WBBL final: Melbourne Stars v Sydney Thunder

WBBL finalists Sydney Thunder have flown a bit under the radar. But their success is certainly no surprise to Sammy-Jo Johnson and is built on a unique mix of personalities.

If you want to know the secret behind Sydney Thunder’s spectacular WBBL06 rise, take the elevator to Level 9 of the Novotel in Sydney Olympic Park.

Not literally, of course - Cricket Australia’s strict security and COVID-19 protocols would never allow for such an intrusion.

But, we can rely on Thunder’s Sammy-Jo Johnson to describe the lime green hallway, in which teenagers and international stars have felt at home for the past five weeks.

“From the start, we set the tone as a group, through little things like pranks,” Johnson said.

“We’d pick the big dogs, like (English captain) Heather Knight. Myself and a couple of kids, we stole her mattress and hid it in a fire escape. We broke the ice early to get everyone involved.”

Watch The WBBL Final Live & On-Demand on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your free trial now & start streaming instantly >

The Thunder celebrate Sammy-Jo Johnson match-winning wicket in the WBBL semi-final.

Coach Trevor Griffin’s players are a quirky bunch.

There‘s eight players aged under 20, including teen sensations Phoebe Litchfield and Hannah Darlington.

International superstars Knight, Tammy Beaumont and Shabnim Ismail.

Paramedic-in-training Sam Bates and self-professed “revhead” Johnson.

And don’t forget their valiant leader, Australia vice-captain Rachael Haynes.

“We have really different characters, but we embraced everyone. There’s the internationals, the kids, us older girls,” Johnson said.

“I’m the biggest bogan on the planet and all I do is talk about my car. But everyone here appreciates everyone for who they are. No one judges a book by its cover.

“That’s what’s been the difference between us and other squads that haven’t really relished the fact that we’re stuck here in this environment … we just got around each other and it’s been a massive part of our success.”

As Thunder prepares for Saturday night’s blockbuster WBBL final against the Melbourne Stars, Johnson suspects they have surprised everyone this year.

“We haven’t been in the media much, there hasn’t been too much hype,” Johnson said.

Sydney Thunder teammates Shabnim Ismail and Rachael Haynes playing pool.

KFC SuperCoach BBL is back for BBL10! Enter your team today at supercoach.com.au

“It’s been about the Melbourne Stars with their big recruiting. It was all about the Scorchers with the Beth Mooney-Sophie Devine combination. It was about the Brisbane Heat going for a three peat.

“It’s been nice for us to come in, not necessarily as underdogs, but to fly under the radar. It takes pressure off us, off the kids, off the internationals.”

Johnson thrives in big games - she won two WBBL championships with the Brisbane Heat.

The 28-year-old sealed the deal in Thunder’s thrilling semi final fightback against her former club on Thursday night.

Johnson praised her young teammates for handling nerves and said that senior players will continue to offer support.

“Nerves are great, that’s what you want … those young girls like Hannah (Darlington) and Phoebe (Litchfield) who haven’t experienced a WBBL final, if we can rally around them and tell them to go out there and back themselves, express themselves and show everyone what they’re made of, that’ll put us in the right side of the score side” Johnson said.

This mentality prompted 17-year-old star Litchfield to re-sign with Thunder for another two years.

“I was pretty nervous (during the semi final), a lot of them helped me out, we’ve got around each other which is great and I can count on them to help me through anyone,” Litchfield said.

Sydney Thunder young gun Phoebe Litchfield has re-signed for two more years. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“We’ve gelled together really well, it’s a fun environment whether we win or lose ... there’s no ego, we’re just playing cricket, we’re always enjoying it and everyone gets treated the same.”

Johnson knows that Meg Lanning’s Stars will throw everything at them on Saturday night at North Sydney Oval.

But the all-rounder has total faith in her Thunder family.

“We proved on (Thursday) night against the Heat that it doesn’t matter what situation you‘re in, if you keep fighting and back yourself, you can pull it out of nowhere,” Johnson said.

“The pressure’s all on them. They’ve got the big names and superstars. They’ve had such a good run in this competition … but it’s a clear slate when it comes to a final.”

“I’m very confident in this group. It will be tightly contested, there will be moments that go their way and moments that go our way. It’ll be about who can wrestle momentum best.”

Originally published as WBBL final: Melbourne Stars v Sydney Thunder