Young Thunder ready to strike
South West Queensland Thunder to face Brisbane Strikers in season opener
Sport
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FOOTBALL: The South West Queensland Thunder start their 2019 NPL season today missing three of their star recruits.
Visa delays have sidelined the team's Brazilian imports and former Newcastle Jets squad member Mitchell Hunter is also unavailable.
However, senior men's team manager Jason Hall is confident the side will be competitive when they face Brisbane Strikers at Perry Park tonight.
"The boys are fit, strong, confident and looking forward to the opener,” Hall said.
"It would've been nice to start the season with our big recruits but we're still confident we can perform.
"It'll be the same team we used against Lions, we only just lost 2-1 to them and they were last year's premiers.
"We're a young side and we've produced some very good performances in pre-season we just haven't quite been able to get over the line.”
Having retained nearly all of their 2018 squad, a side that secured the club's highest ever NPL finish, Hall believes a solid team ethic will work in the side's favour once again.
"This season will be a continuation of what we produced last year,” he said.
"We're expecting to build on and improve that performance though.
"Our success last season was because of good team performances - everyone played their part.
"Jacob Bigby returns as captain and he the type of player we want leading this side.
"He brings them all together as a unit.
"We've also promoted a few younger players and they're really thriving in the positive environment.
"Players like Fletcher McDonald, Keanu Tuart and Luke Lister have really thrived.
"Luke has been one of our top scorers in the pre-season.”
Another of the Thunder's new recruits, James Egeta, is expected to start tonight having shown plenty of early promise.
"I think James is going to be a real threat this season,” Hall said.
"He's played a lot of futsal of late so it may take him a few games to readjust to the pace, but once he does he'll be one to watch.
"He's really sharp in and around the box and I'm looking to see his progression.”
Originally published as Young Thunder ready to strike
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