Ryan’s relief as Thunder overcome Jets’ power

MANCHESTER Thunder left it late to sneak past determined Roses rivals Yorkshire Jets, 44-49, in their latest Superleague clash.

The Black and Yellows were outplayed by a dogged Jets outfit, which was in front until the final six minutes when a vital intercept from Emma Dovey was the catalyst for a late Thunder surge.

Thunder Coach Dan Ryan will be concerned, though, by a second off-colour performance in a week.

But ultimately Thunder showed great spirit to see off Jets, who will be scratching their heads wondering how they ended up losing.

Ryan, managing in his first Roses match, said: “There is a feeling of relief. It was a great spectacle for the fans, but it was horrible from a coaching point of view. We struggled to get going and didn’t come to life until the final quarter.

“Jets were sensational and their shooting percentage was amazing. It is so great that the eighth-ranked team in the competition can push the top-ranked team for as hard as they did for as long as they did. We were lucky to get away with it.”

Despite the patchy performance, the former Adelaide Thunderbirds coach was keen to draw positives from the match.

He added: “I was most impressed with the effort of Emma Dovey and Jodie Gibson in that final quarter.

“Ellie Cardwell was an absolute rock. It’s great to see her go out there and do what she needed to do. She was so reliable and strong for us.”

Jets rocketed out of the blocks and Thunder were left playing catch up right from the outset. Coach Ryan changed up his side more than any other match so far this season.

Former Jets player Natalie Haythornthwaite started at wing attack in the absence of Liana Leota, and Kathryn Turner took her opportunity at goal attack.

Jets found themselves with a seven-goal cushion at various periods in the match, and a topsy-turvy third quarter — in which Laura Malcolm entered the fray to replace a relatively assured Gabby Marshall — allowed for a grandstand finale.