Thunderbirds legend passes the torch to next generational talent

By Henry Milic

The Adelaide Thunderbirds will honour their history this Sunday in the club’s Heritage Round, celebrating past players and staff who have contributed to the franchise since its inception in 1997.

Among the 111 to have donned the Thunderbirds dress, the name Erin Bell is firmly etched in the club’s history books.

A former captain and fan favourite, Bell became a two-time Thunderbirds premiership player and Australian Diamond #156 across her illustrious career on the national stage.

Ahead of the special round, Bell reflected on her eight seasons with the club, describing her time there as some of her best years on court.

The Thunderbird great shares a similar journey with current star Georgie Horjus, a player Bell once coached on her rise to Super Netball.

The pair share the unique ability to swing between goal attack and wing attack with ease and take on the role of key playmaker in their attack ends.

“Georgie is playing amazingly, and she is still so young and has so much more ahead of her which I think is very scary for the opposition to consider and also for the Diamonds,” Bell said.

“I coached her during a six-week program and when she came through, I had never seen a shooting technique so good in such a young kid and I had done a lot of coaching.

 “It is so nice to see her out there enjoying herself and it does look like she has fun when she is out there as well.

“She just drives the ship being that playmaker in both positions.”

Just last month, Horjus was selected to be a part of the Australian Diamonds Squad for the first time in her career on the back of a dominant 2023/24 campaign.

The 22-year-old from Kangaroo Island said Erin Bell was someone she looked up to as a child.

“I think she is a very smart player and I remember watching her play across goal attack and wing attack growing up and she was definitely someone I idolized,” Horjus said.

“Having her coach me over the years on my shooting technique was something that has really helped me come a long way in my game.

“I remember I was this little shy kid who didn’t really know too much about a shooting technique and she helped change my technique and made me able to shoot over tall defenders.”

After winning her first ANZ Championship with the NSW Swifts, Bell moved to Adelaide in 2010 where she began to add wing attack to her arsenal.

“I first came to Adelaide with not a lot of expectations around court time but that first year exceeded all expectations,” Bell said.

“The first seasons will always be pretty unforgettable because I got an opportunity on court to play out of position in wing attack.”

“Looking back on my career it was absolutely some of the best times playing for the Adelaide Thunderbirds.”

Coaching to win

Bell credits her on court success to the work she put in under head coach Jane Woodlands-Thompson.

“She definitely told you how it was and was quite a firm coach, but she was very structured and that worked for me and my style of play because I needed that structure,” Bell said.

“Jane was very good at setting a particular game plan for the opposition and that worked for me.

“I think she knew how to get the best out of me as a player, so I will always have a lot of respect for Jane because I played my best netball under her.”

2013 to 2024

After claiming her second ANZ national title in her first year as a Thunderbird, Bell went on to win a third in 2013 amongst a star-studded Thunderbirds line up.

She shared the court with netball icons Nat von Bertouch, Rebecca Bulley, Sharni Layton and Renae Ingles, to name a few.

That year, Bell said she felt the team was under pressure to return the side to its winning ways.

“We had an expectation to win because I think we went on a run where we won 16 games in a row by 2 goals and we had the pressure on us in that Grand Final,” Bell said.

“I think it started when we had the pre-season camp and went through our values, we identified four things that we needed to be as a group and for each other to be successful.

“We pulled each other up on things and we were willing to have tough conversations with each other, if need be, to maintain standards.”

The side finished as the minor premiers, only dropping one game all season and won 13 straight games.

The team went on to win the Grand Final on their home court at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, downing the Queensland Firebirds by just two points.

Now, the Thunderbirds great believes the 2024 team can recreate that same magic that they did almost 11 years ago.

“It’s always a tough task to go back-to-back because you are the hunted, it’s like every time you play the opposition, they take it up another notch because they are coming up against you.”

“I think they are even better than they were last year. Obviously the attack end is a little bit different, but I think they are all playing so great.”

“Romelda is so tough to beat, even on a bad day so she has been such an awesome addition to the team.”

“I hope they can do it in Adelaide because there is nothing like winning a home Grand Final, and I truly believe they can do it.”