Tough night at the office yesterday afternoon for the Thunder, with half the team mailing in postcards from various locations around the globe. Captain Nick Kyriazis, Vice-Captain Josh Gondolf, former Captain Brad Smith, two-time Barry Smith Medallist Tom Halman and nine-time Jultopia premiership veteran Terry Sleep ..... all missing and with that in mind, the Thunder went into the match with low expectations. Heck, their own website was tipping them to lose by 26 points. With five players out of action, the Thunder called upon reigning Thunder SABASA Best & Fairest guard Cal McKinnon to bolster the team, with Thunder Academy juniors Daniel and Jonty Smith the only reinforcements on the bench (and yes, they were suited up, ready to play just in case). This was going to need an A-Team-like performance and on that note, before we look at the game, has anyone seen the movie yet? Being from the 80s, we're sure it rocks but alas, we're too cheap to go the cinema to see it.

Back to the basketball and the game began with Prince Alfred scoring the first points but something strange happened from there. The Thunder quickly settled into a groove and whilst highlights were few and far between, the Thunder eeked out a 18-12 halftime lead with all players contributing. All players? Yep, all players. We're not just saying that. From where we sat on the freezing cold benches on Court 3, Hannibal Smith, Face Man Galway, Howling Mad Dog Penn, BA Howie and the fifth one with the pretty hair were all playing their part. The second half came and thinking the Thunder would run short of legs, Prince Alfred looked to up the tempo. Well, not Prince Alfred but the team named after him. You see, His Royal Highness, Prince Alfred, aka the Duke of Edinburgh, died a long time ago, albeit after surviving an assassination attempt in 1868 while visiting Australia. But back to the basketball and the game picked up a bit in the second half but the Thunder refused to give in, the score ticking over almost as often as Prince Alfred's substitutions (nine players will do that to ya). Eventually though, the 9 v 5 contest got too much for the Thunder and with the Academy tyros refusing to enter the game over a contractual dispute, Prince Alfred took the lead with 3 minutes remaining and held on for a well-earned 36-33 victory. Well-earned because they had to earn it and because well, if you dig deep enough, you'll always find water, even in a desert. The Thunder were led by Peck's 10 points, backed up by the fill-in's 9 points, and Murdoch and Hannibal's 7 points each. The loss sees the Thunder fall to second place with a 9-1-2 record but more importantly, leaves them with an outside chance of falling into the B Grade finals and a chance at repeating last year's premiership. Prince Alfred A meanwhile regain top spot with a 10-2 record, setting up an exciting semi-final clash should these two teams meet again in the major round.

PS. Yes, we saw the footy last night. If this keeps up, not only will Port Adelaide finish above the Crows at the end of the season as predicted by at least one Thunder tipster at the start of the year in his work footy tips, they could also still make the finals after losing nine in a row. They have a very favourable draw to come but have to beat St Kilda this coming weekend. Matthew Primus meanwhile ..... as nearly every man's wife is saying, albeit too often for our liking ..... he's looking good. Back soon, folks.

PPS. Might be time to put the Post Carnival Massacre myth to bed. That said though, there's a long time left in the season and the Delayed Post Carnival Massacre can bite at any time. Don't turn your back - it's watching, waiting, ready to pounce, like a coiled snake. Be afraid.

This should be a belter. The battle of the western suburbs as the Gateway of Port Road tackle Arndale of Torrens Road in a ripsnorter of a clash at 9.15pm at the Cal McKinnon Court of Crittenden Road. The Thunder took a while to get going last week and go into tonight's game without one of their key big men (according to our bothan spies anyway) and with at least one player still suffering the after-effects of a weekend of gastro. Arndale meanwhile looked ready to go last week and look set to improve on last season's third-place finish. Cal McKinnon versus heir apparent Cain Ness should be worth the price of the $2 admission alone but for us, we're staying with the Thunder. Rumours abound that their white strip is destined for the scrap heap but for now, it carries too much heritage and history for them to let the game slip. Thunder by 7 points.

PS. Thunder Coach James Smith emailed us asking if any of the Thunder players can get to the Dome before 6pm for Juniors' training, please do. Will only take 15-20 minutes until about 6.10ish or so. Bring a ball if you have one.

Big night last night on Court 3 at the Cal McKinnon Court with the Gateway Thunder up against the Arndale Allstars. The Thunder were depleted, playing without centre Michael Reu and guards Cal McKinnon and Nick Kyriazis, all three unavailable due to the whooping cough or so we're told. The fact that we told ourselves that rumour doesn't dismiss the fact that it's a rumour and a good one at that. So with just five players on deck, the Thunder started out of the blocks like a team confident in themselves despite their singlets looking like they'd been in the clothes dryer for at least a week. They raced out to a 22-4 lead and didn't look back, despite a very dark basket or two in the first half. The second half was much the same but Arndale fought back, going on a 10-point tear at one stage before some vintage 1998 Jultopia Geelong halfcourt alley-oop Gondolf-Smith magic restored the Thunder's lead. The Thunder won 62-26 which coincidentally is a palindrome, meaning absolutely nothing but certainly registering highly on the all-important meaningless score scale. The win moves the Thunder to 2-0 on the season and an equal share of first place.

Grab a cup of coffee and kick back and enjoy the above video folks, promoting the upcoming 2010/11 season with highlights of the 1994 NBL season by the Adelaide 36ers, a year they finished runner-up to the supreme, all-conquering North Melbourne Giants (admittedly, Paul Rees paid us to say that). Well worth six minutes of your life to look back on when flat-tops were in, North Melbourne wore teal, and the NBL was quite simply, awesome. And to put a Thunder twist on it, take a look below at the year that was 1994 in the Thunder and Jultopia eyes. Wow, there are some blasts from the past in this list. Enjoy.

THUNDER SABASA TEAMS
1994a ACH INTIMIDATION
Venue: Athol Park
Result: 12-0 (182.30%), premiers, defeated Portside Pixies in the grand final
Team: James Smith (player/coach), Robert Horskins (c), Trevor Horskins (vc), Glen Jackson, Bradley Smith, Greg Smith, Paul Whitford

1994b ACH ADDICTION
Venue: Athol Park
Result: 14-1-0 (167.95%), premiers, defeated Norwood Giants in the grand final
Team: James Smith (player/coach), Robert Horskins (c), Greg Smith (vc), Glen Jackson, Derek Poulton, Bradley Smith, Paul Whitford, Billy Yeo

THUNDER SACBA "C" GRADE TEAM
Venue: Athol Park
Result: 15-6, runner-up, lost to Klemzig Uniting by 10pts in the grand final
Team: Barry Smith (player/coach), James Smith (c), Bradley Smith (vc), Warren Ainscough, Andrew Brook, Stephen Rudd, Craig Watson, Todd Wellington, Jarrad Wild

JULTOPIA CARNIVAL
1994 MELBOURNE
Venue: Knox (Boronia)
Result: 3-7, fifth
Team: Barry Smith (coach), Daniel McDaid (c), James Smith (vc), Corey Baudinette, Jeff Martin, Neville Pace, Greg Smith, Craig Watson, Jarrad Wild

Interesting times in Jultopiaville with our current online poll reportedly pretty much on par with the feelings of the 2010 Jultopia Geelong premiership winning A Grade Men team. The poll asks the question: "Can SA win it again at Jultopia Perth 2011?" The current results are:

26% - No, WA will be simply too good at home.
24% - No, Western Victoria will add G.Ablett Jr & Sr, Bartel, Chapman, Mooney, Ottens, Scarlett and Selwood and will prove too tough for everyone.
19% - Yes, but depends on recruiting. They'll need to improve the team for Perth.
12% - No, most of them will retire this year and we'll see a massive "changing of the guard".
10% - Yes, for sure.
7% - Maybe, but will take a huge effort.
2% - Too early to call.

An unnamed bothan source close to the players - Ed Howie, Nick Kyriazis, Cal McKinnon, Terry Sleep, Brad Smith, James Smith and Josip Vucetic - tells us the Jultopia-winning players are weighing up their options. "The Jultopia winning players are weighing up their options," they said on record. Reasons included commitments to teams in other competitions/sports, family commitments, predicted injuries, scheduled surgeries and work commitments. Interesting times ahead. One player has reportedly hung up the boots permanently, whilst at least two others are giving it serious thought. Meanwhile, the poll goes on. For what it's worth, we're with the 19% who say this all depends on recruiting. Will certainly be interesting to see what Western Australia put on the floor but that's something we can't control so there's no point talking 'bout that. Only 11 months to go. Stay tuned for more news on this developing story. One thing's for sure though - if we see a massive "changing of the guard" as predicted by 12% of our viewers, it's been one heckuva ride. Voting on the poll will continue until the end of August. Back soon, folks.

PS. Photos, stats and videos from the 2010 Jultopia Geelong carnival are only days away, folks. We're just uploading the final video and then hey, presto, it's a look back at all things Jultopia 2010. Stay tuned. Good times, good times.

With the DVD of the South Australia v Western Australia 2010 Jultopia Geelong Carnival almost complete (stay tuned for details of the DVD launch) and plans to upload the grand final video to the world-wide interweb, we set our statisticians a task and asked them for a complete statistical review of the big game per previous years. We know SA 44 d WA 41 but what really happened? Firstly, we've continued with Channel Seven's AFL worm from previous years to show how the game flowed from start to finish. Unlike Jultopia 2007, 2008 and 2009, no-one really got much of a lead this time, SA leading 13-6 early on whilst WA's biggest lead was at 19-16. Secondly, individual player and team statistics are below in boxscore format.



SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Player	Ast	Blk	DA	PF	Stl	TO	ORB	DRB	TRB	3GA	3GM	3G%	2GA	2GM	2G%	FTA	FTM	FT%	Pts
Ed Howie		1																	0
Nick Kyriazis				1		1													0
Cal McKinnon	6	1	1	4	1		1	3	4				2	0	0	4	1	25	1
Terry Sleep	2			4	1		1		1				8	1	13				2
Bradley Smith	2	1		3									3	0	0				0
James Smith		1				2	7	9	16	2	1	50	14	6	43	8	6	75	21
Josip Vucetic				3	1	2	1	2	3	7	4	57	4	1	25	7	6	86	20

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Player	Ast	Blk	DA	PF	Stl	TO	ORB	DRB	TRB	3GA	3GM	3G%	2GA	2GM	2G%	FTA	FTM	FT%	Pts
Craig Anderson	1			3			5	7	12				5	4	80				8
Craig Bergin				2									1	1	100				2
Nathan Freind	1			2			3	1	4	4	0	0	10	2	20	3	2	67	6
Derek Herron		1		2	2	1	2	1	3	1	0	0	2	1	50	2	1	50	3
Lucas Offereins	2	1		3		2	4	3	7	1	0	0	19	5	26	2	0	0	10
Kirk Wait	2	1		3		1		1	1	6	0	0	6	5	83	1	0	0	10
Perry Wait	7			3	2	1	3	3	6							2	2	100	2

SOUTH AUSTRALIA TEAM STATISTICS

Player	Ast	Blk	DA	PF	Stl	TO	ORB	DRB	TRB	3GA	3GM	3G%	2GA	2GM	2G%	FTA	FTM	FT%	Pts
First Half	5	2	1	10	0	3	4	6	10	6	5	83	13	4	31	6	5	83	28
Second Half	5	2	0	5	3	2	6	8	14	3	0	0	18	4	22	13	8	62	16
Full Game	10	4	1	15	3	5	10	14	24	9	5	56	31	8	26	19	13	68	44

WESTERN AUSTRALIA TEAM STATISTICS

Player	Ast	Blk	DA	PF	Stl	TO	ORB	DRB	TRB	3GA	3GM	3G%	2GA	2GM	2G%	FTA	FTM	FT%	Pts
First Half	8	3	0	7	3	1	7	6	13	6	0	0	24	13	54	6	2	33	28
Second Half	5	0	0	11	1	4	10	10	20	6	0	0	19	5	26	4	3	75	13
Full Game	13	3	0	18	4	5	17	16	33	12	0	0	43	18	42	10	5	50	41

So there you have it, a complete statistical review of the 2009 Jultopia Gosford Carnival Grand Final. Where was the game won? It's hard to say too much when a team only wins by three points, but our statistical analysis suggests the South Aussies did well to win this one. How many teams win when only shooting 26% from 2-point land (compared to WA's 42%), are outrebounded 33-24, the opposition has more assists (13-10), and two of your players score 93% (41/44) of your points? Good question. WA's long-range shooting wasn't good (0/12) and SA had a lot more foul shots (13/19 v 5/10) but for us, the most interesting thing is that the crowd didn't riot and demand a refund after the game. A 16-13 second half score with SA shooting field goals at only 19% (4/21) and WA only 20% (5/25) would've seen the crowd with a fair excuse for asking for their money back but the worm shows it was at least nail-biting, WA's biggest lead just 2 points whilst SA's biggest second-half time lead was the final score 3 points. Regardless, we again take this opportunity to congratulate the South Australians who have now won a world-record eight consecutive titles and from everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, here's hoping they bring the Inglis Memorial Shield home again next year, with details of the 2011 Jultopia Exact Location Unknown But Likely To Be Somewhere in Western Australia Carnival to be announced shortly. We'll take a statistical look back at the last few carnivals in a few days/weeks but for now, let's just enjoy the result. Good times, good times.


PS. Coming soon - the pics and videos.

Just a short write-up today. We're a bit light on for time at the minute, what with the upcoming federal election and all. On that note, we hear Somerton could be short of players on 21 August, such is the passion, zest and fervour with which they support politics. Either that or they'll all be out supporting a former SABASA player turned politician at the polling booths in the seat he's campaigning for? Certainly makes for a good story. For now though, it's Somerton v St Peters A and today's enthralling contest which could help decide who gets the double-chance for the upcoming A Grade finals and who decides to chuck the season in and go all-out to defend their B Grade premiership from last year. Ladies and gents, we present to you Somerton v St Peters A.

LAST FIVE GAMES HEAD-TO-HEAD
5/6/2010: Somerton 52 (Halman 19, J.Smith 11, Penn 10) d St Peters 36
1/8/2009: St Peters 39 d Somerton 34 (Halman 12, J.Smith 8, Galway 6)
30/5/2009: St Peters 56 d Somerton 36 (B.Smith 14, McKinnon 12, Rudd 5)
30/8/2008: Somerton 48 (Rudd 12, J.Smith 12, Hill 8) d St Peters 42
26/7/2008: Somerton 53 (J.Smith 21, Hill 13, Gondolf 9) d St Peters 47

ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD
Played 19: Somerton 14, Draw 1, St Peters 4

CURRENT 2010 SACBA A GRADE PREMIERSHIP LADDER
A1: PAOC A 10-2, 32 pts
A2: Somerton 9-1-2, 31pts
A3: St Peters A 8-4, 28pts
A4: Knightsbridge 7-1-4, 27pts

ALL-TIME SOMERTON SACBA STATS LEADERS (active players only)
Games: J.Smith 293, Kyriazis 191, Gondolf 173, Halman 52, Penn 43
Triples: Gondolf 151, Kyriazis 80, Penn 62, Halman 50, Galway 49
Free throws: J.Smith 597, Kyriazis 116, Halman 86, Gondolf 79, Penn 18
Free throw %: Galway 71%, Halman 69%, J.Smith 69%, Gondolf 59%, Kyriazis 54%
Fouls: J.Smith 643, Kyriazis 490, Gondolf 199, Halman 112, Galway 51
Points: J.Smith 4394, Kyriazis 909, Gondolf 906, Halman 491, Penn 320

MILESTONES
Ben Galway needs 1 point to reach 200 career points
Josh Gondolf needs 1 foul to reach 200 career fouls
Ed Howie needs 2 fouls to reach 10 career fouls (in all fairness, he hasn't played many games so baby milestones count too)
James Smith needs 3 free throws to reach 600 career free throws
James Smith needs 6 points to reach 4400 career points
Tom Halman needs 9 points to reach 500 career points
Nick Kyriazis needs 10 fouls to reach 500 career fouls (and if history is anything to go by then yes, he could achieve this in one game)
Somerton need 34 fouls to reach 4000 all-time fouls
Somerton's opponents need 130 fouls to reach 4000 all-time fouls (let the race to 4000 begin!)

OUR PREDICTION
With their regular team back on deck after moving house, a bout of gastro, work commitments and other assortments, the Thunder face a crossroads today. Time is ticking away on their quest to defend their 2009 premiership in the grade underneath the top grade and if they don't start losing games - and losing in a hurry - quite simply, it will be all too late and they'll be left in A Grade. Sorry to go all Shakespeare on you with this but every now and then, we become an arts website because ..... well, we just love the arts. Enjoy the soliliquy.

To tank, or not to tank: that is the question.
Whether 'tis nobler in A/B Grade to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous A Grade,
Or to take arms against a sea of B Grade teams,
And by opposing end them? To die: to lose;
No more; and by a loss to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That losing A Grade is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to lose;
To lose: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that win in the grade underneath the top grade
When we have shuffled off this A Grade coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of 40-minutes of life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The opponent's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of cubbyhouse faithful love, the umpire's delay,
The ghosts of 2001-2004 and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life and a pair of Skins,
But that the dread of something after retirement,
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn
No retired player returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than play at other stadiums that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their plans turn awry,
And lose in the name of tanking - Soft you now!
The fair grade underneath the top grade! SACBA, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember'd.

Our tip? Somerton to win and show that in the end, what it all comes down to is this - you can always defend the B Grade title next year. This year? It's (almost) A Grade finals time. Somerton by 8 points.

Sullen faces from the cubbyhouse faithful yesterday as Somerton fell to St Peters A 42-41 in a game that ebbed and flowed from the black and gold to the blue and white to the black and gold and back to the blue and white again. Somerton looked good early but a middle-game run from St Peters took the game by the scruff of the neck, only to see Somerton come home late and threaten to steal victory from the jaws of defeat. But alas, it wasn't to be and amidst looks of disapproval from the cubbyhouse faithful, we couldn't tell if the players were happy at their B Grade quest still being alive, or right royal annoyed at dropping a game they could've won. The loss jeopardises their double-chance finals position, and wasn't helped by the fact they only had five players on deck for the second consecutive week. Then again, maybe that's all part of the B Grade title defence master plan? I guess we won't know for a few more weeks, but it certainly makes next week's game against Knightsbridge just that bit more crucial. As for the cubbyhouse faithful, they didn't mix their words after the game: "We are not amused." We concur. The loss moves the Thunder to 9-1-3 on the season, clinging to second place by their fingernails. Interesting times ahead.

CURRENT 2010 SACBA A GRADE PREMIERSHIP LADDER
A1: PAOC A 11-2, 35 pts
A2: Somerton 9-1-3, 32pts
A3: St Peters A 9-4, 31pts
A4: Knightsbridge 8-1-4, 30pts

Time for last season's grand final combatants to go at it for the first time this season so with no further adieu, we present to you the game we've all been waiting for, albeit Somerton don't technically exist any more so they'll be playing this one under the guise of the Gateway Thunder. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Gateway v Seaton.

HEAD-TO-HEAD
21/6/2010: Somerton 75 d Seaton 34
31/5/2010: Somerton 56 d Seaton 18
17/5/2010: Seaton 41 d Somerton 39
1/2/2010: Somerton 36 d Seaton 26

Should be a good one tonight at the obscenely late time of 10pm. The Thunder are said to be furious at approaches from the Rocky Mountain League to reigning Thunder B&F guard Cal McKinnon, who rumour has it is likely to accept a lucrative deal in a matter of weeks. We're hoping not because that could put the brakes on the Thunder's title defence but at least for now, he's still here which is a good thing, the Thunder's backcourt decimated without guard Bando who is off walkabout again, whilst fellow guard Nick Kyriazis is set to miss another game with a strained heart muscle. Seaton meanwhile have tweaked last season's lineup and look set for a big season. Gateway should get this one but it won't be a 41 or 38 point blowout like the finals last season. Think narrower - much narrower. Thunder by 4 points.

Is it any wonder LeBron James was so wildly pursued as a free agent during the recent offseason? Check out this video of him, dominating a preseason game. Unblvbl.

On a serious note though, someone needs to get this guy a Manager, PR or marketing person to aid him on some of this stuff. His rep has taken a huge hit lately and whether this was meant in good fun or not, it doesn't look good. So LeBron, here's a challenge: come to Australia and play against the young tyros at the Thunder Academy. Guaranteed they won't let you dunk on them like that. We await your call.

PS. Yes, we're still miffed that he didn't sign with the Bulls. Mark our words - we're not too fussed about the other teams but the way he scorned the Bulls? Unacceptable. Cleveland yes but Chicago? No. Not ever.

With several Jultopia veterans considering their options as reported last week, our bothan spies tell us the Thunder are talking to numerous SABASA players as they prepare for the upcoming 2011 Jultopia Somewhere In Western Australia Carnival, including several current, past and future Thunder players. Speaking of current Thunder players, we hear good things about the guy pictured above. Don't know his name but as long as he's willing to trade #35 for a more sensible number between 4 and 15, we're sure they can squeeze him into SA's team. But we digress and Monday night saw the big grand final replay between the Thunder and Seaton Shamwows. As night became day and evening became morning, the Shamwows led a lacklustre Thunder into halftime by 2 points, displaying the zest and fervour that saw them play their inaugural grand final last season. A stern word or two at halftime didn't go astray though and the Thunder kicked into second gear shortly out of the half, pushing it out to 10 points or so and pretty much holding onto that lead from there. Plenty of big plays but the real story of the night remained the ongoing speculation about the early retirement of guard Cal McKinnon. More on that news later but rumours abound that he's just about done and dusted. Wow. The Thunder won 44-36 to move to 3-0 on the season as we await the remainder of the program. Until then ..... Cal, if you're out there, drop us a line. Would love to know what's going on and none of the players will say anything!

Finally, after much anticipation, we can present to you the first of the 2010 Jultopia Geelong Carnival Grand Final Video series. There's 6 videos in total so with no further adieu, we give you Video #1, showing the first six minutes. Enjoy! More videos will be posted soon.

Back in November 2009, the Thunder - with your support - did the Movember thing in support of prostate cancer research and beyondblue. The players travelled to Port Pirie for an exhibition game and through this and other fundraising efforts, helped to raise a total of $18,268,000. The players were overwhelmed by the generosity of so many people and have already begun discussions for Movember 2010 but more on that later. For now, we wanted to again thank everyone for their support and to highlight the "thank you" certificate we received yesterday from the Movember Foundation. It's as much a thank you to you as it is the players so from everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, thank you and we look forward to your further support in just three months' time. Click on the certificate for the full-size version.

Big game today with traditional foes Somerton and the team formerly known as Beaumont but now known as Knightsbridge going at it for the 29th time in the SACBA A Grade competition. Last time they met, it was a shambles. The Thunder arrived at 2.40pm for a game that had been moved to 5.10pm but that mess was overcome by the performance of a 21-game player, Ben Galway, who stole the show with five first-half triples, sending Knightsbridge to their first loss of the season. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then and the Thunder now find themselves in 2nd place, with Knightsbridge only a game or so behind in 4th position. Both teams look set for a deep SACBA finals campaign so with all that said, ladies and gents, we present to you Somerton v Knightsbridge.

LAST FIVE GAMES HEAD-TO-HEAD
19/6/2010: Somerton 66 (Galway 21, Halman 10, J.Smith 10) d Knightsbridge 43
22/8/2009: Somerton 52 (Halman 13, McKinnon 12, Penn 12) d Beaumont 33
27/6/2009: Beaumont 46 d Somerton 42 (Halman 9, McKinnon 8, Penn 8)
9/5/2009: Beaumont 48 d Somerton 35 (Gondolf 8, Penn 8, Galway 7)
6/9/2008: Beaumont 60 d Somerton 52 (Hill 16, J.Smith 14, B.Smith 8)

ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD
Played 28: Somerton 17, Knightsbridge/Beaumont 11

ALL-TIME SOMERTON SACBA STATS LEADERS (active players only)
Games: J.Smith 294, Gondolf 174, Halman 53, Penn 46, Howie 9
Triples: Gondolf 153, Penn 62, Halman 52, J.Smith 19, Howie 2
Free throws: J.Smith 598, Halman 92, Gondolf 79, Penn 18, Howie 7
Free throw %: Halman 70%, J.Smith 69%, Gondolf 59%, Penn 50%, Howie 39%
Fouls: J.Smith 646, Gondolf 199, Halman 112, Penn 53, Howie 12
Points: J.Smith 4409, Gondolf 912, Halman 507, Penn 320, Howie 30

MILESTONES
Josh Gondolf needs 1 foul to reach 200 career fouls
James Smith needs 2 free throws to reach 600 career free throws
Tom Halman needs 8 free throws to reach 100 career free throws
Somerton need 28 fouls to reach 4000 all-time fouls
Somerton's opponents need 118 fouls to reach 4000 all-time fouls

OUR PREDICTION
Interesting times down at Thunderland at the minute. Rumours abound that a Best & Fairest player is set to walk out on the club over a contractual dispute, so we'll know fairly early on whether the players have put this behind them or if it continues to plague their thoughts. More on that story later and if history is any judge, even this distraction won't be enough to prevent what will be a crackerjackmajetski of a contest. It's not fair to say these two teams don't like each other - it's more a case of they respect each other to the point they just like beating each other. Expect a passionate contest but for us, it comes down to who's playing (that's something we've learnt over many years). The absence of Galway and Kyriazis will hurt the Thunder but Sleep is back in uniform, giving them an entirely different look. Knightsbridge meanwhile remain a complete mystery. If the Thunder can match Knightsbridge early, we'll have a game on our hands. Our tip? Watch the first 10 minutes closely, then call LOBOSEF on 1300-LOBOSEF and bet on whichever team is in front at that stage. Our tip for the contest? Knightsbridge by 2.

PS. Yes, the picture is a tank, albeit a Ferrari tank. The tanking talk just doesn't go away and for us, at least it keeps the season interesting all the way to the end. While we're talking Ferrari tanks ..... can anyone please explain this sentence to us? "I think it could some chobham or explosive reactive armour or even a gun for that matter."

Before we proceed, get comfortable because it's time. Come with us now on a journey through time and space to the world of bizarro B Grade basketball. Why bizarro B Grade basketball? Why the obscure reference to Vettai Aarambam? The answer my friends, is blowing in the wind. The answer is blowing in the wind.

Firstly, let us say yesterday's game against Knightsbridge was one of the better games we've seen all season. Not for skills, shooting, defending, rebounding, technique, execution. Most of that stuff was somewhere between terrific and terrible but always inconsistent. What we got all game though, was passion. Passion amidst several players who didn't look 100% and probably shouldn't have been out there but regardless, there was passion. And when you're talking passion, what better segue than to Google "B Grade" and the first image that comes up? Ol' Vettai Aarambam, the Tamil Teddy K in peak Movember form. Wow! We guess that explains where Teddy's been hiding the last few years since prematurely retiring but we digress and back to the game and it was on from the get go. Somerton got the early jump but the game never really stretched beyond 4 points either way, with Halman and Sleep keeping Somerton in the game. The game continued to see-saw but with just minutes remaining, it was Knightsbridge with a bevy of triples to burst the game out to a 10-point lead. A shell-shocked Somerton never recovered, the final margin 45-37. The win sees the Thunder fall further closer to their dream of repeating as B Grade premiers, whilst Knightsbridge consolidate their push to go one better than last year's A Grade Runner-up.

PS. Why bizarro B Grade basketball? Because this year is fast turning into an opposite bizarro version of last year. Last year was start slow, finish strong. This year? Well, the tale isn't finished yet but we can read between the lines. We blame Teddy. Damn you Tamil Teddy K!

It's confirmed: Cal McKinnon is turning his back on the Thunder. Will be an interesting farewell game tonight between the Gateway Thunder and ACH Flamingos but for us, we don't want to talk about the game. We want to talk about the Thunder's two-time Best & Fairest guard turning his back on the Thunder. You see, Cal McKinnon is done and dusted after tonight's game, heading overseas for the chance to chase fortune via the Rocky Mountain League. Thunder officials are said to be torn on this one. Furious on one hand that their star guard is walking away mid-season and mid-contract, but sad on the other hand that this could be the end of an era that saw six titles in Cal's six seasons in the Thunder uniform. You see, he's that good and the Thunder will miss his shooting, ball-handling and leadership big time. What comes of this is anyone' guess. Will Cal return? Will he strike gold in the Rocky Mountains? Will he meet a Denver sweetheart, get married, have kids and live forever in Idaho? Will he enrol in high school, go to college and pursue his dream of an NBA gig? Will we ever see him in a Thunder or Jultopia uniform again? Will he return with a sensible haircut? So many unanswered questions. For now, it's about facts. McKinnon is outta here and the Thunder won't be the same. A tip for tonight's game? Thunder by 15 as they goodbye to Cal. Here's just hoping it's not forever and from everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, we wish Cal all the best. It's been one heckuva ride.

PS. Continuing on with yesterday's "Google image" theme, we Googled Cal McKinnon. Interesting that the first 29 images shown included photos of Kevin Durant, Josh Gondolf, Andrew Brook, Warren Tredrea, Joffa, the lamb that got born in the spring, Nathan Jawai, Daniel Bass, Shaun Burgoyne, Jason Akermanis and several Thunder team shots - but only two photos that included Cal. Go figure. Cal might be turning his back on the Thunder but in Google's eyes, it looks like the world has turned its collective back on Cal in revenge. Interesting times, interesting times.

Big night last night as the Thunder farewelled Best & Fairest point guard Cal McKinnon with a 70-22 win over the ACH Flamingos. Despite the return of the Duck and a number of other talented new players, the Flamingos struggled to match the zest and fervour of the departing McKinnon who was in rare form on this night. Ridiculous shot after ridiculous shot as Crazy Carl chalked up some big numbers - our statisticians had him with 38 points, 16 rebounds, 21 assists, 7 steals, 11 blocks and just the 1 turnover - and farewelled the Thunder faithful in style. McKinnon leaves for Europe this coming Thursday in a last ditch desperate attempt to find Irish tracksuit girl who continues to ignore his pleas to make contact via Facebook and Co. Regardless, even that didn't put a dampener on last night's festivities, McKinnon leaving to a raucous goodbye from at least one misty-eyed blonde who clearly, holds Cal close to her heart as her favourite. From all the Thunder players, well done Cal and all the best for your trip. Stay safe, write often, and take lots of photos in the Thunder singlet for your soon-to-be-announced tour diary. Good times, good times.

Continuing on from last week's Video #1 of 6 - and in sequential order - we present to you the second of the 2010 Jultopia Geelong Carnival Grand Final Video series. There's 6 videos in total so with no further adieu, we give you Video #2, showing the middle third of the first half. Enjoy! More videos will be posted soon.

Back by popular demand after last year's release of the award-winning "The lamb that got born in the spring", Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hope Smith has released a new story - "After the big bad wolf hurt his tail". Guaranteed to stir the emotions, the story picks up after the big bad wolf has his tail burnt by the three little pigs.

The wolf ran home and went to his mother and said, "I burnt my tail 'cause of three rotten little pigs."

Mum said, "Go sit down, darling."

"Ouchy, ouch, ouch."

"Err, what now, darling?"

"I burnt my tail."

"And why would that happen when the three rotten little pigs aren't here?" the mother asked.

"'Cause of the fire right now."

"Where? The dumb fire right near the couch? OK, let's take you little rotten wolf to the hospital."

"No, no, no, no, no. I am not a rotten wolf and I am not going to the hospital."

"Fine. Be a good wolf."

The end.
Stirring stuff and it answers the questions we've always wanted answered - what really did happen to the wolf after the three little pigs were finished with him? We'll be back another day with yet another thrilling story from our resident author, Hope Smith. Super stuff, super stuff.

We hardly knew Amanda Butcher but as a member of the Jultopia carnival family, we have spent time talking with her and watching her play her favourite game of basketball in the colours of New South Wales over many years. Sadly, she passed away last week. From everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, we send our thoughts and prayers to her family and friends and pray that the peace and understanding that only God can bring, will be with them at this terrible time. The following news report is from news.com.au:

THREE hours behind the wheel was all the driving experience L-plater Amanda Butcher had when she died alone in her mother's car after crashing into a tree. The 17-year-old should not have been driving by herself - part of the restrictions of a learner's licence. She had taken her mother's Mitsubishi Verada without permission just minutes before she lost control of the vehicle in the rain on a bend near Campbelltown, New South Wales, on Tuesday. She died at the scene. Chief Inspector Meg Grady said police believed the teenager, who was desperate to get the required 120 hours to sit for her P-plates, may have taken the car to increase her hours. L-platers must have a licensed driver supervising them by law - any driving she did by herself was illegal and would not have counted.

"It's very tragic," Inspector Grady said. "She had a very low number of supervised hours. It's possible she was trying to get her driving hours up. You don't know what goes through their minds. Of course the family is at a loss to explain why she did this."

Amanda, a Year 12 student at nearby Mt Carmel High School, was supposed to be doing a trial exam for her favourite subject - personal health development and physical education - yesterday. Friends said they did not know why Amanda was driving alone or where she was going. A mass celebrating Amanda's life will be held at the school this morning. Friends gathered at the crash scene yesterday laying individual roses each tied with a purple ribbon for Amanda.

"She was a character, she had so much personality," friend Keely Usher said. "She was always laughing, always smiling. You never saw her sad."
Rest in peace, Amanda Butcher. In the loving arms of Jesus, we look forward to seeing you again.

Short write-up today. We're in Canberra covering the election and wow, isn't it exciting? We have no idea who'll win today - either with the election or basketball. Somerton are missing several players with at least one headed overseas to find either Cal or Bando (we're not really sure). Somerton by 6 points because we're biased and parochial. Can't wait for the election result. Enjoy voting!

PS. Thanks to GetUp!, a political movement encouraging Australians to have their say, for the above video. Funny stuff.

With Ben Galway expected to miss the game due to being attacked by a bear during the week, his clothing torn to shreds and his body slightly maimed, the Thunder faced an uphill battle against Prince Alfred B as we move into the final two weeks of competition. Add Coach James Smith (overseas in discussions with Cal McKinnon) and Nick Kyriazis (recording a duet of "Black and White" with the Late Michael Jackson) to the list of unavailables, and it was a new-look Thunder lineup. Our bothan spies sent us this report from the game as we also weren't there due to the federal election (fun and times in Canberra but what happens in Canberra, stays in Canberra).

"The Thunder played loose, with lots of pressure in the passing lanes leading to transition baskets, though both sides lacked a bit of polish in the half court game. Galway looked injured amidst a bevy of bandages, but big Tezza Sleep covered for him beautifully after arriving fashionably late, subbing into the game and scoring immediately. From there it was all over red rover, despite protests from the maroon and white to the folk in the black and white (must be the white they have in common but we digress). Final score 46-26 with the Thunder led by Sleep 13, Halman 10 and Penn 10."

Big game next week between Somerton and Clovercrest but for now, we reflect on the concept of a hung parliament, wondering what the heck this means for the country, for leaguelineup and the Thunder. As for Ben Galway, from everyone at leaguelineup and the Thunder, we wish him well for his recovery and look forward to him being back at 100% in time for the SACBA finals.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE TONIGHT'S GAME PREVIEW: There's a new SABASA program (version 4) from this week. Please ensure you're reading from the new version (available at our ladders, programs, statistics page).

As the federal Liberal and Labor parties navigate their way through the minefield of forming a minority government, the Thunder commence navigating their way through a series of "B Grade" nominated teams, starting tonight with the Ingle Farm Rev Zig Zags. After last week's Cal McKinnon farewell v ACH Flamingos, the Thunder return to no-emotion land tonight and will need to be on their game v Ingle Farm. Not on their game as far as talent - they're clearly better than the Rev Zig Zags - but switched on in relation to attitude and intent, the two most critical weapons in a basketballer's arsenal. If they have the right attitude and intent, this could turn into a 130-7 result which looks more like a cricket score than a basketball one. But it won't be. We're predicting 72-27, partly because we like palindromes but partly because we really do think this will be the score. Will be interesting to see how the Thunder adjust to life without Cal McKinnon but with point forward Brad Smith and veteran point guards Brad Anderson and Nick Kyriazis all putting up their hands for the task, we think they'll be fine. Get there early tonight - could be a big crowd for this one.

PS. Really Cal? Average Joes? Looks like the holiday is off to a strong start. We'll get your overseas tour diary up and running shortly.

Continuing on from last week's Video #2 of 6 - and in sequential order - we present to you the third of the 2010 Jultopia Geelong Carnival Grand Final Video series. There's 6 videos in total so with no further adieu, we give you Video #3, showing the final third of the first half. Enjoy! More videos will be posted soon.

Not quite Jultopia but nonetheless, we enjoyed (?) this video from a recent World Championship warmup bout between Greece and Serbia. The two teams are both considered a strong chance for the gold medal in Turkey but after seeing this, we're thinking there'll be a few turkeys missing in Turkey, putting their chances in serious jeopardy. Enjoy (?) the video but don't turn away until it's finished, when Oklahoma City Thunder (and Serbian) centre Nenad Krstic goes all Hulk Hogan on Greece. FIBA haven't issued any penalties yet but they're coming folks, and they're going to be harsh. Rumours abound that the offending players could miss the entire World Championship tournament. Ouch. Mate versus mate, Balkan state versus Balkan state, date versus date. We're just loving the passion here, albeit slightly misguided but with the best of intentions. Fly the flag, boys! Good times, good times.

PS. Thunder guard Nick Kyriazis tells us he had nothing to do with it but seeing he hasn't played on Monday or Saturday the past few weeks, we don't know who to believe any more. Interesting times, interesting times.

Fascinating clash Monday night as the Thunder took home the bacon and onion chips amidst significant controversy. With the federal election declared an all-but dead heat, long-time Ingle Farm supporter Major Hewhoshallremainnameless sought to put the cat amongst the pigeons by sharing Ingle Farm's gameplans with the Thunder pre-game (see above). Sadly for the Thunder, they couldn't make heads or tails of his drawings and frankly, he may have put paid to distracting them and keeping their minds off the game as they struggled to get into a groove. The Thunder ultimately ran out the game 95-35 to retain first place on the ladder, amidst rumours that another huge announcement is just around the corner. As for the absence of Cal McKinnon? Well, in their first game without their dual best & fairest guard, the Thunder looked settled, guards Anderson and Kyriazis looking resplendid in the green, black and white uniforms and rather comfortable in the point guard position, whilst two-guard Gondolf assisted ably with a measly nine triples. Could be interesting if McKinnon decides to return to Australia any time soon. Tense times, tense times.

Everyone at some stage, makes their official debut. Tiger Woods began playing golf aged 2 years, whilst Martina Hingis began playing tennis at the same age. You can now add Thunder Academy stalwart Josh Smith to the "2 year old" list. Snowy, pictured above before the game, played his first official game this past Monday night for the Marion White Knights against the Seaton Sock Puppets. Smith, a 3-5 shooting guard, played the first 18 minutes of the game before a crunching off-the-ball pick sent him sprawling to the ground with multiple injuries. Club doctor Reed Alldabooks noted his injuries were "life threatening but not serious, having ruptured his spleen, both of his lungs were punctured, he broke all of his ribs, and he also suffered some minor bruising to his body." Smith, who played in 2008b with the Ingle Farm Jammers at the tender age of 1, wasn't officially in uniform at the time so under a minor technicality, this week's game counts as his official debut. He finished with the impressive statistics of three passes, one rebound, one headbutt and one defensive assist - stats not to be laughed at by any stretch of the imagination. Sadly, he probably won't play now for several months as he recuperates from his injuries but from everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, we wish Megahead all the best and hope to see him on court again soon.

Interesting that we haven't seen the movie "Church Ball" before. With such luminaries as Gary Coleman, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mark Eaton and Hot Rod Hundley, you would've thought this would rock its socks off but alas, it didn't, rarely registering on the world of terrible sports jock movies but be rest assured, this won't stop us asking the world for a copy. If anyone has a copy, we want one! Meanwhile in SA Church Ball land, the Thunder face off today against Clovercrest Baptist, the Somerton Baptist players playing their last ever minor round game in the black and gold of Holdfast Baptist Church in what is bound to be an emotional day. Ladies and gents, with no further adieu, we present to you Somerton v Clovercrest.

LAST FIVE GAMES HEAD-TO-HEAD
3/7/2010: Somerton 69 (Penn 18, T.Groves 14, B.Groves 9) d Clovercrest 26
5/9/2009: Somerton 64 (J.Smith 30, Penn 12, Halman 7) d Clovercrest 51
29/8/2009: Somerton 78 (Galway 26, J.Smith 26, Kyriazis 12) d Clovercrest 60
4/7/2009: Somerton 55 (Halman 15, Gondolf 14, Hill 9) d Clovercrest 48
7/8/2004: Somerton 67 (Wickstein 21, B.Smith 13, Gondolf 12) d Clovercrest 49

ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD
Played 12: Somerton 11, Clovercrest 1

CURRENT SACBA PREMIERSHIP LADDER
A1: Prince Alfred A 13-2, 41pts @ 59%
A2: St Peters A 11-4, 37pts @ 56%
A3: Somerton 10-1-4, 36pts @ 58%
A4: Knightsbridge 9-6, 33pts @ 51%

B1: Clovercrest 7-8, 29pts @ 45%
B2: Modbury 6-9, 27pts @ 50%
B3: Prince Alfred B 3-1-11, 22pts @ 45%
B4: St Peters B 3-12, 21pts @ 42%

ALL-TIME SOMERTON SACBA STATS LEADERS (active players only)
Games: J.Smith 295, Kyriazis 191, Gondolf 176, Halman 55, Penn 48
Triples: Gondolf 154, Kyriazis 80, Penn 64, Halman 55, Galway 49
Free throws: J.Smith 598, Kyriazis 116, Halman 98, Gondolf 83, Penn 20
Free throw %: Galway 71%, Halman 70%, J.Smith 69%, Gondolf 59%, Kyriazis 54%
Fouls: J.Smith 649, Kyriazis 490, Gondolf 202, Halman 116, Galway 55
Points: J.Smith 4421, Gondolf 925, Kyriazis 909, Halman 526, Penn 338

MILESTONES
Ben Galway needs 1 triple to reach 50 career triples
Tom Halman needs 2 free throws to reach 100 career free throws
James Smith needs 2 free throws to reach 600 career free throws
Somerton need 1 foul to reach 4000 all-time fouls
Somerton's opponents need 97 fouls to reach 4000 all-time fouls

OUR PREDICTION
Clovercrest. Aaah, the good old days. Veterans with long memories will remember the halcyon days of the 2000 Eastern Division 1 finals series where the Thunder couldn't match the firepower of Spicer Uniting and Clovercrest Baptist, finishing third after reigning supreme during the minor round - but it wasn't all bad. The next four years saw the Thunder claim the A Grade title back to back to back to back so it's true - every cloud does have a black, teal, white and silver lining. So with all that behind us in the rear vision mirror, we turn to today's dead rubber which will have no influence on finals seedings unless ..... unless ..... unless we can somehow convince St Peters A to forfeit. Mmmmm. Watch this space. But we digress and today should finally see the Thunder at full strength as they prepare for an A Grade finals assault. Centre James Smith returns from a mad dash overseas to give Cal McKinnon a Thunder singlet so he can be photographed in it all over the globe (aaaah, the truth really is stranger than fiction), whilst guard Nick Kyriazis has overcome an ingrown hair and is also ready to resume. Clovercrest meanwhile are in the box seat to win the grade underneath the top grade and it's this news that will fire up the Thunder today. "They have what we want," are words not usually associated with an A Grade team talking about a B Grade team but these are strange times, strange times. With a hung parliament and all, no-one really knows what's going on any more and if wanting to play in B Grade works for the black and gold, then good for them. Look for the Thunder to take illicit (details removed on the advice of Ben Cousins' lawyers) before the game, get involved in a massive brawl early on, be reported, suspended and fined for bringing the game into disrepute, and have 10 premiership points stripped off them. Wahoo, back to B Grade we go! But alas, it's more likely that the Thunder will win a fast-paced shootout 72-60. Back tomorrow with the results. Strange times, strange times.

Tough day at the office for Clovercrest yesterday, as a Somerton team minus big men Ed Howie and Terry Sleep set themselves for a finals campaign with a ridiculously efficient first half, the score of 30-4 reflective of one team being switched on and the other team seemingly totally disinterested. It's not that Clovercrest don't have talent - they have plenty - but they looked like they'd rather be somewhere else. Cue halftime and the boys in blue decided it was time to prepare for their own finals assault in the grade underneath the top grade, and soon we had a ball game, though the final score of 56-29 would reflect otherwise. Tom Halman was his usual self for the Thunder, whilst the team welcomed back big man James Smith from his overseas jaunt. The win gave the Thunder a 11-1-4 record and a strangehold on third place with no games remaining. Next week sees the Thunder up against Knightsbridge at 6.00pm. Other finals games are shown at the top of our homepage. For those following the grade closely, the final premiership ladder was as follows:

2010 SACBA A/B GRADE MEN PREMIERSHIP LADDER
A1: Prince Alfred A 14-2, 44pts @ 59%
A2: St Peters A 12-4, 40pts @ 56%
A3: Somerton 11-1-4, 39pts @ 58%
A4: Knightsbridge 9-7, 34pts @ 50%

B1: Clovercrest 7-9, 30pts @ 45%
B2: Modbury 6-10, 28pts @ 49%
B3: Prince Alfred B 4-1-11, 25pts @ 45%
B4: St Peters B 3-13, 22pts @ 42%

PS. A reminder and heads up to all Somerton players. The season's fees are due at $45 per player. Refer to the text message from Coach Smith for details. Please pay up by this Saturday. Thanks from everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder.

PPS. Thunder Academy star Josh Smith celebrated his third birthday today amidst much hype and fanfare, with ESPN declaring him as "a player who could eventually be something". Wow. If there's been a bigger quote at any time in history, we haven't heard it. Enough about Josh though. He had a story two days ago and we want to keep his ego - and hair - in check so with no further adieu, from everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, we wish Snowy a Happy Birthday and ask him to hurry up and grow so he can start playing with the Thunder.

Forget the Thunder's clash against the Marion Megaladons tonight. Despite the presence of Ben Todd's little brother Adam, ex-Thunder guard Andrew Brook and ex-Portside forward Ryan Sherlock, the 7.45pm Court One game pales into significance when compared to the sibling showdown at 6.15pm on the Cal McKinnon Court. Yes, it's showdown night as brother faces off against brother for the first time. Sure, sister Hope Smith's playing and there's a faint chance brother Josh Smith will recover from his horrific injuries to play after a plethora of Lars ligaments were implanted into his spleen, lungs, ribs and various other places in his body ..... but this one's about Daniel and Jonty Smith. Daniel v Jonty. Older v Younger. D-Train v J-Dog. The battle of the twins will be on in earnest and this one is harder to pick than a broken nose. We're tipping Marion in a close one, based on the fact they have a 6-1 centre (it's OK - Marion Coach James Smith tells us his birth certificate says he's only 13 and if we can't trust Coach, who can we trust?) and the fact that Ingle Farm's tallest player is roughly two feet shorter than the big Shaqtus. White Knights by 6 points.

PS. We've been flooded with emails asking for a Thunder tip so in an attempt to silence the bevy of complaints we've received ..... Thunder by 8 points.

Marion White Knights narrowly defeated the Ingle Farm Jammers 39-32, whilst the Gateway Thunder d Marion Megaladons 69-30. Oh, and Josh Smith's never-ending third birthday party keeps rolling on. Unblvbl. When will this guy stop? Good times, good times. We turn to our bothan spies for their official game report.

There were lots of people there. Coach was in his work clothes. One team won, another lost. We played basketball. Jonty stole it off Hope. Daniel stealed it off Jonty. Hope got two steals. Jonty tackled two players over their shoulders. Coach threatened to get Jonty for his thoroughly brutal and totally illegal defensive tactics and remonstrated with the referee. We had lots of fun playing on the Cal McKinnon Court where the lights are really bright and you can see what you're doing. Hope and Tayla got a basket in. We had a good time and we loved every minute of it.

In the later game, the Thunder rued not wearing their hi-viz uniforms, struggling to see the basket and opposition team in what can only be described as "a very low lux setting". But with new assistant coach Bando Sr on the bench, looking resplendid in his hi-viz warmup top, Bando was a revelation and turned on a game that had everyone asking "Cal who?" Well, not everyone. Most people didn't even know there was a game being played but rather, just heard a whole lot of huffing, breathing and footsteps running around in a dark void in the corner of the stadium. Rumours abound that Nick Kyriazis wore his black singlet but this remains unconfirmed, whilst Coach James Smith tells us Tom Halman, Josip Vucetic, Ed Howie, Ben Galway and Adam Hegarty all made brief appearances in the Thunder strip at some point throughout the game. Hey, who are we to argue with Coach? If you can't trust Coach, who can you trust? The Thunder won a high-paced game 69-30, moving them into first position ahead of next week's 36ers-Thunder training clinic from 6pm on the Cal McKinnon Court. All current, past and future players are asked to attend and to give something back to the kids. We're doing it for the kids. Fortunately, most players are still at the stadium trying to find their car keys so whilst it'll be a long week at the Dome, at least they'll all be on time, ready for the clinic. Good times, good times.