Thunder Sign Local Stand-outs
Words: Michael Flynn
Image: Paul Smith/SWQ Thunder FC
SWQ Thunder have secured the services of Willowburn FC duo Ben Barrowclift and Kevin Doyle for the PlayStation® 4 NPL Queensland 2016 season.
The attacking pair were confirmed by the club earlier this week as two of the earliest signings for recently announced Thunder coach Chris McLeod.
Both players were part of the Willowburn's Toowoomba Premier League Grand Final side and are expected to add experience to a Thunder side that has been hampered by a reliance on youth in its first two senior campaigns.
Attacking midfielder Barrowclift, 28, originally hails from Birmingham in England but has been a stand-out in the Toowoomba Premier League in recent years - winning that competition’s Golden Boot three times and Best and Fairest twice since 2012.
He said despite his reputation as a goalscorer his focus remains squarely on the team’s performance rather than his own goal tally.
“I don’t go into a season with any goals target as such. I play for fun and if the goals come then the goals come but it’s really all about the team,” he said.
“We want to start winning games and become a bit of a threat in the league. Not necessarily winning the league at this stage but becoming more competitive when we are playing the big teams,” he explained.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do and we’re not actually going to know what it’s like until we start playing games.”
Striker Doyle, 32, will also add extra impetus in the attacking third for Thunder and will draw upon his previous experiences playing for SWQ Raiders in Football Brisbane competition to help guide Thunder’s stable of talented teenagers.
“The strategy is to bring in some experienced boys who have played at high levels to help improve the performances because (previously) it has been boys against men,” Doyle explained.
“We will play the style of football that the coach wants us to do and hopefully the experience of the team will see us get some notches on the belt.”
Doyle added that he was eager to show that his hometown club can compete and succeed at the elite level.
“Playing for the best team in the local region makes you proud in this type of community and I can’t wait to get into it,” he concluded.
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