Round 6 - Q & A with Coach Brad Dodd

The Ocean Hill Estate Peel Thunder Colts were back in action last Saturday, taking on Claremont Tigers at Bendigo Bank Stadium.   After the game, we spoke with Head Coach, Brad Dodd.

A crucial game for the Colts so early in the season, was there any extra pressure?

BD: Maybe from the players perspective, they’re competitors and they’re aware of where we sit in the scheme of things but from the coaching perspective, we’re more focused on individuals and seeing them grow and develop as players. We are there to challenge and educate.

There were 2 more debutants this week in James Wiltshire and Kyle Penny, tell us a little about them.

BD: Jimmy was injured for the majority of last season. He was having a really strong pre-season before injuring his foot and missing quite a bit of training. He was right in the mix for Round 1 but he just missed out and he went away and worked hard on his game and got his opportunity. He’s a small forward that can also go through the wing and play Inside.  Kyle is a 17 year old who played State 16s last year. He would’ve played Round 1 but he injured his ankle at training and it’s taken him a little while to get over it. He plays back and we’re also keen to develop him as an inside mid. He’s ultra competitive and has a strong attack on the ball.

Starts have been an issue for the team, but a strong start against the Tigers. Was it a focus?

BD: We always put a focus on our starts. Our leaders were really vocal before the game in making sure we were ready to go from the start. We had a good 1st quarter but allowed a couple of easy goals to Claremont through some positioning and spoiling errors by our defenders.

Claremont came out and challenged early in the 2nd Quarter, taking the lead. But the Thunder responded to take a 22 point lead into half time. Where were you getting on top?

BD: Claremont are a very good team with a strong midfield. They were always going to respond at some stage. I thought we got back on top around the stoppages. Early in the quarter the Tigers had the ascendancy when we went away from our stoppage principles a bit, but we re-set and began to regain control.

The Thunder came out and kicked 7 goals for the 3rd quarter, 4 to Lachlan Cullen. He played last year as a forward but he’s been tried down back this year, what was the reasoning behind that?

BD: Lachlan has a high level of athletic talent: he’s quick, can jump, powerful kick and can take a mark. Most of his career to date, he’s been allowed to sit in the goal square and those attributes have gotten him by. As a coaching group, we wanted to give him a different challenge. He was quite apprehensive about the move at first but settled into his role down back, working closely with our backs coach, Danny Chartres. Lachy had performed solidly in the first 2 games as a back before missing the Perth game with injury.  We put him forward this game and he had a stronger intent with his competitiveness and defensive pressure as well as still being able to hit the scoreboard.

With a big lead at 3/4 time, what is the message to the group?

BD: Just to stick to the process. That was the message all week and the last quarter was probably when we were going to be tested the most.

In the end, a big win. What was the most pleasing thing about the performance?

BD: The fact that we had a strong appetite for each contest. That when we were challenged in the 2nd Quarter, we responded. That it was a pretty even performance across the board. That individuals who were down, responded during the week at training and that flowed into the game. 

Who were the better performers on the day?

BD: It was a really even performance by the group. We thought our midfield had a huge influence on the game, James Sturrock was excellent inside collecting 30 touches, 8 clearances and making 6 tackles. Lachlan Riley has had a consistent start to the year and he gave us great drive from the wing and half back, linking up and using the ball well. Jackson Perry and Bradley Oldfield were also very good. Up forward, Lachlan Cullen, Jack Sears, Tyson Powell and Billy Chambers all provided strong targets while Tyrone Thorne was at their feet, providing strong pressure and kicking 3 goals. Jarvis Pina and Andrew Butler continued their strong starts to the year. Our skipper, Jake Howes, set the tone and had his best game for the year with 27 touches and 6 tackles.

State Game bye this week and the State Under 18 players go away for the Carnival preparation, who made it from Peel?

BD: The squad hasn’t been finalised yet but on the initial intake, Tyson Powell, Jarrad Fazioli and Jason Carter all made the squad. We’re hoping for a few more to be added this week.

Anything planned for the Bye week?

BD: Business as usual. We’ll continue to look at parts of our game, as a team and as individuals, that we can improve and train accordingly. 

*Next game:  Peel Thunder v Subiaco @ Bendigo Bank Stadium - Saturday,19th May

Colts - 8.55am

Senior Development - 11.25am

League - 2.10pm