Photo: Solstice Digital
The Tasmania Devils got back on the winner’s list in stunning fashion, beating the Northern Territory Thunder by 115 points at the Highgate Recreation Reserve. The game started evenly with two goals apiece early, but from there the Devils piled on 19 unanswered goals to storm away and claim an impressive win.
Seth Campbell was the star of the show, kicking six goals and racking up 32 disposals in a dominant all-round display. He was well supported right across the ground, with Lachie Cowan (33 disposals, 87.9% efficiency) and Tom McCallum (27 disposals, ten marks) in defence, Colby McKercher (21 disposals, six inside 50s) in the midfield, and Brandon Leary (six goals) in attack all among the standouts.
TASMANIA DEVILS: 4.3 7.8 12.12 20.12 (132)
NT THUNDER: 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.5 (140)
Best players: Seth Campbell, Tom McCallum, Lachie Cowan, Brandon Leary, Colby McKercher, Liam Jones
Goals: Seth Campbell 6, Brandon Leary 6, Will Splann 3, Jack Callinan 2, Liam Jones, Tom Beaumont, Colby McKercher
The Devils got on the board early when Will Splann goaled after one minute of play, but the Thunder quickly hit back with two goals of their own and had all of the answers early. Campbell’s first goal of the day brough the Devils back level, his second put them ahead, and his third extended the advantage to 13 points at the first break.
That momentum carried through into the second term as the Devils were able to build their lead. Campbell kicked his fourth of the first half, with Jack Callinan and Splann also hitting the scoreboard. The Devils defence locked down the Thunder’s forwards at the other end, with McCallum’s intercept marking from centre half back leading the way. They kept the Thunder to just one behind in the quarter, and that saw the lead balloon out to 35 points at half-time.
Not content with that comfortable buffer, Tasmania continued to surge forward in waves and piled on five more goals in the third quarter while keeping the Thunder scoreless. The usual suspects continued to finish inside 50, and McKercher added to his dominance in the midfield with a goal of his own. Even the forwards not cashing in with goals found a way to contribute to the cause, with the half-forward Isaac Hyatt (21 disposals) pushing hard up the ground to further help the cause in the middle of the ground.
The Devils led by 69 points at the last change, and they refused to take their foot off the gas. They added eight more goals before the final siren, with Leary kicking five of them in a remarkable late burst. The Devils continued to be well served around the ground, with Cameron Owen (16 disposals, 12 hit-outs) spending more time in the ruck in the second half and impressing around the stoppages. That big last quarter saw the lead pushed out to 115 points at full time, with the result lifting the Devils into sixth place on the NAB League ladder.
A bye this weekend will be followed by a home game in round six, with the Devils set to take on the Western Jets on Sunday May 15 at Windsor Park.