Behind-the-scenes legends of the Adelaide Thunderbirds pick their Top 25 players of the club’s first 25 years. Did they get it right?
We’ve gathered coaching and recruitment legends of the club to trawl through record books and list the best 25 T-Birds of the past 25 years. Did they get it right?
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This Super Netball season, the Adelaide Thunderbirds have been celebrating the club’s historic 25th anniversary.
In the 25 years since their inception in 1997, 105 netballers have donned the T-Birds dress, played in 26 seasons, won four championships, been a grand final runner-up a further six times and celebrated more than three dozen of their players progressing into international squads.
In celebration of the quarter-century milestone, The Advertiser gathered together coaching and recruitment legends of the T-Birds to trawl through the record books and determine the best 25 Thunderbirds of those 25 years.
Inaugural coach, Margaret Angove, joined former coach Jane Woodlands-Thompson and former recruiter Todd Miller (who joined over Zoom from New Zealand), to piece together the names.
There was much debate, as well as consensus, disagreements, and the undoubted non-negotiables as the trio spent more than an hour in conversation to arrive at their final 25.
Over that hour, they also reminisced about luring the likes of Carla Borrego from the United States and what it meant to have Maria Folau join for a season; recalled the legendary celebrations in 1998 when all four SA teams – T-Birds, Adelaide Lightning, Adelaide 36ers and Adelaide Crows – won premierships, while also talking about the players who were the toughest trainers, those who felt the losses the deepest and those whose voices were not only loud on court, but away from it.
When it came to their final 25 player, the judges followed a list of strict criteria:
* A minimum six players were selected across each court area – shooters, defenders, mid-courters – with the final seven players after that allowed to be from any court position
* The players must have played at least one whole season for the club
* Australian Diamonds were given priority consideration
* The players were strictly selected on their performances while at the T-Birds (not those who left Adelaide and performed better at other clubs)
Once the 25 were arrived at, Woodlands-Thompson – who coached from 2008-2015 – sat back in her chair and said: “Wow! Now that’s a handy list”.
Miller, who worked in various off-court roles including statistics and recruitment from 1997-2016, described it as an honour to sift through the record books to arrive at the final list.
While Angove, who coached from 1997-2006 gushed over the defenders: “How’s that defence … just fantastic defenders!”
The final 25 have not been ordered; instead, they have been listed below in alphabetical order under the three distinct court zones.
Did our three-person panel get it right? You be the judge.
SHOOTERS:
Erin Bell, GA, GS
T-Birds: 2010-2017
T-Birds Debut: March 19, 2010 v Northern Mystics. Player #50
T-Birds premierships (2010, 2013), T-Birds captain (2016-17), Australian Diamond (2010-13; 2015, 30 caps), World Cup gold (2011)
Woodlands-Thompson: “She’s a great story. Sat on the bench for the Swifts behind Cath Cox and Susan Pratley for five years or so from she was 18. Came over and played WA for us in her first year. In the semi-final, we switched her to GA and we won. It was the first time anyone had beaten the Swifts all year. That was Erin’s big step-up.”
Kate Beveridge, GS, GA
T-Birds: 2008-2010
T-Birds Debut: April 26, 2008 v Southern Steel. Player #44
T-Birds premiership (2010), Australian Diamonds (2008-2011, 16 caps)
Miller: “Squeezed every ounce of what she had out of her thanks to her dedication and commitment to training. She came in from the Perth Orioles, not getting much of a game sitting behind Caitlin Bassett, came to the Thunderbirds and led them to finals in all the years she was there.”
Carla Borrego, GS
T-Birds: 2010-2016
T-Birds Debut: March 19, 2010 v Northern Mystics. Player #48
T-Bird premierships (2010, 2013), T-Birds club champion (2013), Jamaica international (2003)
Miller: “We first saw her play in 2003 at the netball World Cup, and years later, I convinced Jane to let me go to America and try and track her down via Facebook, and I found her, watched her play on an inline skating rink where they played netball in Fort Lauderdale (Florida), and reported back to Jane that Carla still had it and it was rare for a coach to sign a player sight-unseen. But what the Thunderbirds had never had was a high scoring attack end or high volume high accuracy shooter which we found and she was also a left-handed shooter which often defenders find quite difficult to defend.”
Anna Coldbeck, GA
T-Birds: 1999-2002
T-Birds Debut: April 9, 1999 v Queensland Firebirds. Player #15
T-Bird premiership (1999)
Angove: “She gave everything she had and what I loved about her was that she worked really, really hard to make the big impression that she did. Very loyal, could fit in any combination and had a low error rate.”
Jacqui Delaney, GA
T-Birds: 1997-2003
T-Birds Debut: April 11, 1997 v Melbourne Kestrels. Player: #4
T-Birds premierships (1998, 1999), Commonwealth Bank Trophy MVP (1999, 2001), Australian Diamonds (1997; 1999; 2001-2002, 21 caps), Commonwealth Games gold medal (1998, 2002)
Miller: “The barometer of a team. Could win a game single-handedly … you built a team around players like Delaney. One of the highest-volume GAs of our time.”
Woodlands-Thompson: “Probably the most creative and flamboyant player of our time.”
Maria Folau, GA
T-Birds: 2019
T-Birds Debut: April 28, 2019. Player #91
T-Birds club champion (2019), Silver Ferns (2005-2019, 150 caps), Commonwealth Games gold medal (2006, 2010), netball World Champion (2019)
Woodlands-Thompson: “The best shooter in the competition when she was with the T-Birds and brought a whole new level of class to the club.”
Miller: ‘I actually consider her the best long-range shooter in the history of the sport.”
Kristen Heinrich, GS
T-Birds: 2004-2008
T-Birds Debut: April 24, 2003 v Sydney Sandpipers. Player #26
T-Birds club champion (2004, 2005), Australian Diamonds (2004-2007, 3 caps)
Miller: “She extracted everything possible out of her ability to get to that next level, which she did while with the Thunderbirds. Positioned herself in good spots and always managed to be a target. She had an unorthodox shooting style, but high accuracy.”
Cassie Mogg, GS
T-Birds: 1997-2001
Debut: March 23, 1998 v Adelaide Ravens. Player #12
T-Birds premierships (1998, 1999),
Woodlands-Thompson: “A double premiership player who was the anchor that held the attack line down and allowed the flamboyance of Delaney to do her thing.”
Angove: “She beat Liz Ellis on court in that 1998 grand final.”
Miller: “The type of player that was selfless enough to always put the team ahead of her own game, so the team won a premiership.”
MID-COURTERS:
Emily Beaton, WA
T-Birds: 2008-2016
T-Birds Debut: May 11, 2007 v Queensland Firebirds. Player #39
T-Birds premierships (2010, 2013)
Woodlands-Thompson: “Unlucky to never have played for Australia. She had flair and tricks in her toolkit that no one else had and was one of the most creative players I’ve ever had the pleasure to coach.”
Alex Clarke (nee Hodge), WA, C
T-Birds: 1997-2001, 2008
T-Birds Debut: April 19, 1997 v Sydney Sandpipers. Player #8
T-Birds premierships (1998, 1999), Australian Diamonds (1999-2002, 2004, 24 caps), Commonwealth Games gold medal (2002)
Woodlands-Thompson: “She was so fast and so strong and there weren’t too many people who could outdo her in the air or on her ground speed.”
Renae Ingles (nee Hallinan), WD, C
T-Birds: 2012-2017
T-Birds Debut: March 31, 2012 v NSW Swifts. Player #58
T-Birds premiership (2013), T-Birds captain (2014-15), Australian Diamonds (2009-2017, 57 caps), Commonwealth Games gold medal (2014), Liz Ellis Diamond Award (2013)
Miller: “One of the hardest players around the attacking end down and found a way to be a really good ball carrier through court. She was the bane of many teams’ existence because she was just that hard one-on-one, Australian-style WD.”
Woodlands-Thompson: “Was often rated by opposition WAs as the hardest opponent to stand. Had a wingspan that was ridiculous, something like 3cm-4cm longer than her height.”
Hannah Petty, WD, WA, C
T-Birds: 2016-present
T-Birds Debut: April 2, 2016 v West Coast Fever. Player #68
T-Birds captain (2020-present), captain World Youth team (2017)
Woodlands-Thompson: “We had her on the list when she was still at school and she blew me away, knowing this kid was going to be something special, and she has been. Plays tough, takes no prisoners and is a down-to-earth player and capable of doing the amazing when needed.”
Rebecca Sanders, C, WA
T-Birds: 1997-2003
T-Birds Debut: April 11, 1997 v Melbourne Kestrels. Player #6
T-Birds premierships (1998, 1999), Australian Diamonds (1998-2003, 51 caps), Commonwealth Games gold medals (1998, 2002)
Angove: “Incredible as a player, beautiful left-hander who came down the court at the right time, was always available, fantastic in defence denying people and was very, very smart in attack. The ultimate team player.”
Peta Squire, WD
T-Birds: 1997-2007
T-Birds Debut: April 11, 1997 v Melbourne Kestrels. Player #7
T-Birds premierships (1998, 1999), T-Birds co-captain (2004-2006), Australian Diamonds (1999-2004, 54 caps), Commonwealth Games gold medal (2002)
Angove: “Super fit athlete and played the position well, but could attack and play the high-ball as well. Her athleticism was her strength.”
Laura von Bertouch, WA
T-Birds: 2000-2007, 2009
T-Birds Debut: April 28, 2000 v Perth Orioles. Player #20
T-Birds co-captain (2004-2007), Australian Diamonds (2006-2007, 18 caps), netball World Champion (2007)
Miller: “The combination with her sister, Nat, was what killed a lot of teams; that double-up with the two von Bertouch’s teams just couldn’t compete against them.”
Angove: “Very honest and skilful player who played the WA position to perfection.”
Natalie von Bertouch, C, WA, WD
T-Birds: 2002-2013
T-Birds Debut: May 18, 2001 v Sydney Sandpipers. Player #24
T-Birds premierships (2010, 2013), T-Birds captain (2008-2013), ANZ Championship Player of the Year (2009), Australian Diamonds (2004-2012, 76 caps), Diamonds captain (2008, 2011-2012), netball World Champions (2007, 2011), Liz Ellis Diamond Award (2010)
Woodlands-Thompson: “A stalwart, classy, selfless player and the glue that held it all together. She was the spine, the backbone, the foundation and led by example. And you could always count on Nat to take that intercept or get that critical gain in the last couple of minutes and hold it all together.”
Leigh Waddington, WA, C
T-Birds: 2007, 2012-2015
T-Birds Debut: May 11, 2007 v Queensland Firebirds. Player #40
T-Birds premiership (2013)
Woodlands-Thompson: “Came from our grassroots all the way through and will go down as our grand final hero in 2013 when she came on court and we told her to run like she’d stolen something. The following year was leading our best and fairest count by Round 4, before she did her ACL for the second time.”
DEFENDERS:
Bec Bulley (nee Strachan), GD
T-Birds: 2012-2014
T-Birds Debut: March 31, 2012 v NSW Swifts. Player #57
T-Birds premiership (2013), Australian Diamonds (2008-2015, 42 caps), netball world Champion (2015)
Woodlands-Thompson: “An absolute classic tagger. She was hard at it, in your grill, fit and could stay with any GA and the pride in her game was in restricting the goals that the GAs scored.”
Mo’onia Gerrard, GD, WD
T-Birds: 2008-2010
T-Birds Debut: April 6, 2008 v Waikato/BOP Magic. Player #42
T-Birds premiership (2010), T-Birds co-captain (2010), Australian Diamonds (2004-2013, 68 caps), Liz Ellis Diamond Award (2008), Australian International Player of the Year (2010), netball World Champion (2007, 2011), Diamonds captain (2008)
Woodlands-Thompson: “The Rolls Royce of defenders. Could do anything. Was big and fast and brought a little bit of rugby to the style. Was a real character and we’d look each other in the eye on game-day and she wanted to win. She hated losing and would do everything in and out of her power to get that win.”
Kathryn Harby-Williams, GD
T-Birds: 1997-2003
T-Birds Debut: April 11, 1997 v Melbourne Kestrels. Player #1
T-Birds premierships (1998, 1999), T-Birds captain (1997-2003), Australian Diamonds (1990-2003, 94 caps), Commonwealth Games gold medals (1998, 2002), Diamonds captain (2000-2003), Australian Netballer of the Year (1995), Australian International Player of the Year (2001)
Angove: “To me, the best and most exciting defender I’ve seen for her size. She hated losing. Not the greatest trainer, but Harbs could do things that no one else could teach. She was hard, but just a champion and a great leader. The best player I’ve ever coached.”
Sharni Norder (nee Layton), WD, GK
T-Birds: 2010-2013
T-Birds Debut: March 19, 2010 v Northern Mystics. Player #49
T-Birds premierships (2010, 2013), T-Birds co-captain (2012), Australian Diamonds (2010-2011, 2014-2017, 46 caps), netball World Champion (2011, 2015), Diamonds captain (2016-2017), Commonwealth Games gold medal (2014), ANZ Championship Premier Player (2010, 2013), ANZ Championship Young Player of the Year (2010)
Woodlands-Thompson: “Will go down as the person with the loudest voice in netball. But an absolute gem, a one-of-a-kind. In 2010, she hadn’t had any court time in the ANZ Competition and she was sitting behind Geva Mentor and Mo’onia Gerrard for us, but she forced herself onto court at WD. She’d never played there before because she was really tall, but at selection we knew we couldn’t afford to not have her out there, so we found a place for her and she was instrumental with her beautiful foot speed and arm span.”
Geva Mentor, GK
T-Birds: 2008-2010
T-Birds Debut: April 6, 2008 v Waikato/BOP Magic. Player #43
T-Birds premiership (2010), England international (2001-present, 153 caps), Commonwealth Games gold medal (2018)
Miller: “Really developed in her time at the T-Birds. Arrived as a lanky, tall GK, but the exposure to the ANZ developed her into one of the best defenders in the world.”
Shamera Sterling, GK
T-Birds: 2019-present
T-Birds Debut: April 28, 2019. Player #92
T-Birds club champion (2020), Jamaica international (2016-present)
Miller: “Pound for pound, one of the silkiest defenders I’ve seen. Her ability to get clean ball, clean touch and do it consistently game after game after game. I think she is one of those players who has a natural gift. You cannot teach people what she can do.”
Sarah Sutter, GK
T-Birds: 1997-2001
T-Birds Debut: April 11, 1997 v Melbourne Kestrels. Player #2
T-Birds premierships (1998, 1999), Australian Diamonds (1994-1995, 1997-1998, 18 caps), netball World Champion (1995), Commonwealth Games gold medal (1998)
Angove: “Such a good combination with Harby-Williams. Sutts had a wonderful lean over the shot and was a great team player. Even now, she’s the one who’ll organise all the team reunions.”
Miller: “And she was always the one to lighten the mood: she was funny, a bit of a joker, had a laugh when things got a bit serious.”
Kate Walsh (nee Shimmin), GD
T-Birds: 2011-2016, 2018-2020
T-Birds Debut: February 13, 2011 v NSW Swifts. Player #54
T-Birds premiership (2013), Australia Fast 5 (2012-2017), England international (2019-2020, 5 caps)
Woodlands-Thompson: “Her trademark will always be her chairlift … she perfected what others created and Shimmo could actually be lifted up by Bec Bulley to catch goals and we’d never seen that before. Unfortunately that was put a stop to with a goal tending rule. An incredible set of skills. For someone who was very light in stature – and still playing today – she’s done some of the most exciting things the game has seen.”
Miller: “The greatest shot-blocker I’ve ever seen.”
Originally published as Behind-the-scenes legends of the Adelaide Thunderbirds pick their Top 25 players of the club’s first 25 years. Did they get it right?
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