At the core of the Thunder’s campaign to beat the Carina Leagues Club Tigers to fourth position on the ladder is a player who started the year without a Sapphire team.
Michaela Kadlecek, 24, helped guide the Northern Mendi Rays to their first ever finals appearance in 2022, but the Rays’ omission from this season left the midcourter questioning the direction of her netball career.
“I took it as a year to focus on international netball, so Papua New Guinea, and was going to play AFL in Cairns, have a chillout year and just take it as it comes,” Kadlecek said.
“I was very lucky that Simone (Nalatu) called.”
Born in PNG, but raised and based in Cairns, Kadlecek debuted for her country at last year’s PacificAus Sports Netball Series in Sydney.
“I had goosebumps the whole time,” she said.
“It was very special connecting back to my country, a huge honour and the pinnacle of my career so far. International netball is at another level, the physicality goes up, the skills are crazy.”
It was her performance at this year’s PacificAus Sports Netball Series on the Gold Coast as captain of the Pepes that inspired Thunder coach Simone Nalatu to extend a lifeline to Kadlecek.
“With movement within the Lighting, Ava (Black) going up and injuries, it opened a door for me and I got the call up from Sim,” Kadlecek said.
“Sim asked me if I could fill in and it became a regular thing. I was so excited to be playing at that level again.”
Kadlecek has slotted in seamlessly, considering she only joins the Thunder on game days before returning to Cairns.
“The girls are so welcoming,” she said.
“I think it helps that most of the girls aren’t from Queensland - they’re from Victoria, New South Wales, Adelaide - and all lean on each other. The culture is great and similar to the Rays in the fact that people are coming from everywhere.”
The likeness between the Thunder and Rays extends beyond culture, with both sides experiencing a similar fight to make finals.
“I think we’re just building,” Kadlecek said when previewing the Thunder’s must-win round 14 game.
“It happened to the Rays last year, so we’re in the exact same position at the Thunder. It’s about positive vibes, we’re the underdogs I guess. We’ll go step-by-step through the process, and not go into panic mode.”
Regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s game, and the Thunder’s finals fortunes, Kadlecek is a household name at the local Cairns netball courts, where she continues to give back to the community she loves.
“It doesn’t happen automatically,” she said when asked about advice she’d share with the next generation.
"There are a lot of obstacles but keep going, and if you have to go through a different route or pathway, so be it. You have to work hard for it, especially up in North Queensland, and sometimes make big sacrifices, the big moves. If you put your mind to it, anything can happen.”
The HART Sapphire Series’ top three positions are already secure, with the TAE Aerospace Ipswich Jets and Titans dominating the majority of the season to each sit on 36 points, followed by the ACU Brisbane North Cougars on 28 points.
Should the Thunder beat the Titans, and the Tigers record an upset over the Jets, the fight for fourth place will come down to percentages as both teams have accrued 20 points on the ladder.
For a comprehensive draw and the HART Sapphire Series ladder, please click HERE.
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Round 14, July 9
TAE Aerospace Ipswich Jets v Carina Leagues Club Tigers
3pm Sapphire, 5pm Ruby
