MONDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2019 SPORT 29 MORRIS ON MONDAY A decade of highs and lows

Happier times ... Thunder legends Cameron Ilett with Artiki, Darren Ewing with Lenny and Aaron Motlop with Ben pictured in 2014, before their NEAFL title win in 2015 Picture: IVAN RACHMAN

GREY MORRIS program, saying a greater em- phasis will now be placed on WHEN long-serving St Thunder exit to herald a new era talent programs, NTFL club Mary’s president Vic Ludwig sustainability and most im- told me in 2012 that Territory portantly, AFL club align- football is like a good glass of mere formality after the national draft too, Zeph Skin- premierships with a handful of iel and Parfitt will op- ment. milk where the cream always slaughter of Morningside. ner in 2010 to the Western mature-age recruits or create pose each other in Friday The yellow and red of AFL rises to the top, the first seeds But a lot of fans were al- Bulldogs and Nakia Cockatoo player pathways for Territory night’s AFL preliminary final strugglers Gold Coast is likely of doubt in Thunder’s NEAFL ready concerned at Thunder’s to Geelong in 2014 were high- kids with talent who wanted to see who walks on the AFL to feature in those plans, de- program were sown. elitism, claiming the people lights. to learn the intricacies of Aus- grand final stage on Septem- spite Totham giving nothing Thunder had come off a had been isolated from a footy Willie Rioli (West Coast) tralian football at an elite level ber 28. away on which AFL franchise QAFL premiership only six club that called themselves a wore Thunder colours before without travelling interstate? Despite no representative they were looking at. months before, a whopping stand-alone side and not a a stint at SANFL club Glenelg (Richmond), team, the Thunder program He has the full support of 16-goal win over Morningside representative team. and Zac Bailey took a similar (St Kilda), Anthony will continue to provide and his board, chairman Ross Co- at Redlands in Brisbane. The NTFL clubs were get- route to Brisbane after kicking Tipungwuti (Essendon) and encourage player pathways, burn, Colleen Gwynne and All was rosy in the Thunder ting grumpy at continual play- a football with Norwood. (Geelong) particularly at U18 and U16 Sean Bowden were keen ob- camp, chairman Paul Tyrrell er losses and Thunder’s Any negatives were cast took the Willie Rioli approach level. The facilities at Marra- servers at Thursday’s press and chief executive Stuart To- charter aimed at building a aside when almost 6000 fans after playing at underage level ra’s TIO Stadium certainly conference in a sure sign tal- tham had smiles on their faces playing pathway for players turned up at TIO Stadium in with Thunder. cater for aspiring AFL or state ented Territory kids will still with their footy side the big- from all over the NT looked a 2015 to watch Xavier Clarke’s Jed Anderson captained league players. be given every opportunity to gest show in town. bit wobbly. side beat Aspley by a point in Thunder’s under-18 side with Actual on-field participa- rise through the ranks of the Thunder was on the front On the ground they were the grand final. distinction before the GWS tion will be a problem, those national game. page of the NT News, even winning and players like the But even then fans and crit- Giants signed him as a conces- wanting to strut their stuff out So it’s farewell to Thunder prompting then Chief Minis- Ilett brothers – Jarred and ics were looking at the draft sion draftee and his travels of the junior programs will after 11 seasons of conflicting ter Paul Henderson to show Cameron – Darren Ewing and list and seeing very little re- took him to Hawthorn and have to move interstate. emotions, some on-field suc- the page to anyone near him, Richard Tambling were doing turn for their hard-earned now North Melbourne. Totham told Darwin’s cess and a series of lows in a while the defence of Thun- great things. taxpayer dollars. All of those players have media on Thursday some- decade of football the Terri- der’s NEAFL crown looked a There was success at the Did Thunder want to win bloomed at those clubs, Dan- thing was not right with the tory will never forget.

ON THIS DAY Simpson snares record while Miandad belts 211

1933: South Melbourne’s ‘Foreign bronze medallist (1976), is born in win in the VFL preliminary final. slugger Mark McGwire signs with Blacks rugby union team hands Legion’ beats Richmond by 18 San Diego. 1973: The Buffalo Bills’ O.J. the St Louis Cardinals from the South Africa its biggest Test-match points in the VFL second semi-final. 1967: West German Anni Pede Simpson rushes a then NFL record Oakland Athletics for $26 million. defeat in history – a 57-0 thrashing South beat the Tigers by 42 runs a female world record mara- 250 yards in Buffalo’s 31-13 win at 2000: Chicago Cub Sammy Sosa in Albany, NZ. points in the grand final two weeks thon time of 3hr07min26sec in New England. becomes the second player to hit 50 2018: Cycling land speed record later. Waldniel. 1988: Pakistan’s Test batsman or more Major League Baseball broken for men and women by 1942: Dennis Conner, an Ameri- 1967: Geelong kick eight third- Javed Miandad makes 211 against home runs in three consecutive American Denise Mueller-Korenek can sailor who was a four-time quarter goals to Carlton’s one to Australia at Karachi, his fifth Test years, joining Mark McGwire on who reached 183.932mph America’s Cup winning skipper turn around a 27-point halftime double century. the list. (296.010km/h) on the Bonneville (1974, 1980, 1987, 1988) and Olympic deficit on their way to a 29-point 1997: Major League Baseball’s 2017: The New Zealand All Salt Flats, Utah.

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