Georgie Horjus strikes form for Thunderbirds in Super Netball
She’s pro-netball’s shortest shooter, was only signed to the Thunderbirds as a training partner and was not expecting court time. But Kangaroo Island’s young pocket rocket Georgie Horjus is turning heads with incredible goals - and sparking a stunning reversal of fortune for her club.
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Pocket rocket Georgie Horjus has brushed aside the trauma of Kangaroo Island’s devastating bushfires to lead a stunning resurgence of netball’s Adelaide Thunderbirds.
Coach Tania Obst says her maturity and composure was on show at the weekend when the teenager crunched two two-point “super shots” in the frantic final minutes of their upset win again Melbourne Vixens on the Sunshine Coast.
The Thunderbirds, winless just two years ago, had never previously conquered the Vixens in the four seasons of Super Netball competition.
The victory came only eight days after their maiden triumph over Giants Netball.
Horjus, the shortest shooter in the league at 172cm, is defying the modern trend of tall success in the goal circle.
Her emergence as a starter is a bonus for the Thunderbirds, given she was only signed as a training partner.
“I did not expect court time this year,” Horjus said from the team’s hub on the Sunshine Coast.
“I was very surprised to start against the Vixens, I did not expect that at all.
“You don’t have to be tall to be on court, but I’m really lucky to get this opportunity because a lot of people get overlooked when short.
“My parents have sacrificed a lot to get me here.”
Parents Rob and Ange travelled with their daughter from KI so she could play with Adelaide’s premier league club Contax’s under-17 side.
That was until the coach told Horjus she had to permanently move to Adelaide if she wanted to reach the next level.
“Georgie was able to get a scholarship at Immanuel College and we were looking at boarding school,” Rob said.
“But with the amount of time needed to get around for training and games, that would have been too hard.
“So Ange and Georgie moved into a unit in Adelaide and I stayed in Parndana. We have been married quite a while and were prepared to make those sacrifices.”
Last year, Georgie took a significant step in her career when named as a Thunderbirds’ pathway athlete, playing in the inaugural Super Netball pre-season tournament and combining training with her Year 12 studies.
But netball dreams were put on hold in the early days of 2020 when the devastating fires hit.
The Horjus family home was unaffected but Georgie had evacuated to Kingscote, spending a night of the jetty as the town was threatened.
Rob, captain at the Parndana CFS, stayed to fight the fires.
As the danger subsided, Georgie gave her time delivering meals to farms and volunteering at the CFS station.
“Western Districts Netball Club burned down, they are our rival club,” Georgie said.
“It was very scary, crazy.
“Dad is awesome. He gets a lot of tears after games, so he would have been crying after the match on Saturday.”
Rob reckons he only cries for the big games, such as every Thunderbirds’ game involving his daughter.
“She is my offspring, I love her,” he said.
“She is just a good kid and we have been through quite a bit. I enjoy her passion,” added Rob, overcome with emotion.
“To me, she is just playing the same game she did in the state under-17s.
“She has to work a little harder, she gets knocked around a bit more.”
Georgie is making her own sacrifices to advance her career. In her first year studying physical education at UniSA, Georgie has had to drop a couple of subjects to enable her to focus on her game.
So while Kangaroo Island climbs back to its feet, Georgie is on the rise as the Thunderbirds dare dream of finals action.
“I’ve had so many messages from people on the Island, people you would not have thought watch netball,” he said. “It’s awesome the support from over there.”