Words & Image: Matt Dorman, Olympic FC

Four second half goals have guided Olympic FC to a steadying 5-0 win over South West Queensland Thunder at Goodwin Park on Sunday night.

Reuben Way fired his fourth hat-trick of the season as the defending NPL Queensland champions snapped the resolve of the plucky visitors to bounce back from last weekend’s 3-2 defeat at Brisbane City.

Having already terrorised Thunder with a treble in the first meeting between the sides in Round 2, it was little surprise to see Way get on the scoresheet first in the 9th minute despite a pair of earlier close calls.

Terry Hughes first fortuitously struck the crossbar for Olympic inside five minutes while SWQ striker Tom Fanning spurned a golden one-on-one opportunity at the other end.

Way soon made the visiting skipper pay, controlling a direct ball behind the defence and beating Thunder ‘keeper Jace Hudson with a powerful left-footed effort.

Mustafa Jafari went close to doubling the hosts’ lead soon after but saw his audacious chip from distance drift just beyond the upright, while Tim Smits skewed a Way pass across the face of goal.

The departure of those two half chances signalled the weathering of the storm by Thunder, who allowed Olympic to retain possession in deep positions with neither side able to create openings for the remainder of the half.

An injury suffered by Lachlan Percy saw a forced change by the away side early in the second half as Jace Watt was introduced into defence.

The previously comfortable Toowoomba outfit conceded a sloppy second in the 60th minute when Hudson failed to deal with a routine cross from Jafari, allowing Way to pounce on the loose ball and snatch his second.

Olympic could suddenly afford to expand and six minutes later they had a third, with Smits climbing above his markers to meet another right-flank cross and head with perfection over the SWQ custodian.

The hosts raided the bench thereafter with James Cuminao, Ryan Meskell and Dylan Wenzel-Halls all introduced in quick succession, though it didn’t halt their momentum.

Indeed, it was 16-year-old debutant Wenzel-Halls who netted an incredible 34th goal for the season across three divisions, and his first in senior football, just 10 minutes after coming on when he made it 4-0 by stroking calmly into the bottom corner from inside the penalty area.

There was still time for Way to steal the headlines, though, as he got in behind the tiring visitors in the 85th minute and delivered a left-footed finish from near the byline that nestled inside the far post.

The goal sealed the attacker’s hat trick and Olympic FC’s 5-0 win in fitting fashion as a hard working Thunder were eventually outclassed.

Olympic FC 5 (Reuben WAY 9′ 60′ 85′, Tim SMITS 66′, Dylan WENZEL-HALLS 82′)
SWQ Thunder 0