Thunderbirds co-captain credits team culture for grand final success

Adelaide Thunderbirds co-captain Georgie Horjus believes a deeply ingrained culture of camaraderie, combined with strategic recruitment, has propelled the team to its third grand final in four years. The team is set to face the Melbourne Vixens on Saturday night at John Cain Arena in Victoria.

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We've been building over the years. When I first came to the club we were losing games by 20 points, so I think [coach] Tania Obst did a lot on the culture at the club. Over the last couple of years we've done so much on our culture, and we're such a connected team on and off the court.

Horjus reflected on the team's transformation, recalling a time when the club frequently lost games by significant margins. She attributes the shift in culture to coach Tania Obst and the team's collective effort over recent years. "We're such a connected team on and off the court," Horjus stated, highlighting the buy-in from players to build these crucial connections.

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I think it's the buy-in from the players to build those connections off the court, and that's really helped on the court as well.

While the Thunderbirds have successfully recruited international talent, including South African shooter Elmeré van der Berg and New Zealand centre Kate Heffernan this season, alongside co-captain Shamera Sterling-Humphrey and defender Latanya Wilson from Jamaica in previous seasons, Horjus emphasized the importance of their South Australian players. Horjus herself, a Kangaroo Island native, is in her sixth season with the club.

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I think coming up against them is always a challenge. They have world-class players, so you know you're going to always get a great game, and you have to put your best game out there to win.

The upcoming grand final is a rematch against the Melbourne Vixens, whom the Thunderbirds narrowly defeated in the 2023 and 2024 grand finals. Adelaide recently beat the Vixens in the semi-final on June 20. Horjus acknowledged the Vixens as formidable opponents with world-class players, anticipating a challenging game that will require the Thunderbirds to perform at their best. Key strategies for Adelaide include disrupting the Vixens' fast ball movement and converting scoring opportunities through strong defense and accurate attack.

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Slowing that connection down will be really important for us, and they don't lose much ball, so we need to build that pressure over the game to win ball and defence, and then be really good in attack and convert any ball we get.