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Can the Thunderbirds go all the way this year?

Roar Rookie
13th June, 2010
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Roar Rookie
13th June, 2010
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With the Adelaide Thunderbirds confirming a finals birth with a solid win over the West Coast Fever (54-45), a question keeps coming up in my mind: can Adelaide’s game plan win them their first ANZ Championship?

At first glance at the overall ANZ Championship ladder, you would assume that it is.

With nine wins from the twelve games they have played, anyone would assume that the game plan of getting a long ball into Goal Shooter, Carla Borrego, is working wonders.

And statistically it is.

Borrego, who is the championship’s leading goal scorer, with 471 goals, is the predominant target for the Thunderbirds this season. Scoring all but 87 of Adelaide’s goals this season makes me ask whether the Thunderbird’s are becoming too reliant on one player.

If you look at last year, there was a more even distribution of goals scored in the team, but they did not look as imposing as they have this season. But can a team with a solid Goal Keeper individually beat the Thunderbird?

Lets look at the team who has beaten the Thunderbirds on both occasions – the Sydney Swift.

Yes, like Adelaide, they have a very impressive side overall, but their key to winning against Adelaide that no other team has been able to do since round one is to successfully shut down Borrego.

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In both games this season, Sydney has kept Borrego to low scores.

Borrego only managed 30 goals in their first encounter in round two and 29 goals in their second encounter in round eight through excellent defence from Goal Keeper, Sonia Mkoloma, and able assistance from Goal Defence, Rebecca Bulley.

I can’t say how they did it, but what they did was successful.

But Adelaide does in fact have what it takes to win, and as Liz Ellis has been saying for the last few weeks, Adelaide is a genuine chance.

And it’s not just Borrego that will win it for them. Kate Beveridge is also a key, as is Erin Bell.

With the best defensive pair in the competition, all they need to do is become less predictable when going into offence and use Beveridge or Bell more often.

Adelaide is one of the best teams in rebounding from the back third, through the skill of Natalie Von Bertouch, Geva Mentor and Mo’onia Gerrard. And they look very capable and dangerous when they do so.

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If the Thunderbirds can use Kate Beveridge and Erin Bell more, they stand a very good chance of coming up trumps against any side.

But unfortunately, it doesn’t ensure success. That comes from hard work, which hopefully they will continue to put in.

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