South West Queensland Thunder keeper prepares for game 50
South West Queensland Thunder keeper Jace Hudson is looking forward to a special milestone match against Southside Eagles
Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
FOOTBALL: Few players have seen the South West Queensland Thunder’s evolution quite like Jace Hudson.
The keeper has watched the club grow from development squad to title contenders since his March 23 debut in 2014 against Brisbane City.
Tonight Hudson will pull on the gloves for the 50th time when the Thunder plays host to Southside Eagles.
“I actually didn’t realise it was this weekend until someone at the club mentioned it to me,” Hudson said.
“I knew it had to be coming up soon, but I didn’t know exactly when.
“It’s a pretty special occasion, there’s a lot of competition in the position and not a lot of opportunities.”
A lot has changed for Hudson and the club since their debut seasons, but two things stand out for the keeper.
“The biggest change I’ve seen is our relationship with the local clubs,” he said.
“It wasn’t that strong in the beginning, but it has grown and developed.
“Now we see a lot of players in the current squad who have joined from the Toowoomba competition, which is a really good to see.
“The other big thing for me is seeing how we’ve changed from a development club to title contender. I wasn’t at the club last season when they made the grand final last season, but it was good to watch.
“You look at someone like Wade Hall, he’s a veteran of the club now with a 100-plus games under his belt, and he and others players like him are part of that success.
“Personally, it’s good to know I’ve been part of club’s growth as well.”
Against Southside Eagles tonight, Hudson says the club will need to stick to its game plan to secure a win.
“They’re a physical side, and we can’t afford to get drawn in to that,” he said.
“Sunshine Coast are a similar team, and they really tested us last week in the first half. We talked at halftime about playing to our strengths, and once we did that we turned it around and got the win.”
GAME DAY: Thunder vs Eagles, 6pm Saturday at Clive Berghofer Stadium.
REVEALED: Top 10 senior TCI performances from round 1
After an action-packed opening round of the Toowoomba Cricket season, we reveal our top 10 individual performances from the weekend’s action. See who made the list.
TOP TRIOS: Three stars from every senior Toowoomba Cricket match
HOWZAT: The Toowoomba cricket season is back in full swing and we’re running the rule over every single match. Find out who picked up our 3-2-1 points honours from your side’s match here.
RANKED: Top 15 junior cricket performances from Round 1
The 2024-25 junior cricket season kicked off on the weekend, with several young guns making their mark with the bat and ball. We have analysed all the clashes to reveal our top 15 individual performances from Round 1. See which junior stars made the list here.
Revealed: QLD All Schools Touch top performers
The world’s largest touch football tournament has wrapped up on the Gold Coast after five days of competition across seven divisions. Discover who claimed gold, and the 80+ standouts across the board. Details inside:
Promotion Push: Which lower grade players starred in Round 1
The first round of the Toowoomba Cricket season is in the books and we are running the rule each week over the lower grade stars who are knocking on the door of promotion. See which lower grade players caught the eye in Round 1.
DIVIDED: Garden City split by marathon’s return and expansion
The Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport Marathon will double in size next with more races added to the $1.1 million event. Here’s what our readers have to say about the expansion news and the decision to change the showpiece marathon course.