The AO Thunder Way: In Conversation with Karen Greig Ahead of the New Season

Last season didn’t end the way we wanted it to. The 2025 Netball Super League campaign was one of disruption as much as determination. Injuries hit key areas. Pregnancy reshaped combinations. The league itself stepped further into its professional era, raising expectations across the board. AO Thunder stayed competitive, stayed in the fight, but ultimately fell short of the final. For a club built on lifting trophies, that stings.

So as the new NSL season approaches, we sat down with Head Coach Karen Greig to understand what comes next and what fans should expect from AO Manchester Thunder in 2026.

“The end goal is to win,” she says, without hesitation. It’s not said for effect. It’s just the standard. Even in what she describes as a challenging pre-season, that expectation hasn’t shifted. The squad has had a fragmented build up, with international commitments from the England Roses and SPAR Proteas, and new combinations limiting time together with the addition of Sophie Fawns from the SSN and the return of Thunder legend Eleanor Cardwell.

Karen is realistic about the opening rounds. Connections, particularly in attack, will need to settle. “It’s really all about finding our feet in those first few rounds,” she explains. Doing the basics properly, owning centre passes and making smart decisions. AO Thunder won’t pretend to be perfect from week one, but they will demand intent.

However there’s stability in key areas. The defensive unit now has a season together and that cohesion matters. In attack, recruitment has been deliberate. Options have been strengthened. Depth has been considered carefully after last year’s disruptions. AO Thunder have never been a club that chases change for the sake of it and consistency remains part of our identity.

And identity is something Karen returns to often. She has been part of AO Manchester Thunder since 2001. Player. Captain. Assistant coach. Now head coach entering her tenth season in charge. Through all the evolution of the league and the club, she believes one thing hasn’t moved. “The fact that we do want to win is key,” she says. Even in rebuilding years, the standards stayed high. “We go out to win every game and leave no stone unturned.”

For Karen, that goes deeper than results. “I think for us, it’s about having those standards, the qualities, our expectations of one another, and knowing that as a group, whether that’s a player, a coach or a staff member, we always hold ourselves accountable to what we’re actually doing, but we also have fun.”

That balance is central to The AO Thunder Way. “I think that’s really important, that we can do it with a smile on our faces. That culture piece, the expectation away from the court and what that looks like, is just as important. When you’re building a squad, you’ve got to have players who embrace what AO Manchester Thunder is really about and that AO Thunder Way.”

That culture is reinforced by the pathway. Seventy percent of the squad have come through the Thunder system in the North West. Karen coached many of them as teenagers. They understand the badge because they grew up chasing it. There is, she says, “a real opportunity to play for AO Manchester Thunder in the Super League” and this group is proof of that.

The professional era of the NSL adds another layer. “We’re not just here to play netball. This is our job,” Karen says. Expectations have sharpened. Preparation is more detailed. Accountability is constant.

So what should fans expect this season?

A team that competes with edge. A group that has learned from last year’s setbacks. A squad that blends Northern loyalty with modern performance standards. And above all, a Manchester Thunder side that refuses to let its standards slip.

The aim hasn’t changed. We are AO Thunder through and through.

Make sure you buy your tickets to watch us this season – click here.