The Adelaide Thunderbirds have added two rising stars to its training partner list, welcoming mother-daughter talent Jazmin McKay and emerging defender Jemma Kelly for 2026.
The young guns join returning training partners Tabitha Packer, Charlotte Walker and Molly Watson, following Lucy Voyvodic’s elevation to the club’s 11th player.
Jemma Kelly
Talented defender Jemma Kelly has earned her first training partner contract after a dominant debut season with the Thunderbirds Futures side.
The GD/GK was named in the 2025 Thunderbirds Futures squad on the back of an impressive 2024 campaign at state and national levels.
Representing South Australia in the 17U State Team, Kelly was named MVP of Grand Final as the side secured the gold medal.
She was also named MVP of the entire tournament for the 17U division, putting her name up in lights on the national stage.
In 2025, Kelly continued to expand her game with the Futures side and secured her place as a key part of the Matrics Netball Club’s defensive line-up in the Hospital Research Foundation Group Premier League.
She was also named in the 2025 Australian 19U national squad and the 21U Australian squad.
Jazmin McKay
McKay’s addition to the Thunderbirds training partner line-up is particularly special as the daughter of inaugural Thunderbird Sarah Sutter.
Following in her mother’s footsteps, McKay’s defensive and athletic abilities have allowed her to make a name for herself in South Australian netball and captured the club’s attention.
Despite being just 17 years old, the WD/GD has achieved a lot at underage level.
At the 2025 National Netball Championships, she led the SA 17U side to back-to-back gold medals.
The defender not only won MVP of the grand final but was also named MVP of the tournament in the 17U division after a stellar campaign for South Australia.
She was subsequently named in the 2025 Australian 17U national squad.
Not originally named in the Thunderbirds Futures squad for 2025, McKay was added later in the season and made her debut at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre in June.
In August, she won her second premiership with Contax Netball Club’s league side in the Hospital Research Foundation Group Premier League.
Tabitha Packer
Packer added to her already extensive list of accolades in her first year as a Thunderbirds training partner in 2025.
The versatile GD/WD starred in the club’s Thunderbirds Futures side in the Super Netball Reserves competition and added another premiership to her name with Contax Netball Club in the Hospital Research Foundation Group Premier League.
Most recently, she was selected in the Australian 21U side set to compete at the Netball World Youth Cup later this month.
Packer came through the Netball SA Pathway, representing South Australia on multiple occasions and collecting a gold medal with the 2023 Australian Youth FAST5 team.
Charlotte Walker
Walker made the move to South Australia from Tasmania in 2025 for her first year as a training partner with the Thunderbirds.
Following her selection in the 2024 21U Australian squad, the club recruited the Tasmanian to join the Thunderbirds environment.
In 2025, she stepped up for the Thunderbirds Futures side in the Super Netball Reserves and joined Oakdale Netball Club in the Hospital Research Foundation Group Premier League.
Walker has been playing netball since she was six years old, starting her playing career in Tasmania’s Burnie Netball Association.
In 2022, she secured a spot in the 17U Tasmanian State Team and went on to represent the Tasmanian Netball League 19U All Star Team later that same year.
Proving herself on court, she was elevated to Devon Open’s Tasmanian Netball League team in 2023.
Molly Watson
Experienced defender Molly Watson will return to the club’s training partner line-up in 2026 following a stellar year with the Thunderbirds Futures.
She was a stand-out for the Futures in the Super Netball Reserves and added another premiership to her list of achievements with Contax Netball Club in the Hospital Research Foundation Group Premier League.
The South Australian has come through the Netball SA Pathway as a junior, representing her state at both 17U and 19U levels, as well as winning gold with the SA Southern Force side.
She was also named in the Australian 21U side in 2021, recognised for her capabilities at national level.
