Netball Super League | Caroline O’Hanlon extends Manchester Thunder stay

Caroline O'Hanlon of Manchester Thunder.

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - JANUARY 05: Caroline O'Hanlon of thunder in action during the match between Saracens Mavericks and Manchester Thunder during the Vitality Netball Superleague Super 10 at Arena Birmingham on January 5, 2019 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images for England Netball)

Northern Ireland captain Caroline O’Hanlon has re-signed for a fourth season at Manchester Thunder.

The mid-courter joined the club in 2016 from Strathclyde Sirens and went onto win her first Vitality Netball Superleague title two years later.

O’Hanlon has now committed her coveted services to the Manchester outfit for the fourth successive season and will compete for the champions in their 2021 campaign.

The 36-year-old, who also plays top level Gaelic football and works as a doctor, arrived in the VNSL with Team Northumbria in 2014 before joining Sirens and most recently Thunder.

She has also enjoyed a stellar international career reaching back as far as 2002 when she competed for Northern Ireland in her first Netball World Cup. She then went on to compete in the same events in 2011 and again in 2019 where she captained the team.

We are excited to announce that we have re-signed our Northern Irish powerhouse @cohanlon9 for the 2021 season! 🍀

To read the full article, visit https://t.co/3oOK4MFJCP 💪.#manchesterthunder #manchester #netball pic.twitter.com/vL7yCjvQ6j

— Manchester Thunder (@thundernetball) September 22, 2020

O’Hanlon has also competed in the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games and was a member of the Northern Ireland teams that were silver medallists at the 2012 and 2017 European Netball Championships.

On her return to Thunder, O’Hanlon said: “This year has been a really difficult time for the whole community and I have really missed playing netball but as we begin to get back on court cautiously.

“I am really looking forward to seeing what this Manchester Thunder group can achieve. We’ve got some really exciting young talent coming into the squad and we promise that we’ll work as hard as we can to ensure that we defend our Superleague title.”

Manchester Thunder Head Coach and Director of Netball, Karen Greig, said: “I am so happy to have Caroline back on board. She has been an integral part of our squad over the past three years and is a strong and powerful centre who has dominated in our centre court and created great partnerships with those around her.

“Her game over the last three seasons has developed especially in her defensive efforts, I am excited to see what she will bring this season as she is more determined than ever. Caroline has a formidable mindset that accounts for her longevity in the sport and she represents a figure for any aspiring sportswoman to emulate.

“In every training session and every match, she strives to be better than the last and her desire to win the Superleague in the Black and Yellow dress is brilliant to see.”

O’Hanlon joins Berri Neil and Lois Pearson in Manchester Thunder’s 2021 squad after the young attacking duo were announced as part of their squad of 10 earlier this month.

Just like Caroline O’Hanlon, you can become part of the Manchester Thunder family by buying the club’s 2021 membership.

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