Another player to step-up from the Netball World Youth Cup 2005 gold medal-winning NZ U21 team, Canterbury utility Anna Thompson made her Silver Ferns debut in 2009.

Primarily a goal attack early in her career, Thompson built up a strong pedigree after five years of playing in the National Bank Cup and for NZA, which was transferred into the ANZ Championship.

While not the tallest of shooters, Thompson had a great sense of timing, ability to read play and precision off-loads.

A dedicated trainer, Thompson was a well-drilled attacking player through her consistently strong movement when driving forward while also a fine ball handler and distributor.

With the changing nature of the game, Thompson eventually moved into the midcourt, where she played with great effectiveness, later in her career for the Mainland Tactix.