Thundersticks Win AHL Championship
The Western Australian Thundersticks scored a 2-1 victory over Queensland in the AHL grand final played in Hobart over the weekend, with WAIS athletes helping the side to back to back titles.
WAIS scholarship holders Brent Dancer and Trent Mitton scored either side of a goal to Blades’ Jason Wilson to earn the WA side a national league title against the odds.
Queensland embarked through the tournament as firm favourites and qualified for the final as the top ranked side, but the Thundersticks has now defeated the Queensland outfit in the grand final in two consecutive seasons.
The Thundersticks success in 2009 is made even more impressive considering the withdrawal of injured Olympians Bevan George and Kiel Brown, leaving a greater emphasis on the new generation of talent within the WA squad.
WA made a strong start to the contest and made the first telling impact after Dancer scored from a penalty corner worked from good play by fellow WAIS athlete Jonathon Charlesworth.
Queensland wrestled their way back into the match on 17 minutes when Wilson converted a chance on goal. The sides looked likely to reach the interval with scores tied until a fabulous team move saw Mitton on the end to restore the Thundersticks advantage.
The second half was a tense affair with either side threatening to score, but a combination of good fortune and excellent goal keeping – in particular from WAIS’ Ross Meadows – sealed an eighth AHL title for the West Australian team.
2008 Beijing Olympian and WAIS scholarship holder Fergus Kavanagh paid
tribute to his side and highlighted the effort in the absence of such talent and experience.
“We showed last year what can happen on Grand Final day. More importantly, we drew confidence from our recent victories over Victoria and Tasmania where we played quite well. There was a bit of pressure on us to repeat last years success without key players such as Bevan George, Kiel Brown and Aaron Hopkins, but this is a really close young group who performed really well,” said Kavanagh.
A delighted WA Thundersticks coach Paul Gaudion told The West Australian that his team’s ability to do the simple things well in the final was the difference in the match.
“Our basic skills and ball movement was the difference between us and Queensland in the final,” he said.
“We were able to pass and receive the ball with great speed all over the field and our discipline and ability to use our entire squad was crucial.”
Following the AHL win, Kookaburras coach Ric Charlesworth named his 2009 national squad which included WAIS athletes Ross Meadows, Ian Burcher, Fergus Kavanagh and Kiel Brown. In addition, fellow WAIS athlete Graeme Begbie was named in the Kookaburras European tour squad which departs in May.
While the tradition is to only have 24 players in the national squad, Charlesworth says his desire is to increase the squad to more than 30.
“In the past the squads are usually 24 players, but we need to build a new group so I would like to expose as many players as possible to the national team,” said Charlesworth.
“In many ways the squad we are announcing now is an interim squad. They have all earned their spot, but I have said all along that my first six months as coach would be about discovery. At this stage I am only three and a half months in so this squad will see a number of additions made by the middle of the year. At the same time a development squad will also be finalised,” said Charlesworth.
