South Australian local and Thunderbirds premiership player Tayla Williams has added another year to her contract, locking in her place at the club until 2026.
The extension sees Williams join teammates Matilda Garrett, Georgie Horjus, Shamera Sterling-Humphrey and Latanya Wilson on long-term deals with the club.
Five out of the club’s ten contracted players are now locked in for the maximum amount of time, in line with the end of the current Collective Players Agreement.
The 24-year-old from the Balaklava region in the State’s Mid North has already made claim to two premierships in just her third season with the club.
In 2024, Williams was voted into the team's leadership group after being selected alongside teammate Shamera Humphrey-Sterling and captain Hannah Petty.
The diverse midcourter finished the season with an impressive 1064 NNP, 202 goal assists, 39 deflections and 12 intercepts.
Williams had standout game’s in Round 4 and Round 9 where she was awarded with the Player of the Match.
On the back of dominant 2023-24 seasons, Williams has earned her second Australian FAST5 selection where she will compete to defend the series title in Christchurch, New Zealand in November. Read more about the 2024 FAST5 World Series HERE.
Thunderbirds General Manager of High Performance Jace Bode said that Williams has been an exemplary leader both on and off the court.
“Tayla has been an integral part of the team's midcourt this season, and she was a major contributor to our back-to-back premiership campaigns,” Bode said.
“Her ability to feed our goalers has been crucial in setting up our offence, and we look forward to seeing Tex grow those connections further through to 2026.
“She is a natural born leader and we are happy to be extending her time with the club.”
