Orange Thunder came away from the 2021 installment of the Junior State Cup Southern Conference with a number of accolades, including another JSC Championship.
A full compliment of teams travelling to Wagga Wagga for the 2021 Junior State Cup Southern Conference, which was played in warm but clear conditions at Jubilee Park. After months of preparation, the Thunder teams were well prepared to go into battle against some of the top junior clubs in the state.
Our U10 Boys team, coached by James Dean, were the highlight of the weekend for the Thunder, being crowned JUNIOR STATE CUP CHAMPIONS. The boys won all their pool games, showing how a well drilled and fast-paced team can dominate the minis version of touch. The games got tougher throughout the finals series, with the boys facing the challenging Cronulla Sharks outfit in the decider.
Helped by an epic performance by Judd Zinga (who was named Player of the Final), our Thunder boys came away with a 2-0 victory (or 5-0 under the 3,2 points system). Congratulations from all at our club goes to the team, including their coaching staff James, Dan, Jack, Dylan and Reagan.
Our U18 Girls put together yet another dominant weekend performance, reaching the Grand Final against one of their arch-rival Hills Hornets. This final went back and forth a number of times and ultimately the 3,2 point system became the difference, with our girls just falling short to Hills, who won the match 11-10 (or 5 all under the 3,2 point system). Although the girls were disappointed to lose, their effort was truly gutsy after the team lost some players to injury in the lead up to the event.
Some other key team performances to note came from our U12 Boys, U14 Girls and U18 Boys teams, who all unluckily fell one game short of the decider, all going down in their semi final match.
As a club overall it was a successful event, with Orange Thunder finishing 3rd in the Club Championship and being named the Best Placed Country Affiliate for the event.
Our club wishes to thank all players, coaching staff, referees, officials, parents and supporters for their efforts over the last few months as our teams have attended a number of events including the JSC event in Wagga.
