Super Netball: Thunderbirds coach Tania Obst opens up on her team’s 2025 premiership defence and hopes of a title three-peat

Adelaide Thunderbirds can chase a slice of Super Netball history next year after securing back-to-back championships in 2024. Thunderbirds premiership coach Tania Obst reveals her plans to tackle the three-peat talk.

Adelaide Thunderbirds coach Tania Obst will address premiership three-peat talk with her players when their pre-season resumes as the two-time defending champions target a place in Super Netball history next year.

The Thunderbirds became the first team since Sunshine Coast Lightning in the first two seasons of Super Netball in 2017 and 2018 to claim back-to-back crowns after their two-goal triumph over Melbourne Vixens in this year’s grand final.

Taking a settled line-up into their 2025 campaign, the Thunderbirds now have the chance to become the first Super Netball team to win three premierships in a row.

It didn’t take long for three-peat chatter to surface after their second straight title win and two-time premiership coach Obst wants to make sure she addresses the “elephant in the room” when the players return.

While she was aware there was a long campaign ahead, Obst said the Thunderbirds would not downplay their goals.

Adelaide Thunderbirds coach Tania Obst celebrates victory with Tayla Williams of the Thunderbirds following the Super Netball Grand Final match between Adelaide Thunderbirds and Melbourne Vixens. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)

“There is no doubt that we want to win, we’re going to be giving it a red-hot go,” Obst said.

“But anyone that knows me will know that I don’t get ahead of myself at all … it’s a long season and anything can happen.

“We want to have a go at it (premiership three-peat), why wouldn’t we be putting ourselves out there? Of course we want to make finals and win again, but my goodness there is a lot to happen until we can get to that point.”

Heading into her seventh year at the helm, Obst said she would raise the three-peat discussion with her players to ensure the team could manage the outside noise about their 2025 campaign.

“There has been the three-peat (talk) thrown around among our fans and things like that,” Obst said.

“There is no doubt that individually everyone knows we have given ourselves the opportunity to be in this position, which is fantastic. When we come together as a full group, we will have that conversation. It is the elephant in the room – we did win the last two years.

“I’m sure it is going to be a talking point, but I think we have got pretty level-headed players in our team. A number of our team are also very familiar with what it’s been like not to win three games in a row.

The Adelaide Thunderbirds celebrate after their Super Netball grand final win this year. (Photo by Maya Thompson/Getty Images)

“We also have an environment where I think we can talk pretty freely and honestly and if someone is maybe getting ahead of themselves, I’m sure one of their teammates might just remind them of what’s happening.

“It is a fantastic place to be in. I would rather be talking about that than maybe what else we maybe could be talking about.

“We will address it with the group and then we’ll work out what it is that we want to be putting out there to get ourselves back into the finals again.”

The Thunderbirds have made just the one change to their playing roster for 2025 with emerging South Australian attacker Kayla Graham elevated to the list after the retirement of midcourter Laura Scherian.

Obst said the stability in the Thunderbirds’ lineup would provide the team with a “solid base” from which to launch their premiership defence.

“I have never had that before, in my time,” Obst said of the settled roster.

“That stability does look to sustained success and that is something that I have wanted to get to since I took on the role (at Thunderbirds) and it has taken five or six years.

Lauren Frew of the celebrates with Lucy Austin after the Adelaide Thunderbirds secured back-to-back Super Netball premierships this year. (Photo by Maya Thompson/Getty Images)

“It just gives us such a solid base to start from. Even at times this year, I feel like we were starting – not from scratch – but not too far from that with a whole new forward line.

“We really can build on quite really specific areas of our game, and particular elements that we want to put forward and to have the consistency of the players and them knowing me and me knowing them, it feels a really good spot to be in.”

After leading the side to its second premiership in as many years, Obst re-signed as Thunderbirds’ coach in August until the end of 2027.

Obst said she had taken more time to soak up the Thunderbirds’ premiership success the second time around this off-season.

“This year I feel like I have been able to just sit in it is probably the best way to describe it, just to enjoy it a little bit more,” Obst said.

“We haven’t had athletes rushing off to a World Cup, we are settled with the CPA and those sorts of things, so there has been a little bit more time to actually reflect and understand what we have done the last two years.

“While I’m probably quite stats driven and where we are heading, just to be able to sit down and understand what that has meant to, not just our inner sanctum, but to the wider netball community has actually been a lovely spot to be in.”

Obst will have a handful of players start to trickle back for pre-season work next week, with more in early December before the full squad resumes in late January.

ENDS

Originally published as Super Netball: Thunderbirds coach Tania Obst opens up on her team’s 2025 premiership defence and hopes of a title three-peat