WITH the World Cup forcing a break in the Suncorp Super Netball season the Adelaide Thunderbirds sit second from the bottom but have shown glimpses of brilliance. Having won two games and drawn with top of the table NSW Swifts the Thunderbirds will be wanting to build on their season after the break and cause a couple of big upsets.

Ladder: 7th
Win-loss: 2-1-6
Percentage: 87.38%
Bonus points: 9

Overview:

The Adelaide Thunderbirds kick-started their 2019 season in style claiming their first win since 2017 in Round 1, but were quickly brought back down to earth a week later with the Swifts running out 18-goal victors. With wins against the Fever and Firebirds, the Thunderbirds took it up to the likes of the Melbourne Vixens and Swifts but were unable to come away with wins.

Surprises:

Donning a new look line-up the Adelaide Thunderbirds have been dealt their fair share of challenges but youngster Sasha Glasgow has stood tall in the goal circle. Glasgow has grown throughout the season with the 21-year-old goal shooter staking her claim on the competition. Her strong hands and rebounding ability is terrific, sitting second on the rebounds table with 30, while her netball smarts to work the ball around the circle edge to reposition makes her an exciting prospect for the Thunderbirds. Though her accuracy to post at times can be lacking she is not afraid to go for the long bomb and put the shot up showing great confidence and timing. She creates good space and has showcased her versatility to push out to goal attack when needed to provide that drive through the midcourt. Her connection with Maria Folau is slowly blossoming into a damaging combo with the two rotating through the circle well and finding good space to put ball to post.

Improvements:

The Thunderbirds defensive end created plenty of turnover ball but given their inexperience and lack of court time together they often struggled to capitalise on their opportunities. Shamera Sterling and Layla Guscoth showcased their dominance with Sterling ranked number one in the competition for deflections and intercepts with 77 and 42 respectively. But while they could win the ball back they could not penetrate through the other end and score with the ball often getting lost in transition.

Expectations:

With more court time and experience together the Thunderbirds could become an imposing threat given their ability to win ball and score.