REIGNING Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) Grand Finalists Manchester Thunder will look to go one better in the 2022 season. They have recruited a couple of international stars and some rising young talents to bulk up an already impressive list of players that drove the Thunder to the 2021 decider off the back of a 17-3 regular season.

>> VNSL 2022 Team preview: Manchester Thunder

2022 SQUAD:

DEFENDERS:

Kerry Almond (GK)
Yomi Eza-Wilson (GD/GK)
Elia McCormick (GD/GK/WD)
Millie Sanders (GD/GK)
Shadine Van der Merwe (GD/WD)

MIDCOURT:

Laura Malcolm (C/WD/WA)
Caroline O’Hanlon (C/WA)
Emma Rayner (C/WA)
Yasmin Roebuck (C/WD/WA)
Natalie Metcalf (WA/GA)
Ella Carly Standring (C/WD)

SHOOTERS:

Eleanor Cardwell (GA/GS)
Joyce Mvula (GS)
Lois Pearson (GA/WA)
Emilia Roscoe (GA/GS)

Manchester Thunder has a star-studded team lineup, welcoming in both Metcalf and Van der Merwe after they completed stints in the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN). A midcourt filled with international representatives, and a shooting circle that provides high-volume scoring, it is easy to see why the connections in the Thunder’s starting seven will drive them to the pointy end of the season.

FIXTURES:

R1: vs. Celtic Dragons
R2: vs. Severn Stars
R3: vs. Surrey Storm
R4: vs. Strathclyde Sirens
R5: vs. Saracens Mavericks
R6: vs. Team Bath
R7: vs. Leeds Rhinos
R8: vs. London Pulse
R10: vs. Loughborough Lightning
R11: vs. Celtic Dragons
R12: vs. Severn Stars
R13: vs. Strathclyde Sirens
R14: vs. Surrey Storm
R15: vs. Wasps Netball
R16: vs. Team Bath
R17: vs. Leeds Rhinos
R18: vs. Saracens Mavericks
R19: vs. London Pulse
R20: vs. Loughborough Lightning

LAST SEASON: 2nd (17-3)

THIS SEASON:

There is no reason for Team Bath not to be there when the whips are cracking late in the season. The 2021 VNSL runners-up have a strong lineup with plenty of international experience, and the inclusion of Metcalf in particular will only help with their feeds into the circle, particularly with Malcom there too and Cardwell up front. Winning the recent Rise Again Festival going through undefeated, it shows the Thunder will be a force to be reckoned with in 2022.