Eleanor Cardwell

English goal shooter nicknamed 'The Claw', a five-time Netball Super League champion who was named Grand Final MVP on her Australian Super Netball debut.

Eleanor Cardwell was born on 11 November 1994 in Blackpool. She began her Manchester Thunder career as a defender before Tracey Neville encouraged her to switch to shooting ahead of the 2015 Super League season, a conversion that transformed her career, earning her the nickname 'The Claw' for her powerful catching style. Cardwell made her England debut in 2016 against Northern Ireland and went on to earn more than 70 caps, playing at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and forming part of the history-making England squad that reached the country's first-ever Netball World Cup final in 2023, winning silver in Cape Town. In 2023 she moved to Australia's Adelaide Thunderbirds, winning the Suncorp Super Netball premiership in extra time in her debut season and being named Grand Final MVP after shooting 92% accuracy including five Super Shots. Domestically, Cardwell has won five Netball Super League titles with Manchester Thunder (2012, 2014, 2019, 2022 and 2026), also playing for Severn Stars and reuniting with Tracey Neville at the inaugural Melbourne Mavericks in 2024, before a serious meniscus injury sidelined her for the entire 2025 season. She returned to Manchester Thunder for 2026, helping the club win a fifth Super League title, and is a prominent advocate for women's sports bra education through her partnership with NETBALLHer.

Powerful, accurate shooter renowned for her strength, reach and composure under pressure, equally effective at goal shooter and goal attack

One of England's most decorated domestic shooters, celebrated for reinventing herself from defender to elite goal shooter and for her advocacy work in women's sport

• World Cup Silver 2023
• 5x Netball Super League title winner (Manchester Thunder)
• Suncorp Super Netball Premiership 2023 (Grand Final MVP)
• Advocate for women's sports bra education