Versatile midcourter Tayla Fraser is back home with the NSW Swifts after two seasons with the Melbourne Mavericks, rejoining the side with renewed confidence, leadership, and attacking drive.
After five seasons, two premierships, and a grand final appearance, Fraser stepped away from the Swifts at the end of 2023 in search of a new challenge.
“It was hard, I won’t lie, but it was definitely the right decision at the time.”
Tayla Fraser spent plenty of time at wing defence at Swifts. Image: Danny Dalton | Tah Dah Sports
Doing Netball Differently
Growing up through the Netball New South Wales pathway, Fraser has traditionally starred in wing attack and centre. In her later years at the Swifts, she had been playing a lot of wing defence, sitting behind both Maddy Proud and Paige Hadley, which ultimately led to her move down to Melbourne.
“I just wanted to go out there [as a Maverick] and see if I could put my hat in the ring and if I could get a bit more experience in centre and wing attack.”
As an inaugural member of the Melbourne Mavericks franchise in 2024, Fraser played a key part in developing the club and its culture from the ground up.
“At the Mavericks, the focus was on doing netball differently.
“We wanted to nurture [the typical fan base] but we also wanted to bring more new faces into netball and introduce our excellent game to more fans.”
One way that this vision came to life was through collaboration between SEN (Sydney Entertainment Network) management and the Mavericks squad.
“Shae Bolton-Brown and Amy Parmenter were excellent at creating a connection between SEN and the Mavericks team. They wanted us to leave our mark on the team and the club as a whole.”
Another way was to draw on the wealth of experience that the contracted athletes at the Mavericks brought to the club.
“I feel like that created an environment where we could all add our little titbits. We came from different clubs and took things we wanted to do differently. The professionalism of the Swifts and the way that it creates leaders in sport. I really liked the idea of being able to create that at the Mavericks,” Fraser said.
“I also wanted to bring real connection with community and fans. I think Swifts do that really well. We have a really great Swifts family, as we like to call it. I wanted to bring that little part and connect with our community in Melbourne and Victoria and have a really strong Mavericks family.”
Tayla Fraser made the move to Mavericks. Image Hannah Howard/On the Ball Media
Back in Red
Fraser describes her time at the Mavericks as a turning point in her career.
“I’m not so much just the young impact player anymore.”
Despite the positives of this experience, Fraser made the move back home to the NSW Swifts at the end of the 2025 season. The move was instigated by her passion for the club “that never went away”, as well as her partner receiving a well-timed job opportunity back in Sydney.
“I’m really family orientated, so it’s nice to be back with my family.”
Stronger and wiser, Fraser brings with her new confidence and knowledge into the Swifts environment. One key takeaway from her time at the Mavericks is “the idea of being a leader without a title.”
“At the Mavericks, because we all came in brand new, there was nothing established. We all got to stand up and bring our own special leadership flair.
“Heading into the Swifts, I now have that title in the leadership group, but I feel like that I probably earned that role by coming in and being really okay with who I am and what I bring to the team. I didn’t need to try and be anyone else.”
This manifests as a greater sense of freedom with the ball and creativity on court.
“Swifts are very clinical and very safe with ball, which is probably more traditionally my style of play coming up through the Netball New South Wales pathway. But now I have the freedom to do something that might be a little out of character if it benefits the team.”
This is also reinforced by the Swifts’ need to keep “evolving” to “keep teams guessing”, as well as her teammates, Gina Crampton and Grace Nweke, who bring a New Zealand twist to the attacking end.
“The traditional Australian style of play is a lot of changing direction, a lot of running, a lot of movement. Whereas Gina is about working off the body and finding the body, as well as different types of tempos.”
Tayla Fraser cheering on from the sidelines. Image Marcela Massey.
Driven by Legacy
The transition back into the red dress has been smooth for Fraser. In 2026, the club announced her as a member of the leadership trio consisting of Maddy Turner and Helen Housby. Complementary to Turner and Housby, Fraser’s role enables her to live out her
passion for embodying the Swifts’ motto, Inspired By History, Driven By Legacy.
“My role is called Club Captain, which means that I am between the senior squad of the Swifts and the Academy. My job is to bring them together and create a really strong one club mentality.
“I think there’s so much talent coming out of New South Wales, and I would love to see that continue to thrive. And in my role, it’s about creating a two-way conversation between them. We get a lot of young girls coming into our training to help us with match play or just help us with training. So, creating a welcoming and exciting environment for them [is an important part of my role].”
Now back home, Fraser is focused on creating a space where others can feel that same sense of home in red.
“I’m very happy to be back in red. I feel like I’m home.”
Tay Fraser and Georgia Horjus attack the ball. Image May Bailey
