Super Netball: Adelaide Thunderbirds premiership coach Tania Obst on the rise of young gun Georgie Horjus and why she’s proved doubters wrong

Adelaide Thunderbirds young gun Georgie Horjus is one of the rising stars of Super Netball and now her coach has made a bold call on her standing in the league - and why she has proved doubters wrong.

She has been already labelled the future of the Diamonds, and now dual premiership coach Tania Obst has rated playmaker Georgie Horjus as Super Netball’s top wing attack of the past two years.

Reflecting on the young gun’s 2024 campaign, which delivered a second Super Netball crown in as many years at the age of 22, Obst said Horjus’ growth on court this year had been “immense” and expected her strong trajectory to continue.

The Adelaide Thunderbirds’ attacker earned a national call-up this year and made her debut in the Diamonds’ third Test against New Zealand in the Constellation Cup.

After the dual-position star’s debut, Australian captain Liz Watson nominated Horjus as the “future of this team” as the Diamonds cast an eye towards the 2026 Commonwealth Games and home 2027 Netball World Cup.

While Watson has long been the Super Netball benchmark at wing attack, Obst said Horjus had arguably been the stand-out in the position in Thunderbird’s back-to-back premiership campaigns.

“It’s crazy to think that she is only 22 and she’s a back-to-back premiership player,” Obst said of the Kangaroo Island product’s rise.

Georgie Horjus in action during game three of the Constellation Cup between Australia Diamonds and Silver Ferns at RAC Arena on October 27, 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

“Her growth has just been immense. I’m really proud of our program that we have been able to do that for Georgie to get there.

“We have obviously wanted to get Diamonds and of course Tilly (Garrett) was able to do that last year and now we’ve got a home grown South Australian Thunderbird who has now cracked the Diamonds.

“I think with Georgie, every year she just presents with a desire to learn more to be better and there were just little things that I saw with her in pre-season last year that I just knew that she was ready to take another step in her game.

“I’m probably a bit biased, but I think she has probably been one of the best, if not the best wing attack in the competition, for the last couple of years.

“Her future is really bright. She will certainly be someone who, again, wants to continue to be better and you sort of think she will only be 23 at the start of next year.

“I’m really looking forward to what she can bring for our team across that transverse line and then obviously what things come for her personally at that next level.”

Watson had no doubt Horjus had a strong future with the Diamonds following her first appearance in the gold dress.

“She so deserved of her opportunity,” Watson said of the 22-year-old after her debut.

“Obviously, she’s an incredible player with the Thunderbirds - two (Super Netball) premiership at such a young age is absolutely incredible.

“She’s a great person in the group and she’s the future of this team.”

Georgie Horjus in action for the Adelaide Thunderbirds. (Photo by Maya Thompson/Getty Images)

But it’s not just wing attack where Horjus is commanding attention, offering a unique attacking versatility for her capacity to play as both a midcourter and as a shooting option at goal attack.

Horjus said this year she was determined to hone her ability as a twin threat in and out of the goal circle to enhance her Diamonds’ prospects.

Obst said the 172cm Horjus, who played more as a goal attack as a junior, had proved doubters wrong that she did not have the height to play in the goal circle at the top level.

“There was always a thought that she was too short for goal attack at that higher level,” Obst said.

“I think she has maybe shown a lot of people, and potentially me as one of those, that there is a place for her at goal attack.

“What she has been able to do is embrace that wing attack role the last couple of years where we have been able to swing her across to there and then learn the craft of wing attack, not a goal attack going into wing attack.

“With the elements that she has been able to do and what she has really focused on is ‘OK, it’s wing attack now, this is what I have got to bring’ and she plays it like a wing attack, that might sound silly.

“For her this year a bit of a challenge was when she did swing across to goal attack, then what cues and what things did she need to tell herself and how did she need to change up her game to understand that she now was in that goal attack role.

“I think once we put a few things in place for her there and she was able to execute those, she was able to start doing that pretty seamlessly as the season went on.”

Originally published as Super Netball: Adelaide Thunderbirds premiership coach Tania Obst on the rise of young gun Georgie Horjus and why she’s proved doubters wrong