The Adelaide Thunderbirds have announced a local list of training partners, selecting five South Australian athletes ahead of their 2024 campaign.
Two new additions from last year’s list include former Suncorp Super Netball player and now Garville Netball Club shooter Nyah Allen, and Contax Netball Club’s star defender Molly Watson who returns to the Thunderbirds environment following an ACL injury.
Matrics Netball Club midcourters Sophie Casey and Tyler Orr are both returning to the club along with talented Contax shooter Kayla Graham.
All five athletes have made their way through the Netball South Australia pathways, representing the state at national level and competing in The Hospital Research Foundation Group Premier League.
Formerly representing the Collingwood Netball Club, Allen returns to her home state for the first time since leaving for Victoria in 2019.
The sharpshooter played a total of 16 SSN games and tallied an impressive 26 super shots during her playing career with Collingwood.
In the same year, she was crowned Netball Victoria’s MVP in its Championship division.
Watson made her much-anticipated return to netball in 2023 after undergoing surgery to repair an ACL injury she sustained in 2022.
Returning just in time for the Premier League finals series, she secured a premiership in the reserves division with Contax and was named Most Valuable Player in in the finals after a dominant performance in goal keeper.
Midcourt young-gun Casey is back for her second year as a training partner after a memorable 2023 season where she made her SSN debut to become Thunderbird #107.
She also led the South Australian 19U side to victory as captain at the National Netball Championships.
Casey was crowned the Most Valuable Player for her performance in last year’s Australian National Netball Championships for the Adelaide Thunderbirds Futures.
Explosive midcourter Orr is also back for another season, having been a training partner with the side since 2021.
Orr had an outstanding 2023 with the Matrics Netball Club where she was named in the Premier League’s Team of the Year side.
Graham is back for her second year as a training partner after an impressive 2023 season where she claimed gold with the SA 19U side at the National Netball Championships.
The 18-year-old also won the Natalie Von Bertouch Best Emerging Talent Award for the Blues in her breakout season and played a key role for Contax in their win of the Hospital Research Foundation Premier League title.
The Adelaide Thunderbirds will play their first pre-season game against the Queensland Firebirds on March 10 for the club’s Fan Day at Netball SA Stadium.
