Tara Hinchliffe made her senior debut in 2018 with Queensland Firebirds in Round One and in the same year followed this with national representation, winning a bronze medal with the Australian team in the Fast5 World Series. This development went to the next stage in 2022 where she captained the first ever Australian team to win a gold medal at the Fast5 Netball World Series.
Possessing talent in spades, Hinchliffe received numerous accolades in her time at the Firebirds, including 2019 Spirit Award and finished equal third in the Player of the Year award in 2020 and held a team leadership role of Vice Captain. Hinchliffe suffered a rupture ACL in 2021 but following a diligent rehabilitation, returned to the court with her new club in 2022 in full force and had a stellar season. Her on and off court leadership potential was acknowledged through the honour of being named as co Vice Captain of the Sunshine Coast Lightning for the 2022 and 2023 season and receiving the recipient of the Coaches’ Award at their 2022 Gala.
She is a powerful defender with strong intercepting instincts which was acknowledged in her elevation to the Australian Diamonds Squad in January 2023 to take part in the International Quad Series hosted by South Africa ahead of the 2023 World Cup. Experiencing another unfortunate ACL rupture in the preseason competition before the 2023 season began, she is helping to lead her team from the sidelines while she rehabs to come back stronger again in 2024.
Off court, Tara is pursuing a career in Psychology and currently works for BUSHKids, a non for profit organisation that targets early intervention in childhood development delays.
