Catherine Cox opinion, Adelaide Thunderbirds, imports, international players, Tania Obst, West Coast Fever, Georgie Horjus, Australian Diamonds – MASHAHER

OPINION

At the start of the year, I was waiting for the cracks to show at the Adelaide Thunderbirds.

They’d lost so much of their attacking flair with Eleanor Cardwell, Tippah Dwan and Maisie Nankivell all leaving after their premiership win.

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And then they lost assistant coach Tracey Neville.

Watching young Lauren Frew in that attack line, I didn’t think she was strong enough and thought that position would be a weak link for them.

But it hasn’t been.

I’m gob smacked that coach Tania Obst can get her youth and her pathway players to come on court and do so well for them time and time again.

Those cracks sealed themselves in 2024 and they’ve only become more reinforced as the season rolled on.

Frew’s improved week-on-week and been reliable, and she’s got valuable support around her.

I’ve seen more strength from Romelda Aiken-George this season, and I think Georgie Horjus has stepped up again – she has to make the Australian team.

You just can’t ignore her anymore.

Particularly last week against the Sunshine Coast Horjus, who plays wing attack nearly all of the season, gets thrown in there at goal attack in a tight game and sinks four supershots.

She doesn’t care about the massive leans over her or the massive height differences. She’s confident from anywhere.

And she brings confidence to Adelaide’s attack end.

I didn’t think the Thunderbirds would need her at goal attack with both Frew and Lucy Austin, but they need her spark – like the West Coast Fever do with Alice Teague-Neeld.

Horjus is a player you have to have on the court. It doesn’t matter where.

She just has to be out there with her play making, how she controls the tempo and speed, her smarts and that confidence she gives to the people around her.

I think we really saw that when the Thunderbirds had that shock loss to the Firebirds up in QLD when Georgie Horjus was injured – it makes a massive difference when she’s not there.

Taking last year’s grand final MVP Cardwell away, the Thunderbirds had to replace her with a strike shooter and a good one.

Her replacement, Romelda Aiken-George has been a big part of Adelaide’s success. She has really lifted her game to another level under Tania Obst and improved – even at the age of 35.

Both Adelaide and the West Coast Fever have snared the best imports in the competition. Names like Aiken-George, Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, Latanya Wilson, Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard are the ones you say over and over again in commentary.

They are the superstars of the game, and it’s been incredible recruiting to have them play in Australia.

But I’m impressed Tania Obst has been able to maintain a really strong core of South Australian players – and then have a couple of great imports in there.

How she’s built her squad shows a really great balance – and teams who aren’t in finals would 100 per cent be looking at who is available internationally.

And there’s no reason you wouldn’t look at New Zealand talent – especially if the rules are relaxed so we could see more of those superstars playing here.

I do think it’s interesting to see teams that don’t shoot a lot of supershots are the ones playing finals.

The Thunderbirds have managed just 33 supershots all season – less than half of what Helen Housby (73) and Sophie Dwyer (65) scored for the year.

And the Fever scored just 10 super shots in their last six games – while conceding 52 of them in those matches.

But the Swifts and Giants who score the most supershots finished at the wrong end of the ladder.

At the start of the season, I would have said if you don’t have one or two who can go to post from distance, you’d be in trouble.

But the use of the supershot has ebbed and flowed this year.

Teams have gone back to treasuring possession and playing one-point netball, and just keeping the scoreboard ticking over.

You can’t wait until those dying moments to have to shoot the supershot.

Players have got to be more comfortable to shoot from distance, and not just wait until you find yourself down in a final.