STEPPING UP: Orange's Sandon Gibbs-O'Neill (right) takes the ball up as Mitch Green moves in to support him. Photo: PETER WHITING
STEPPING UP: Orange's Sandon Gibbs-O'Neill (right) takes the ball up as Mitch Green moves in to support him. Photo: PETER WHITING
STEPPING UP: Orange's Sandon Gibbs-O'Neill (right) takes the ball up as Mitch Green moves in to support him. Photo: PETER WHITING
STEPPING UP: Orange's Sandon Gibbs-O'Neill (right) takes the ball up as Mitch Green moves in to support him. Photo: PETER WHITING
STEPPING UP: Orange's Sandon Gibbs-O'Neill (right) takes the ball up as Mitch Green moves in to support him. Photo: PETER WHITING
STEPPING UP: Orange's Sandon Gibbs-O'Neill (right) takes the ball up as Mitch Green moves in to support him. Photo: PETER WHITING
TOUCH FOOTBALL
IF lightning doesn't strike the same spot twice surely thunder doesn't roll past either, right?
Wrong.
The Orange Thunder has again come second in the Hunter Hornets Regional Championships open mixed competition, going down to a strong Central Coast outfit 9-1 in Sunday's decider at Maitland.
Just 12 months earlier the City of Orange Touch Association's mixed representative outfit went down in a nail-biting final 6-5 against Newcastle-based side Wallsend Wolves.
In 2011 the Thunder were unlucky not to be champions.
This year, they were simply outclassed.
"We ended up coming second, again," COTA rep coordinator Tori Moore said.
"The final was probably our worst game all weekend. (The Central Coast) just had too much skill.
"They usually don't have a mixed team at Maitland. They've always got a strong women's side and a strong men's side, but this year they've all gone to play mixed.
"They were just too classy for us."
The Thunder rolled through its pool matches, finishing on top of its group following wins over Wallsend (6-1), Beresfield (5-2) and Peninsula (3-2).
In the semi-final the Mitch Green and Sandon Gibbs-O'Neill-led outfit defeated Doyalson 6-3 to book a place in the decider.
There, they lost to the Central Coast.
But, just making the final was a gallant effort.
From busted achilles to potentially broken collarbones, the Thunder suffered injury after injury to just about the whole squad to become the competition's walking wounded.
Moore was proud of the team's effort.
"They team went well throughout the whole weekend. We picked up six injuries on the first day," she said.
"Sandon Gibbs-O'Neill and Mitch Green stepped it up and Darren Davis has never been away before and really played well. Kyle Connolly is another who went well."
Not to be out done by the players, COTA referee Cathy Goodlock was awarded the Hunter Hornets Regional Championship's leading level three referee gong for her efforts across the two-day carnival.
After the regional championships in Maitland, the Hunter Hornets select its train on squads for representative sides set to take on the Country Championships.
Just who from the second-placed Thunder outfit makes the cut to try out isn't yet known.
"The majority of the side was eligible so hopefully we get a few in, but we won't know for a couple of weeks," Moore said.