Anybody on this forum follow Peel Thunder?
Adelaide Hawk
26 Aug 2004, 17:23
I don't, but I'd like to ask a question. I understand Peel Thunder were introduced into the WAFL because of an area with promising juniors that needed cultivating. Do you feel the experiment is working?
royaldave
26 Aug 2004, 17:35
On the surface it would appear the club is a failure due to lack of success,.
But while their League and Reserves sides generally perform poorly, it has to be said their Colts are always competitive and indeed they are 2nd at the moment.
The reality is their entry was poorly planned, poorly timed, and they've been threatened with expulsion every year due to the other clubs wanting them out and the fact their license was not exactly "concrete".
This has seen no stability in terms of senior player list and staff. Every season their best players have been poached and they are an easy target because no one can ever be sure if the club will be there the following season.
And for the same reasons the local council is reluctant to do more, and likewise sponsorship deals are hard to negotiate.
Things are a bit more stable now and Gary Hocking has proven a good coach and is moulding the current crop of players into a good unit.
I think their future looks promising at the moment but there's still plenty of hard work ahead, and I believe the issue of their license will be back to haunt the WAFL in a few years time which could see them back to square 1 again.
stmookeyj
27 Aug 2004, 06:15
I know without Thunder we would not know who Daniel Wells or Farren Ray were.