after the big break, though, holding an eight-point lead heading into the final term, 8.9 (57) to 7.7 (49).
While the Thunder contributed 1.4 in the last quarter to their tally, Warrack managed 2.2, sealing the win.
Hanna was brilliant for the Eagles, along with Brandon Walsh and Jackson Taurau.
Billy Lloyd, Edward Lindon and Jackson Fisher battled hard all match for the Thunder, as did Matty Lloyd, who was the side's only multiple goal scorer, with three.
Coaching director at the Thunder, Jake Bridges, said his side played decent footy in patches but it wasn't their day on Saturday.
"There's plenty to take from the game and we'll continue to work on linking to our brand method and behaviours," Bridges said.
Bridges said it was great to have Fisher back in the side after he played earlier this season for Mornington in the Mornington Peninsula Football Netball League.
"His ball use, as with Ted's (Lindon), really set many of our opportunities up," Bridges said.
The coaching director described the final half as an arm wrestle and identified that a few of the Thunder's entries into the forward were a bit shallow, allowing the opposition to defend and slingshot.
"Both teams had plenty of opportunities to put some scoreboard pressure on and they were able to capitalise in the end when we didn't," Bridges said.
"But today was a great reflection of the comp this year and means that each week we need to bring our best brand and mindset to be competitive."