Adelaide Thunderbirds coach Jane Woodlands-Thompson calls for local players to catch her eye this season

ADELAIDE Thunderbirds coach Jane Woodlands-Thompson has challenged local netballers to catch her eye if they hope to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

ADELAIDE Thunderbirds coach Jane Woodlands-Thompson has challenged local netballers to catch her eye this season if they hope to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

The dual premiership mentor said Adelaide’s coaching staff would regularly watch Premier League matches this campaign, monitoring the form of Thunderbirds players and earmarking potential talent for the national competition.

“We’ve got scouts at every game and we look closely,” Woodlands-Thompson said.

“We’ll always take our South Australian athletes over interstate (players) ... and we certainly give our SA girls the maximum opportunity.”

The eight-team Premier League began last weekend.

Woodlands-Thompson said a reduction of teams in 2012 had increased the number of quality players in the competition.

“It’s a really important hunting ground for us.

“The awareness of that over the past couple of years since we’ve restructured our high-performance pathway has really put some good players forward and enabled us to detect them a little bit earlier.”

The likes of Laura Packard (Matrics), Kate Shimmin (Contax) and Leigh Waddington (Cougars/Matrics) have made the transition from the local league to the Thunderbirds in recent years.

Woodlands-Thompson said speed, agility and intensity were qualities she looked for in potential recruits.

“You’ve got to be strong in ANZ (Championship netball) these days or you’ll get a bit crushed.

“They’ve got to have some pretty good athletic qualities to begin with, as well as that X-factor and the ability to be able to turn a game.

“With the close nature of the (local) competition there’s the opportunity every week to see which players are the prime movers in those situations.”

Woodlands-Thompson predicted strong seasons from last year’s premier Contax and grand finalist Matrics.

She tipped Garville and Tango to be the league’s improvers.