Captaincy trio to lead Tamworth Thunderbolts women on return

This Saturday will mark the return of the Thunderbolts women after more than three years off the court.

In a team sport with just five members in play at any one time, having a trio of captains may seem excessive. But Thunderbolts head coach, Tony Higgins, said there was good reason for the decision.

"The reason we went with three captains is availability, the impact of COVID-19, and [players committed to] different sports," Higgins said.

"Our three captains were selected for many varying reasons, including what they can bring to the team on and off the court."

Though Watson is arguably the most experienced of the trio, she admitted that she is "pretty nervous" ahead of the team's first game.

"But I'm really excited at the same time," she said.

"It's a long time coming and we've been training for the last eight months now, so we're really excited to kick off and start playing."

After three years without a women's side in any Waratah League competition, the Thunderbolts are tempering expectations on their return to the senior women's division.

Higgins said the focus for 2022 will be to establish a team culture, develop the players' skills, and renew interest in women's basketball locally.

"We haven't had a state league women's team for three seasons now," Higgins said.

"We're committed to improving these girls and getting Tamworth back to the stature it should be in women's basketball.

"It's going to take a bit of time ... but Tamworth basketball is providing a wonderful opportunity to the local juniors. It gives them hope that when they finish junior rep level, there's still something available for them."

The team is expecting a trial by fire tomorrow with two matches against the Goulburn Bears, to be followed on Sunday by a clash against the Canberra Nationals Academy - the two top-ranked teams in the competition.

Though Higgins knows Goulburn is "quite strong" and will prove difficult first-up opponents, Watson believes the Thunderbolts have the talent to be competitive this year.

"Obviously everything's a little unknown, because we're not sure about the different teams we'll be playing,

"But I think we're going to do quite well. We've got a young squad behind us, so I see them doing pretty well."

Though she admitted that Tamworth's on-court knowledge will need to catch up to their opponents, Watson believes the side's youth and fitness can make up for shortfalls in experience.

The Thunderbolts women will get their season underway from 2pm tomorrow with the first game against Goulburn at the Hawkesbury Indoor Stadium in Sydney.

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