Thunderbirds name squad for 2006

The Adelaide Thunderbirds have named a squad of 15 players for the 2006 season of the Commonwealth Bank Trophy.

After being beaten by the Sydney Swifts in last year’s preliminary final, the Thunderbirds are looking to succeed in the coming season under the guidance of South Australian netball legend Marg Angove.

Of the 15 players selected for season 2006, there are three new faces in Jessica Hazel, Felicity Lukeman and Nadia Mapunda.

All three players join the Thunderbirds with strong junior representative careers behind them, with both Lukeman and Mapunda holding netball scholarships at the South Australian Institute of Sport last year.

Hazel was named in the 21 and under Australian Emerging Talent Squad after impressing at last year’s National Championships.

Mapunda is the youngest player in the squad, having been captain of South Australia at under17 level in 2005.

Amanda Martin has been included in the squad after a year long lay off from state league netball and all players in the squad are looking to complete a good pre season regime in preparation for the 2006 Commonwealth Bank Trophy season.

Peta Scholz and Laura von Bertouch will again share captaincy of the Thunderbirds in season 2006.

Commenting on the squad, Angove is confident that it will perform well on court and be competitive in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy.

“The squad is very balanced and I think we will be able to put a strong and very competitive team on the court when the season starts,” Angove told the Netball South Australia website.

After such a disappointing end to last season, Angove and the playing group have examined in detail what is required to become contenders for the premiership in 2006.

“Since this year’s Commonwealth Bank Trophy ended we have all been having a long hard look at what we need to change to take that extra step next year and when we start pre-season training on December 5 2005, I think we will be looking at a new approach.”

The coaching and support staffs involved with the Thunderbirds have all been together for a long time and Angove is happy this will continue for the coming season.

“I am very happy we have been able to keep our coaching and support staff together – we all work closely and we have an excellent understanding and we are all well aware of how much we need to progress to become a championship side.”

* denotes new player in Thunderbirds squad for 2006

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