After moving to Millthorpe in March Nicole Thorogood only linked with the Orange Physiotherapy Vipers ahead of this year’s Orange Netball Association Toyota Cup season for “the social sides of things”, basically in a bid to meet some new people.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Little did she know she was walking straight into one of the state’s strongest competitions outside of Sydney, and one of that league’s strongest sides too.
Obviously she found that out, and found her feet, pretty quickly, the 27-year-old’s slotted into the Vipers’ line-up with consummate ease.
She’s loving it too, especially after having some time away from the sport before moving west with her fiance and Orange Tigers gun Ben McKenna.
“Not knowing anyone here I thought getting back into netball would be a good way to meet some new people,” she said, before explaining how she landed at Vipers.
“I didn’t really know how to go about it … it was just lucky that Ben’s mum ran into (Vipers defender) Abby (Tilburg’s) mum in town one day, Abby called me and it sort of went from there.
“It’s really great, all the girls are lovely and everyone gets along really well. I’ve fitted in really well, easier than I thought I would.”
Together with fellow 2018 recruit Teigan Colley, Thorogood has helped transform Vipers’ attacking third into one of the Toyota Cup’s most potent, the side also boasts the best defensive record in the competition too.
Considering that it’s hardly a suprise they’re on top of the table leading into the four-week, school-holiday break.
But after winning their first eight games on the trot they go into that break after their first loss of the season, a 49-38 defeat at the hands of Orange City Craig Harvey Mechanical which Thorogood put down to “one off quarter”.
“It was our second quarter, we weren’t really ourselves, the rest of the game was pretty even I thought but [Orange City] played really well obviously,” she said.
“It’s not such a bad thing to have that loss, we’ll learn from it and I think (potentially) going through the season undefeated could create a lot of pressure. It shows us where we need to improve.”
She’s confident her side will make those improvements before the competition resumes on July 28, she’s also certain her navy and teal bibs are capable of winning the title too.
It would be the club’s first, and would end Orange City’s 10-year reign as well.
“The goal at the start of the year was just to make the top four and we went in without expectations, but now we’ve been going along so well during the start of the season I think the goal is definitely top two now, and I think we can see ourselves in the grand final and all that,” she said.
“It’s nice to be in a team that’s hungry to win again, it’s a lot more serious here than what I was playing before (moving to Orange). I only joined for the social side of things, but it’s nice to come in and everyone be so motivated.”
Vipers face Life Studio Mid West Eyes in their first game after the break.
Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
