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The 2018 NEAFL season could be the Thunder's most successful for some time having assembled a genuinely talented list that is essentially the best squad you could assemble from the Northern Territory Football League. The return of Cameron Ilett, the best player in the history of the NEAFL, will massively bolster their backline as well as the addition of Tiwi stars Dion Munkara and Ross Tungatalum who will add undoubted attacking flair. Other quality recruits include Darwin Buffaloes trio Joe Anderson, Matt Campbell and Jarrod Stokes, with Stokes in particular coming off an outstanding individual NTFL season and one of the best Grand Final performances ever witnessed in a losing side. Southern recruits for this season are Jack Monigatti, Tim Brook and Patrick White, a ruckman, small defender and medium forward respectively, and some other new faces include key defender Kaine Riley (Nightcliff), Chris Williams (Darwin) and Patrick Heenan (Tiwi).
Thunder has two purposes essentially. One is to give NT players the ability to play elite football and stay in Darwin, and the other is to give young NT players a platform to be drafted from. The above players fall into the first purpose, and now I'll run through some of the younger players who will be aiming to get drafted. Rodney Baird is the most likely prospect, a tall lanky defender in the mold of Michael Johnson who can play tall and small and has a cool head under pressure. Adam Sambono is a human highlight reel, with freakish ability around goals and an uncanny ability to take a grab, whether it be a huge pack mark, a contested mark or a lead. Jack Munkara, younger brother of Dion, is an exciting winger/half forward with a strong work rate and clean skills and Francis Kinthari, despite being 24, is a late bloomer and will try to push for draft selection after attending a State Combine last season. Liam Holt-Fitz could be drafted in 2019, but will miss the early part of the season with an ankle injury. He's a small forward in the mold of Cyril Rioli who can apply both scoreboard and defensive pressure in the forward line.
I'm reasonably optimistic about the Thunder's chances this season. They have a really balanced squad, with a combination of seasoned Thunder veterans (Rioli brothers, Darren Ewing, Cameron Ilett), star players from the local competition (Sam Smith, Abe Ankers, Braedon McLean) and up and coming talents such as Baird and Sambono. There's also a good balance of freakish individuals and solid team contributors, and I could see the Thunder achieving both of its main goals this season: go deep into finals, and get an NT player drafted to the AFL.
Thunder has two purposes essentially. One is to give NT players the ability to play elite football and stay in Darwin, and the other is to give young NT players a platform to be drafted from. The above players fall into the first purpose, and now I'll run through some of the younger players who will be aiming to get drafted. Rodney Baird is the most likely prospect, a tall lanky defender in the mold of Michael Johnson who can play tall and small and has a cool head under pressure. Adam Sambono is a human highlight reel, with freakish ability around goals and an uncanny ability to take a grab, whether it be a huge pack mark, a contested mark or a lead. Jack Munkara, younger brother of Dion, is an exciting winger/half forward with a strong work rate and clean skills and Francis Kinthari, despite being 24, is a late bloomer and will try to push for draft selection after attending a State Combine last season. Liam Holt-Fitz could be drafted in 2019, but will miss the early part of the season with an ankle injury. He's a small forward in the mold of Cyril Rioli who can apply both scoreboard and defensive pressure in the forward line.
I'm reasonably optimistic about the Thunder's chances this season. They have a really balanced squad, with a combination of seasoned Thunder veterans (Rioli brothers, Darren Ewing, Cameron Ilett), star players from the local competition (Sam Smith, Abe Ankers, Braedon McLean) and up and coming talents such as Baird and Sambono. There's also a good balance of freakish individuals and solid team contributors, and I could see the Thunder achieving both of its main goals this season: go deep into finals, and get an NT player drafted to the AFL.