North West Thunder v Sandringham Game Preview

North West Thunder V Sandringham - Saturday, 15 June, Mazda BT50 Stadium Ulverstone  (Report By Brad Cole, Thunder Media)

After a month away from home, the North-West Thunder are back in front of their own fans on Saturday night for a make-or-break clash with Sandringham.

Currently sitting in 13th place on the ultra-competitive NBL1 South ladder with a 6-8 record, the Thunder are still in the hunt for finals, with eighth-placed Frankston just one win ahead.

But with a raft of quality teams also firmly in the mix, Sam Armstrong’s team know they can’t afford too many more slip-ups across the final eight games of the roster season.

A number of Thunder players have been able to rest and recharge the batteries for the run home following a bye last weekend, and with NWBU commitments now over for the entire squad, it will allow a laser-sharp focus on the job at hand.

The Thunder enter Saturday night’s game coming off five consecutive encounters on the road, with their latest result seeing them go down to Tasmanian rivals Hobart 88-73 on May 31.

Trailing by nine points at half-time, the Thunder remained in contention at the final break thanks to the sharp-shooting efforts of Seth Swalve (32 points, including 6-9 three-pointers).  But the Chargers rallied at the start of the final term to seal a comfortable victory and even the series in 2024 at 1-1.

 
To remain in finals contention, the hosts must take down one of the league powerhouses in Sandringham, who will bring a talent-laden team across Bass Strait for their Tasmanian double-header.

Thanks to their relationship with NBL club Melbourne United, the Sabres squad contains players of the ilk of NBL Defensive Player of the Year Shea Ili, Tanner Krebs, United assistant coach Dave Barlow, Campbell Blogg, Tom Koppens and development player Joel Foxwell. Throw in New Zealand Breakers centre Dane Pineau, and you have a team tipped by many to go all the way this season.

But as the Thunder have already shown this year with a win over current ladder leaders Ballarat in round four, their best is more than capable of matching it with the NBL1 South heavyweights.

Saturday’s clash also doubles as the club’s Todd Nothrop Memorial game for this year. Todd was a rising star of the sport on the North-West Coast from 1988-1993 where he played NWBU for Ulverstone and in the former SEABL competition with the Devonport Warriors (1990-92) and Coastal Breakers (1993).

Todd passed away in 1995 after a battle with cancer, but his name lives on strongly with the club through his mother Margaret and sister Jodie Murphy, who are both regulars at Thunder home games on the score bench.

The Thunder v Sabres clash at Ulverstone’s Mazda BT-50 Stadium tips off at 8pm, with the Launceston Tornadoes v Sandringham clash getting the night underway at 6pm. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here. For those who can’t get to the game, log in to the NBL1 website or app and watch the live stream.

LEADING PLAYERS

Points – Thunder: Sekou Sylla 21.2ppg, Seth Swalve 15ppg, Tre Armstrong 10.6ppg. Sabres: Tanner Krebs 22.8ppg, Shea Ili 17.5ppg, Tom Koppens 13.6ppg.

Rebounds – Thunder: Sekou Sylla 12.2rpg, Archie Woodhill 5.3rpg, Paul Campbell 5.1rpg. Sabres: Tom Koppens 9.9rpg, Tanner Krebs 9rpg, Dane Pineau 8.2rpg.

Assists – Thunder: Seth Swalve 4.5apg, Sekou Sylla 2.1apg, Tre Armstrong 1.8apg. Sabres: Shea Ili 4.9apg, Joel Foxwell 3.apg, Campbell Blogg 3apg.

LAST THREE MEETINGS

2023 – Sabres def Thunder 100-68, 2022 – Thunder lt Sabres 91-78, 2021 – Sabres lt Thunder 61-76.