2024 season review: Thunderbirds

By Stephanie Smarrelli 
 

Thunder struck again in 2024. 

The Adelaide Thunderbirds’ reign continued with the side now eyeing off a dynasty. 

The now back-to-back premiers were hard to fault and despite some changes in their lineup, Tania Obst’s recipe for success worked once again. 

Earning the dual-premiership coach another three years in the top job. 

Charged with the additional incentive of the Grand Final being hosted on their home court, the Thunderbirds were electric throughout 2024. 

The side were undefeated at home, losing only three games throughout the season. 

With a three-peat on their mind, pressure will be on next season as the rest of the competition aims to ruin their run of premierships. 

BEST WIN 

There’s no shortage of wins to look back on throughout the season when it comes to the Thunderbirds. 

While their biggest winning margin came against the Mavericks in Round 11 it was their Major Semi Final victory against the Vixens which will go down as the side’s best win in 2024. 

A top-of-the-table clash for a direct path into the Grand Final, the Thunderbirds put their foot on the accelerator and didn’t let it off. 

The side dismantled the Vixens by 25 goals, leaving their opponents with plenty of work to do ahead of their eventual Grand Final meeting. 

The Thunderbirds were unstoppable in defence with a combined 24 gains. Shamera Sterling-Humphrey was everywhere despite being confined to one third amassing 14 of her team’s total while working in unison with Latanya Wilson and Matilda Garrett.  

The midcourt was in-sync with captain Hannah Petty rotating on and off to impact and lead on court when needed while in the goal circle young gun Lauren Frew put on a show. 

They won each quarter convincingly, taking advantage of the Vixens’ mistakes to convert 71 per cent of their gains as they buried their opponents.  

It was a true team effort to secure the Thunderbirds their path straight into the Grand Final with all 10 athletes playing their role throughout the match. 

On cloud nine following the win, the Thunderbirds earned a week off ahead of the Grand Final and carried the confidence in with them to the big dance. 

MVP 

It would take a triple sided coin to decide on an MVP for the Thunderbirds this season with Georgie Horjus, Latanya Wilson and Shamera Sterling-Humphrey all putting their hand up. 

Horjus took her game to the next level while Sterling Humphrey and Wilson continued to do what they do best. 

Wilson took out the side's Club Champion award and Horjus earned herself a call up into the Origin Diamonds squad but the coin’s fallen in favour of Sterling-Humphrey today. 

Sterling-Humphrey continues to set the standard for defenders with her ability to read the play second to none. 

The defender finished the season with 96 deflections, 44 intercepts and 36 rebounds. 

The 28-year-old, challenges opposition goalers weekly, putting pressure on teams to ensure their passes into the circle are pinpoint, quick and hard to read. 

Sterling-Humphrey's movements make feeders doubt their ball placements, it’s the screaming intercepts and deflections which burn in the back of our heads but it’s her footwork forcing the world’s best to doubt their next move which is the difference for the Thunderbirds most weeks. 

FOCUS AREAS 

They survived the hunt in 2024, but they’ll need to take their game to new heights in 2025 to continue their reign. 

There’s not a lot that went wrong for the team throughout the season but one area of their game they’ll need to address ahead of 2025 is their first quarter. 

Two of the side’s three losses were against the Vixens and Fever who both played finals and finished with the same number of wins as them on the ladder.  

In both those games, the Thunderbirds lost the first quarter, their worst throughout the match. Ahead of 2025 the team will need to focus on having a strong start every time they hit the court.  

They also had a slow start to this year’s Grand Final allowing the Vixens to get on top of them early, which could have been costly if the Vixens had remained calm in the game’s dying minutes. 

The Thunderbirds finished on top of the ladder this season but only due to percentage which put them at risk of fighting for their life in the Minor Semi Final. 

The other match they lost was to the Firebirds by 10 goals in Round 8 after defeating the Swifts by 25 goals a week prior. 

As with the rest of their losses, the Thunderbirds were frazzled from the get-go, losing the first quarter. 

Every time the Thunderbirds led at the end of the first quarter, they won the match in 2024. 

While they only went on to win two of their matches when they were behind at the end of the opening term. 

On paper it’s not much but in a competition this tight a slow start could be the difference between a three-peat or missing finals completely.