Peerless Thunderbirds crowned 2026 premiers

By Alexander Dabb.

It’s officially a dynasty.

The Adelaide Thunderbirds have been crowned 2026 Suncorp Super Netball premiers after a clinical Grand Final performance, demolishing the Melbourne Vixens 61 to 40 to clinch their third premiership in four years, cementing their status as the powerhouse side of the competition.

It was a near-flawless finish to a near-flawless campaign too, with the Thunderbirds dominating all facets of the decider, romping to a 21-goal victory, the biggest in SSN Grand Final history, having dropped just one game all season and becoming only the third side in Suncorp Super Netball history to be crowned champions after winning the minor premiership.

“It’s amazing,” Thunderbirds head coach Tania Obst said of clinching a third title in four years.

“There was a lot of noise around all of that this week, and I didn't really enjoy this week I’ll be honest, we had people sick, people roll an ankle.

“I allowed myself to think about ‘what if’s’ rather than keeping to the process.

“But what I do know is that this team is sensational, and they are an impressive team to coach.”

The ease in which the Thunderbirds won was in stark contrast to the ultra-competitive start to the game, which saw the Vixens come out swinging in front of 10,040 fans at a packed John Cain Arena on Saturday night.

It was a hot start to the contest, but despite the pressure of Grand Final day, it was a remarkably error-free start, as both sides went goal-for-goal to get the contest underway.

Kiera Austin opened the scoring for the Vixens and Elmeré van der Berg responded straight away at the other end, as both sides looked fired up from the opening centre pass.

The calm exterior soon gave way to a few nervous moments, though, as the mistakes began to creep in.

Heavy pressure from both teams saw multiple held balls called and wayward passes sent out of bounds, but neither side was able to take advantage, and Tania Obst called the first tactical timeout of the contest halfway through the term with the scores tied at 6-6.

But a massive Kate Heffernan intercept immediately following the resumption of play saw the Thunderbirds take the first break of the game, going ahead by two goals after converting the ensuing centre pass to lead 8-6.

The advantage was short-lived, though, as the Vixens fought straight back to level it at eight apiece, as Jo Weston and Kate Moloney both got involved to win possession back much to the delight of a mammoth John Cain Arena crowd.

It was level as both sides reached double figures, until Austin sunk the first Suncorp Super Shot of the game to go ahead 12-10, and while van der Berg nabbed one back for the Thunderbirds prior to the break, it was the Vixens that went in ahead at quarter time, up 12-11 after a gritty first 15 minutes of play.

While the first term saw both sides find their feet and battle to establish themselves on the biggest day of the season, the second quarter saw the Thunderbirds rip the game apart.

As they did all season, the minor premiers went to another level after quarter time, stunning the Vixens in the opening stages of the second quarter with a remarkable 5-0 to find themselves with a 16-12 lead, forcing Di Honey into her first tactical timeout of the contest to try and calm her troops.

The Vixens managed to score their first of the second term to end the Thunderbirds’ run, but they were unable to fully halt the momentum, as the likes of Latanya Wilson and Shamera Sterling-Humphrey began to dominate at the defensive end, while Georgie Horjus and Heffernan continued to run riot through the midcourt.

The margin continued to climb in favour of the Thunderbirds as van der Berg successfully converted her 21st shot from as many attempts to give her side a 23-16 advantage, forcing a rattled Vixens into their second tactical timeout of the term.

While the lead crept out to double digits as the TBirds made it 26-16 on the scoreboard, the Vixens soon found their way back into the contest, as Austin began to find her radar from range, cutting the margin to eight goals.

Lily Graham, on for Garbin, sunk her first Suncorp Super Shot soon after as the Vixens looked to have the momentum behind them heading into half time, getting to within seven goals, but the Thunderbirds soon put paid to the advances.

In the blink of an eye, it was back to a 10-goal margin, and 32-20 by half time, as the minor premiers capped a stunning 21-8 second term in style, and taking a commanding grip on the contest with half an hour to play.

As the second half got underway, the Vixens no doubt were looking to make a hot start and eat into the deficit, but it was the worst possible opening possession, as Sophie Casey claimed a mammoth intercept as the Thunderbirds extended the lead.

Wilson doubled the dose too, as the Thunderbirds raced out to a 15-goal advantage, and while the Vixens rallied, going goal-for-goal for much of the rest of the term, their attempt to cut into the lead with some long-range shooting in the power five was to no avail.

Three Austin Suncorp Super Shot attempts found the rim and lipped out, while van der Berg at the other end continued to shoot at 98 per cent efficiency, and the Thunderbirds maintained a 14-goal advantage as the clock ticked down.

It would be out to a 16-goal lead at the final break as the Thunderbirds sunk the final two goals of the term, both to van der Berg, the South African international with 42 goals to her name as her side entered the three-quarter time huddle with a 45-29 advantage.

The final 15 minutes were almost a procession for the Thunderbirds, too, as they romped to the huge victory, the 3000-strong travelling contingent of Adelaide fans growing louder with every passing minute.

With an eventual 21-goal margin, the Thunderbirds were able to soak in all of the atmosphere in the final few minutes with every player seeing the court.

“Each year SSN is really different, and to compare teams is really difficult,” Obst reflected after the game.

“But I think that this team this year - the adaptability, the flexibility, but also the competitive desire amongst the individuals and then collectively, has been something I don't think I've ever experienced before."

That competitive desire was seen across every line by the Thunderbirds, too.

Any of the players in pink would have been deserving of MVP status, but the honour had to go to Wilson, who was named Suncorp Player of the Match after a stunning performance in which she recorded a game-high 108 net points, three intercepts and seven gains, with her third term alone yielding a mammoth 52 net points.

Sterling-Humphrey was huge too, grabbing a game-high nine gains and a handy 71.5 net points, while van der Berg was utterly dominant under the post, shooting 51 of 52 attempts and racking up 97.5 net points.

Heffernan (11 goal assists, three intercepts and 68 net points) and Horjus (23 goal assists, 66 net points) were key pillars in the midcourt, too, winning the battle with the Vixens’ midcourt comprehensively.

Kate Eddy (64 net points) was the highest ranked Vixen on an otherwise tough night for the defending champions which saw them capture an unwanted slice of history, with their total of 40 goals a new lowest score in a Suncorp Super Netball Grand Final.

Vixens captain Moloney commended her side post game on another fine season despite the loss, making their third grand final in a row, however was frank in her assessment of her side's performance.

“To make three grand finals in a row, and to make five in seven years, is a pretty incredible feat,” Moloney said.

“Obviously, I think what hurts the most today is that the performance we put out there wasn't good enough for the people who turned up to watch as well.

"I think that's what hurts me the most, is we've got the most loyal supporters who come each and every week and to lose by 20 something goals is really tough.

"But to think that we've been consistently at the top is a credit to our club, to the organisation and what they put into it."