Like many before her Thea grew up playing in a boys team
plying her trade on the right wing, but transitioned into a central defender at 18.
Thea won the first of her 51 caps off the bench against the might of the US in 2002 and her career took her to both the 2004 Olympics & 2007 World Cup and to be one of the first Australians to play in the USA National League.