After winning premierships last year at both a national level with Victorian Fury in the Australian Netball League as well as locally with Seymour in the Goulburn Valley League, McDonald later joined Super Netball outfit Melbourne Vixens as a training partner ahead of the 2020 season.
But the COVID-19 pandemic threw up both hurdles and opportunities for McDonald, who relocated to a Queensland hub to join her Vixens teammates for this season's Super Netball competition.
From making her debut with the Vixens, to capping off the year by winning the Super Netball premiership, McDonald has shown she has what it takes to match it with the best in the country.
“I am so excited to be joining the Thunderbirds. I am really grateful to get this opportunity and can’t wait to see what the team can do,” McDonald told adelaidethunderbirds.com.au
“I was over the moon to see that (head coach) Tania (Obst) had reached out to me. It was great to chat with her and get some insight about her vision for the upcoming season and it made me keen to be a part of it.
“I have always really enjoyed coming to Adelaide as I have played netball here before. I am looking forward to this new adventure and can’t wait get to know the girls.”
Thunderbirds’ high performance manager Pitre Bourdon said the club was thrilled to welcome McDonald to the club.
“Elle’s an incredibly versatile player with strong netball smarts. We love that she has the ability to play all three midcourt positions and gives us great flexibility,” Bourdon said.
The Thunderbirds finished seventh in the 2020 Super Netball competition, with their last premiership back in 2013 during the ANZ Championship era.
