Thunder plan to clip Magpies wings
South West Queensland Thunder chase another win over Magpies Crusaders.
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FOOTBALL: The next four weeks are critical to the South West Queensland Thunder's 2018 dreams.
A series of wins will make relegation a mathematical impossibility - wins will also help close in our their top six goal.
It won't be easy though with top four teams Western Pride, Lions and Moreton Bay on the horizon.
First up though is Magpies Crusaders today from 5pm at Clive Berghofer Stadium.
Last time the side's met in Mackay the Thunder secured a thrilling last minute victory coming from 3-1 down to win 4-3.
"It was a tough game last time we played them. And we are expecting a similar challenge again,” Thunder assistant men's team manager Kris Hemmerling said.
"They're a physical and they like to play a lot of long balls - those balls put a lot of pressure on our backline last time round.
"We're confident we have the structure and the players to deal with that pressure though.
"Franceso (Zanoncelli) deserves an immense amount of credit for how he has changed our structure and the way we play this season.
"I feel a lot of teams are having trouble breaking us down now.”
The Thunder will be without key defender Frederico Brusaca, who has returned home to Italy, but Hemmerling says the team have a ready made replacement.
"We welcome back Kyle Parish recently,” he said.
"He back in Toowoomba during summer break from the United States. He played in the midfield last recently but will slot straight in the defensive line for us.
"The advantage we have now is that every player knows their role and what is expected of them.
"That allows us to keep our structure and focus the same - all we do is change the line up depending on who is available.”
Women away
The Thunder face Eastern Suburbs in Brisbane today.
The last time the sides met the Thunder really tested their opposition making them work hard for their 4-2 win.
Originally published as Thunder plan to clip Magpies wings
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