Adelaide Thunderbirds bound for New Zealand
Six Adelaide Thunderbirds premiership athletes will don the green and gold in November as they represent Australia at the 2023 Fast5 Netball World Series.
This year’s series will be held in Christchurch New Zealand on November 11 and 12, as the Australian side look to claim back-to-back gold medals.
Lucy Austin, Tippah Dwan, Matilda Garrett, Georgie Horjus, Hannah Petty and Tayla Williams will all be sporting the green and gold together on the back of their Super Suncorp Netball premiership win in July.
Premiership captain Hannah Petty will make her Australian debut alongside Dwan, Garrett and Williams, joining Austin and Horjus who made their Fast5 debuts in 2022.
From country netball to playing for Australia
Petty started her netball career in her hometown of Wudinna on the west-coast of South Australia, before going on to play for the Tango Netball Club in the Netball SA Premier League.
The 26-year-old is set to achieve a lifelong dream after being selected to represent Australia on one of netball’s biggest stages.
“I’m super excited. Any chance you get to pull on the green and gold is a very humbling and proud moment and I can’t wait to run out on the court in the Fast5 format,” Petty said.
“It’s what every netballer aspires to achieve and something I have dream about so to get a taste of it in a months’ time, I just can’t wait to do it.”.
Petty said team chemistry would not be a problem as she prepares to take court alongside her 2023 teammates.
“I’m so excited that five of my teammates will be joining me this year, I love those girls and we trained really hard this year,” Petty said.
“To be able to run out with them for Australia over in New Zealand, is going to be super fun and hopefully it could be an all Tbirds line up,”
The diverse midcourter hopes to rise to the challenge of the unique Fast5 netball format.
“It’s going to be interesting as I haven’t really played much Fast5, but I will probably be learning on the go about all the strategy and things like that, but I think everyone will be out there to have a lot of fun because the format is so exciting” Petty said.
Fellow South Australian Tayla Williams, who hails from Balaklava in the State’s Mid North, will also make her Fast5 debut for Australia.
Williams played her junior netball with Hummocks Netball Club before joining Contax Netball Club.
She has been an official contracted player with the Adelaide Thunderbirds for the past two seasons and played a pivotal role in their premiership.
Playing for Australia for the second year, T’Birds Wing Attack, Georgie Horjus, also represents regional South Australia, having played for Parndana Netball Club on Kangaroo Island.
All six athletes will travel to Canberra for a training camp at the start of November before making their way to New Zealand for the competition.
