ADELAIDE, Australia, CMC – Champions Adelaide Thunderbirds boosted their chances of retaining their Super Netball League title with the signing of the Jamaica international pair of highly-rated defender Shamera Sterling-Humphrey and stalwart goal shooter Romelda Aiken-George.
The T-birds announced that Sterling-Humphrey will wear their pink tunics for another three seasons until 2026, and Aiken-George will continue her impressive career at the club, signing up for next season.
Sterling-Humphrey will be entering her sixth season with the T-birds on the back of the club’s first title in a decade and her being named the league’s Most Valuable Player after she proved throughout the past season why she is considered one of the best defenders in the sport.
“Shamera has grown immensely during her time with the club and proved yet again what she’s capable of in our premiership season,” T-birds’ high-performance manager Pitre Bourdon said. “She stepped into a leadership role in 2023 and led our defensive end to new heights and successes.
“Securing Shamera on a three-year deal is exciting for the club and will extend her tenure with the Thunderbirds to eight seasons. We look forward to welcoming her back to Adelaide and working with her to build on what we achieved in 2023.”
During the past season, Sterling-Humphrey topped the league with an incredible 46 intercepts and 118 deflections and was second for defensive rebounds with 38.
She appeared in the Team-of-the-Round on seven occasions and was named goalkeeper in the league’s Team-of-the-Year.
This will be the third club for Aiken-George following stints with the Queensland Firebirds from 2008 to 2022 and the New South Wales Swifts, where she was initially signed as a training partner this past season before she helped to anchor them to a berth in the Grand Final, where the T-birds beat them.
Bourdon said Aiken-George will offer a great target to post with her long reach and elevation and will look to provide some much-needed experience to a youthful – but exciting – T-birds attacking end.
“Romelda has been one of the game’s best shooting targets for over a decade, and she proved that once again during the 2023 season,” Bourdon said.
“She brings significant experience to our relatively young attack end and consistently delivers high volume under the post.”
The signings of Sterling-Humphrey and Aiken-George mean that three Jamaicans will be part of the T-birds’ squad, with defender Latanya Wilson also putting her signature to a new deal.
and then 