Basketball: Taylor Pettit returns to Tamworth Thunderbolts

Not from her work, at Manilla Central School as a teacher's aide, but from sport.

The 26-year-old has spent more than half of her life deeply entrenched in the local sporting scene, initially through the Tamworth Thunderbolts before her code switch to AFL and the Tamworth Swans two years ago.

But this year, Pettit said, she and her husband, Harrison, had mutually agreed to take the season off.

"My husband and I are renovating our house," Pettit said.

"So we said 'We'll take a year off sport to help renovate the house'. And then I got drawn into basketball."

Shortly after the pair elected to focus on upgrading their home, Pettit attended the Thunderbolts women's game against Coffs Harbour in April.

Having taken up basketball at the age of 11, she had played every season until joining the Tamworth Swans in 2021.

But, much to her surprise, Pettit found the experience of sitting in the bleachers while the Tamworth women played nigh intolerable.

"It was really hard to sit and watch," she said.

"I really just wanted to play, so I thought 'Maybe I can make a comeback'."

By the time the Thunderbolts next played in Tamworth, against Lismore on May 20, Pettit was back in the blue jersey and in the midst of finding her rhythm on court again.

Those two years away, however, had changed Pettit more than she had realised.

"When I look back at old Taylor playing, I was very, very competitive and took it very seriously," she said.

"I got quite upset when things didn't go the right way. But now, joining this team and being one of the older players and having children, I'm more level-headed ... I think it helps with patience."

Having matured in her time away, Pettit had become exactly the sort of addition the team needed.

With a side full of young, energetic, but inexperienced players, Pettit's previous experience in state league teams is invaluable to the Thunderbolts, and she was happy to take on a senior role in the team.

"They were lacking a little bit of an old soul, leadership, and I thought I could help them," she said.

And though she felt "a little bit guilty" after returning to sport shortly after agreeing to take the year away, Harrison was nothing but supportive of her decision to sign up.

"He's always been one of my biggest supporters," Pettit said.

"If there's something I want to do, he's always like 'Go for it, we'll figure it out'. He tries to get to every game, and he brings the kids along. It's great."

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