We officially welcome young South Australian midcourter Maisie Nankivell and international sharpshooter Lenize Potgieter joining the club as contracted athletes.
Maisie Nankivell debuted for the Adelaide Thunderbirds as an injury replacement player in 2019 and immediately impressed with her ability to create pressure and impact play, confidently matching up against international stars and providing steady presence through the court.
Nankivell is also coming off the back of a strong performance in the Deakin University Australian Netball League, winning the Southern Force’s Most Valuable Player and Players’ Awards for 2019.
Prolific South African shooter Lenize Potgieter, will add a tower of strength to the Adelaide Thunderbirds shooting end and will also bring variety with her creative flair and strong rebounding skills.
Potgieter has played three seasons in the New Zealand national competition with Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic and Southern Steel, where this year she finished as the second highest goal scorer in the competition, shooting 506 goals from 662 attempts. She also experienced the Suncorp Super Netball competition as a replacement player for the Queensland Firebirds in 2019 and represented South Africa as their number one shooter at the Netball World Cup in July.
Recontracted players will round out the list.
The team will include Shadine van der Merwe who, after coming in as a permanent replacement player in 2019 to replace injured Beth Cobden, has earned a place on the 2020 team.
2019 co-captains Layla Guscoth and Chelsea Pitman have both inked new deals to stay with the club in 2020.
Guscoth, who ruptured her Achilles during the Netball World Cup in July, is currently rehabbing in England and is expected to hit the court when the team comes together for pre-season in February.
The Adelaide Thunderbirds also retain young South Australians Cody Lange, Sasha Glasgow and Hannah Petty, fan favourite Kate Shimmin, and exciting international defender Shamera Sterling.
Glasgow, who suffered an ACL injury in Round 13, will miss the start of the season and will be covered by a temporary replacement player to be announced in due course.
Adelaide Thunderbirds Head Coach, Tania Obst, says she is confident the 2020 team will build on the solid foundations laid in 2019.
“We welcome Lenize Potgieter, an athlete who has excelled on the international stage and will be looking to stamp her mark on the SSN competition in our colours,” said Tania.
“Congratulations to Maisie Nankivell and Shadine van der Merwe for earning positions in the team after great performances as replacement players in 2019.”
“Thank you to Maria Folau, Kelly Altmann and Beth Cobden for their performances this year which helped to re-establish the Adelaide Thunderbirds in Suncorp Super Netball.”
Melody Cooper, Adelaide Thunderbirds and Elite Pathways General Manager, says the club is thrilled with the outcome of the 2020 roster.
“We are delighted to announce our full 2020 roster, we were aiming for stability and retaining connections within the group,” said Melody.
“We’ve struck a balance between up-and-coming local South Australian talent, experienced Australians and international superstars to complement each other on court.”
“It’s such a tough competition and we intentionally built on our solid foundation set in 2019 to present a team that we believe with be highly competitive in the world-class competition.”
“This year our team showed that under the leadership of passionate South Australian Tania Obst we are on the right path to remerging as the competitive, tenacious and successful team that Adelaide Thunderbirds are known as.”
“We thank Maria Folau, Beth Cobden and Kelly Altmann for all that they have given the club in 2019 as contracted players and are grateful for all that they have contributed.”
2020 Adelaide Thunderbirds team list
Sasha Glasgow*
Layla Guscoth
Cody Lange
Maisie Nankivell
Hannah Petty
Chelsea Pitman
Lenize Potgieter
Kate Shimmin
Shamera Sterling
Shadine van der Merwe
*Temporary replacement player to be announced in due course to cover Sasha Glasgow during her injury rehabilitation.
