2021 Finish – 5 wins 9 losses (7th)
2022 Leadership group – Hannah Petty (Captain) Maisie Nankivell (Vice Captain)
Key to 2022
2021 was another year spent down the bottom of the ladder for the Thunderbirds, not spending a single week in the top four after starting 0-5.
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom for Adelaide, who pulled off some of the best wins of the season, knocking off the Swifts by five in Round 7 and Lightning in a 1-point Round 11 thriller.
Looking at the potential starting seven, there are some great pieces to work with here. But we’ve been saying this for a few years now, and the Tbirds are yet to feature in the SSN finals.
Unfortunately, it’s “we’ll believe it when we see it” time.
Getting this group off to a hot start and playing consistent netball is key in 2022.
Predicted starting 7
GK – Shamera Sterling
GD – Matilda Garrett
WD – Elle McDonald
C – Hannah Petty
WA – Maisie Nankivell
GA – Tippah Dwan
GS – Lenize Potgieter
This is a strong starting seven right here, and there is plenty of talent sitting behind them on the bench.
The 2021 intercept leader (49), Shamera Sterling is an easy first player picked at GK for Tania Obst, and should continue to provide that out of the circle defensive spark in 2022 that will feature heavily in all the post-round highlight reels.
GD is an interesting one for Adelaide, with Matilda Garrett and Latanya Wilson both showing they have the skills to play starting minutes in this competition. We’ve gone with Garrett, who was really impressive in 2021, to hold her spot and continue her growing partnership with Sterling.
Elle McDonald is great at any of the midcourt positions, but we think her size and strength has always served her best on the wings, particularly at wing defence.
Captain Hannah Petty will lead her side from the center position and will continue to provide that relentless effort that she has become known for in 2022.
The Thunderbirds have one of the best feeders in the country in Maisie Nankivell to slot into wing attack. Fans will be hoping she can back up her strong 2021, where she finished in the top six for feeds and goal assists.
Perhaps the toughest position to pick for the Tbirds is goal attack, where the team has an embarrassment of riches. Tippah Dwan seemed to be the first choice GA at the Suncorp Team Girls Cup, but we all know what Georgie Horjus can do. It’s Dwan for us, but that may be matchup/situational specific each week.
And, one of the most underrated and consistent shooters in the world, Lenize Potgieter rounds out the seven, who should expect to be near the top of her team’s minutes played list again this season. She’s also just three goals off 1,000 SSN goals, so look out for that in Round 1.
Round-by-round
The first thing that jumps out to us for the Tbirds round-by-round review is the team will open the season with four straight matches at Netball SA Stadium, but it’ll take some great play from them to hit the road in Round 5 with a winning record.
After they open the season against the Magpies, they’ll host the minor premier GIANTS, the 2021 fourth place finishing Lightning and the reigning champion Swifts.
After the first midweek round, the Tbirds will hit the road with games against the Firebirds and Vixens before heading home for a Saturday night showdown with the Fever.
All in all, with five home games in the first seven weeks, the Thunderbirds have arguably the easiest starts of the season and will be hoping to build some serious momentum heading into the business end of the year.
We’ll learn a lot about this group in the run home, where they will play just two games at home, take on the GIANTS and Swifts at Ken Rosewall Arena and celebrate Indigenous Round at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre against the Vixens.
For us, it all hinges on a friendly opening half of the season. If they can board the plane to the Sunshine Coast in Round 8 sitting at 4-3, they should have the self-belief to succeed on the road in the second half of the year and come home strong.
Prediction – 6th
We love the list, but have done so for the last three seasons.
With a tough second half schedule and a team that is yet to prove itself as a true finals contender in Super Netball history, it’s tough to predict the Thunderbirds to break into a very crowded top 4.
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