Sunshine Girl Malysha Kelly is set to take up a one-year contract with England franchise Manchester Thunder ahead of the 2016 Vitality Netball Super League.

Kelly will join up with the Black and Yellows as the team’s second import player joining New Zealand mid-court player Liana Leota at Thunder. The goal defender/goalkeeper will also be the third Sunshine Girl to be playing in the European country, joining Shanice Beckford and Nicole Dixon who were earlier drafted to the college set-up. 

The 26-year-old, who made her Sunshine Girls debut in 2008, missed the cut for the World Cup in Sydney, Australia, in the summer due to a knee injury, but has since recovered in time to complete the Dan Ryan-coached Thunders squad.

“I wasn’t at the World Cup and that was very disappointing, however, I never stopped working… I kept working on my game to get my knee better. I have been playing business house for Scotia, and I guess they (scouts) saw what was going on and they were more interested in getting me over there to play for them,” Kelly told journalists at a press briefing for the Golden Cleats Awards at ScotiaCentre yesterday.

 “I am happy that it happened because it is something that I always wanted to do and finally it is here and I am just going to embrace it and hope for the best in the season,” she added.

The 6ft 1in player, who has 54 international caps to her name, played an integral role in the Sunshine Girls claiming bronze at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. She also captained the national side during their tour to England in 2014.

Even though the terms of the contract have not yet been finalised, the experienced defender is determined to give her all with hopes of inking a new contract at the end of the season, as she is uncertain about getting back into the Sunshine Girls team.

“I am just taking it one step at a time and right now I am just concentrating on playing for them (Thunders) and getting back into game mode, as I usually have. If I come back home next year, I will definitely think about it (playing for Sunshine Girls),” she noted.

A graduate of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Kelly recently completed her master’s degree in marketing at the Mona School of Business and is now ready to dedicate time to playing.

“I just finished studying; just graduated, so I am not looking to do any studying anytime soon. I am not saying that I won’t, but for now it is just netball,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

Now awaiting details about her departure, Kelly is eager to join Beckford and Dixon, but this time on the opposite sides of the court as they are scheduled to oppose each other twice in the season.

“They know that I am coming already and they are looking forward for me to be there, and even though we are not going to be in the same area we play each other twice, so we will be seeing each other twice.”