Another grand final, and another disappointing loss to Tuggeranong. ADFA came out of the blocks hard from the first bounce and scored two quick goals to take them to an early lead. At half time the defecit had been reduced to only two goals and Tuggeranong were in with a chance. Kellie Jess had the ADFA defenders panicking on several occasions, but unfortunately didn't manage to get the ball between the big sticks. Julie Dawes managed to take her usual quota of spectacular marks and Talei Owen ran rampant, using her superb kicking skills to set up quite a few Tuggeranong goals. Kerry Hayes and Jenny Curtis kept the backline ticking over, but unfortunately ADFA managed to get a few lucky goals past the usually strong Thunder defenders.
At the end of the day, ADFA's exceptional fitness allowed them to over-run the Thunder, even though Tuggeranong's ball handling skills are far superior to ADFA. The future looks bright for the Thunder, even after two successive grand final losses. They have been in the competition only two years and have made the grand final in both seasons, a feat achieved by no other team. With Barry Ransom leaving for Japan, the Thunder will flourish under the guidance of newly appointed coach Keith Jones, who for the past two seasons has filled the role of manager and assistant coach. Now we look to the AFL Canberra grand final in four weeks time and the distinct possibility that the Cowboys will be making an appearance in both ressies and seniors. Also to the district boys, who are red hot favourites to take out the flag in their division after a fantastic undefeated run. Let's go boys, and show them how we play footy down Tuggeranong way!
1. Talei Owen
2. Slav Jurcevic
3. Michelle Jordon
4. Isabele Legge
5. Helen Jones
6. Julie Dawes
7. Vanessa Mayer (vc)
8. Jeni Warburton
9. Penny Clowry
10. Kerry Hayes
11. Jenny Curtis
12. Damara Cox
13. Carly McGrath
14. Jennifer Tyler (c)
15. Eugenie Robinson
16.
17. Lisa Pye
18. Belinda Blanch
19. Stacey Blake
20.
21. Sharryn Garner
22. Kellie Jess
23.
24. Melissa Coulter
25. Amy Haitsma
Barry Ransom (coach)
Keith Jones (ass. coach)
Stefanie Garner (manager)
Don Axon (trainer)
