Cover image: Shaun Sharp
It’s time for us once again at Netball Scoop to present the results of our annual World’s Best Netballer poll. 10 people (a mix of Netball Scoop’s writers and some guest pundits) nominate their top five players of the past year on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis. Then, the votes are tallied up.
This year’s voting panel:
Kate Cornish (Netty Life Podcast)
Georgia Doyle (Netball Scoop)
Sue Gaudion (Fox Netball)
Tamsin Greenway (London Mavericks & Sky Sports UK)
Ian Harkin (Netball Scoop)
Michael Hutchinson (Netball Scoop)
Tobey Keddy (Netball Scoop)
Katrina Nissen (Netball Scoop)
Jenny Sinclair (Netball Scoop)
Bridget Tunnicliffe (RNZ journalist)
There’s a slightly different look to our poll this year. Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, a regular in the top five, missed most of the year due to pregnancy, therefore ruling her out of contention. We’re sure she’ll be back. There were still many fine performances to choose from, and a few new faces polling well. In all, 13 players received votes from our judges, with five of them receiving top picks. Once again, it must be pointed out that there are some top athletes this year who didn’t get a single vote. That shouldn’t be seen as a judgement that they had poor years. It just means that our judges felt there were other players who deserved to go ahead of them for 2025.
Read on to see our top six players for 2025, and if you scroll further, you will see the final vote tally, and also find out our Men’s netballer of the Year…
Image: Aliesha Vicars.
6th – GRACE NWEKE
The past year is certainly one that New Zealand goal shooter Grace Nweke won’t forget in a hurry. In many ways, she was the face of 2025, involved in so many pivotal moments.
It all started with her decision to go against Netball New Zealand’s eligibility rules and head to Australia. It was a big call, as at the time, the decision meant she would be unable to play for the Silver Ferns in 2025. Her debut season at the NSW Swifts had its ups and downs. She started powerfully, dominating opposition defences from the start as the Swifts won their first eight games. Unfortunately, the team then faltered in the second half of the season. Nweke’s form was still strong, but Swifts were hampered by uncertainty in the midcourt, particularly the unavailability of Paige Hadley for some matches.
They eventually fell at the Preliminary Final stage, beaten in a thriller by eventual champions, the Melbourne Vixens. Nweke received some criticism for a moment of indecision at the death in that game, but the simple fact is this – without her, the Swifts would never have made it to a Preliminary Final. She finished the season with 794 goals, second only to Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard.
At the conclusion of the club season, Netball New Zealand relaxed their hard line stance on players heading overseas, so Nweke was able to play for the Silver Ferns. At the same time, Dame Noeline Taurua was sensationally stood down from the New Zealand head coaching position. Nweke was given the honour of captaincy in the final test against South Africa, and to the approval of many fans, she departed from post-match formalities to give an emotional message of support for Taurua.
Following a 3-0 result against the Proteas, it was on to the Constellation Cup against Australia. After two heavy defeats in Australia, the Silver Ferns reversed the result when they played at home. In the fourth test, Nweke was simply outstanding, finishing with 56/59 and without a single turnover. With the series finishing 2-2, it was off to the first ever Series Decider Time, which the Diamonds eventually won 12-11. Once again, Nweke was involved in an incident in the final seconds as New Zealand looked for an equalising goal. She went up for a ball with Australian defender Sunday Aryang who unfortunately landed awkwardly, suffering a serious knee injury. Nweke was clearly upset, worried that she had contributed to the injury, before being comforted by the Australian players.
The Ferns’ final test of the international season was the deciding test against England, and we saw another side to Nweke’s game. Heavily marked, she took the attention away from goal attack Georgia Heffernan and gave Heffernan the confidence to take a greater role. The combination between the two proved to be a winning one. Nweke has packed so much into her career already, it’s easy to forget that she is still only 23. Her incredible strength, elevation, and positioning, mean there are surely many years of dominance to come for her. She is only going to get better with more experience, including another season in Super Netball in 2026.
Tamsin Greenway – “To see Grace Nweke play live this season against England was incredible. Her strength under the post, composure in the circle when put under all kinds of defensive pressure and her leadership at such a young age is frightening for all other nations. What’s impressed me most is how quickly she is improving on her movement, offloads, athletic ability on the take and her ball handling. She will be dominating that circle for years to come.”
The impressive elevation of Grace Nweke. May Bailey | Clusterpix Photography
5th – JAMIE-LEE PRICE
Jamie-Lee Price’s stature in netball continues to grow, and in 2025, she was rewarded with the ultimate prize for Australian netballers; the Liz Ellis Diamond. She is currently regarded as one of the best midcourters in the world, and is no doubt one of the first players picked for the Diamonds.
For much of 2025, the Giants struggled in Suncorp Super Netball. But that was no fault of Price who was consistently one of the best players in an underperforming team. Price finished the season with the fifth highest average Net Points score and the third highest average number of feeds. Showing how important she was to the team, she was also the leading player in the competition in terms of second phase receives. Although Giants didn’t make the playoffs, they finished the season well. In the last round, they had a dominant 15-goal win over Mavericks, with Price racking up an incredible 26 assists and 45 feeds as they sent coach Julie Fitzgerald out a winner.
While she spent most of her time in Super Netball in the centre position, 2025 was the year when Price seemingly cemented her position as Australia’s first choice wing defence at international level. During the seven tests Australia played, Price was on court more than any other Diamonds player; 395 minutes out of a possible 434. She spent only 37 minutes at centre, but 358 minutes at wing defence, and the Diamonds team consistently looked stronger with Price in that position. Her great strength is the ability to not just shut down opposition wing attacks through relentless defence, but also use her experience as an attacking player in bringing the ball down court safely.
2026 brings new challenges for Price. Her entire time in Super Netball has been at the Giants under the coaching of Fitzgerald, but now she heads to Melbourne to play for the Mavericks under their new coach Gerard Murphy. There she will reunite with former Giants teammate Amy Parmenter. With Molly Jovic on the list as well, it is on paper at least, one of the best midcourts in the league. And of course she will be a key player as Australia tries to retain their Commonwealth Games title.
Jaimie Lee-Price in full flight. Image: Shaun Sharp
4th – KATE MOLONEY
What an amazing year 2025 was for Australian midcourter, Kate Moloney! She ends it as Suncorp Super Netball’s premiership winning captain and also Australia’s International Player of the Year.
On Sunday, May 18, Moloney’s Melbourne Vixens team put in a lacklustre effort as they went down by 12 goals to the Sunshine Coast Lightning at home. At that stage, they had won just two of their opening six matches, looked off the pace, and a premiership looked out of the question. At the post-match press conference, Moloney sat next to her coach Simone McKinnis who announced she was stepping down at season’s end. Regarding Vixens’ flat performances to that point, McKinnis famously said “Maybe we just need to go to the pub.”
That match seemed to be the turning point for the Vixens as they began to play with greater freedom from that point on. Seemingly playing for their departing coach, they won their next five matches and nine out of 11 to claim an unbelievable Super Netball title. And right at the heart of Vixens’ resurgence was Moloney. Her inspirational leadership and her brand of tough, relentless netball, was crucial as Vixens won match after match under immense pressure. Moloney’s ability to lift those around her and bring the best out of her teammates is an underrated quality. Displaying an incredible will to win, Vixens’ last six victories for the season were by margins of two, three, two, two, one and one. That culminated in a thrilling grand final win against the heavily favoured minor premiers, the West Coast Fever.
After success with the Vixens, it was on to the international season, and with Paige Hadley unavailable due to pregnancy, it was Moloney who stepped into the centre position. And what a job she did. She was consistently one of the Diamonds’ best in their seven matches, exemplified by her performance in the second Constellation Cup test in Melbourne, where she had 22 assists, one gain, one pickup, and zero turnovers! If she continues with the form she showed in 2025, Moloney is set for another big year with both Vixens and Australia.
Kate Cornish – “In 2025, Kate Moloney was in career-best form, excelling both internationally and domestically. As captain, Moloney steered the Vixens through a mid-season slump and into an extraordinary grand final triumph, upsetting favourites West Coast Fever. Her leadership was pivotal, her work rate relentless, and her influence unmistakable. That impact this season was recognised with Australian International Player of the Year honours, and her performances surely places her among the first Diamonds selected for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. In the latter stages of her career, Moloney has elevated her game to new heights.”
Georgia Doyle – “The back end of the season makes it hard to look past Kate Moloney as the best for 2025. Not only was her on court performance seemingly up another level, but her leadership of the Vixens was imperative during several must-win games, then in the Grand Final where she played the perfect captain’s game. Following on to the international season, she was one of the Diamonds most consistent, not only in terms of court time but also performance. Despite various attacking and defensive combinations around her, she was steady, and safe with ball in hand across all seven international matches.”
Captain Kate Moloney led Vixens to a stunning Super Netball victory in 2025. Image: May Bailey-Ireland | Clusterpix
3rd – MADDY GORDON
Maddy Gordon has well and truly established herself as one of the leading midcourters in world netball. Able to play all three positions, but particularly strong at centre and wing attack, she seemed to take her game to a whole new level in the past 12 months.
First up for Gordon in 2025 was the ANZ Premiership season. Ultimately, it was disappointment for Gordon’s Pulse team as they made the top three but could progress no further, defeated by eventual winners, the Tactix. However, the end of the domestic season was a pointer to the future. Having played overwhelmingly in the centre position for the first eight rounds, Gordon was moved to wing attack in round nine and she starred. In Pulse’s final three matches of the season, Gordon spent all but seven minutes at wing attack and averaged 23 goal assists per game.
Gordon’s versatility once again came to the fore in New Zealand’s international season, as she spent time in all three midcourt positions. However, some of her best performances once again seemed to come when she was shifted to wing attack. That was the case in the Constellation Cup. Having lost the first two tests badly in Australia, her move from centre to wing attack just before half time in the third test in Hamilton, sparked a big form reversal. The precision of her feeding was decisive as the Ferns dominated the third quarter and went on to win.
The story was the same in the fourth test. Trailing at half time, Gordon was moved from centre to wing attack and had an astonishing 13 assists in the final quarter as the Ferns levelled the series 2-2. Unfortunately, she had to leave the court with cramp just before full time, meaning she was watching from the side lines when the Series Decider Time played out in Australia’s favour. To end the season, Gordon played all 180 minutes against the Roses, and was voted Player of the Series, after racking up an incredible 71 assists from both centre and wing attack.
It will be a big change of scenery in 2026 as Gordon is one of several New Zealand players heading to Australia to play Suncorp Super Netball. Along with fellow Silver Fern Kelly Jackson, Gordon is moving from Pulse to the Queensland Firebirds. It will be interesting to see how she adjusts to a new competition and a new team, but there is no reason to suggest that she won’t be a dominant force in the league. 2026 also brings the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and Gordon will clearly be one of the most important players as New Zealand attempts to take gold for the first time in 16 years.
Katrina Nissen – “It’s hard to be the best in the world at two positions but Maddy Gordon could be vying for that title. She was by far the Silver Ferns most consistent feeder throughout their international season and they played with more fluidity when she was on court while their structures fell apart when she was off. Her ability to change direction on a dime and switch up her speed when needed was a large part of why she is so hard to defend. Add to that her safe hands and precise feeds and she becomes one of the most invaluable members of the Silver Ferns front end.”
Bridget Tunnicliffe – “You can put Maddy Gordon in any midcourt position and she is world class. She had another strong season for the Pulse in the ANZ Premiership and was the Silver Ferns’ most consistent player across the international window. In the final Test of the series against South Africa, Gordon pulled off a match-winning intercept at wing defence. In the Constellation Cup, she was excellent at both centre and wing attack, and was named MVP in the third Test. Gordon then claimed MVP in the second Test against Scotland, having only played half a game at wing attack. Then she finished the year by being named Player of the Series against England.”
Maddy Gordon had a tremendous year for the Pulse and the Silver Ferns. Image: Graeme Laughton-Mutu
2nd – JHANIELE FOWLER-NEMBHARD
Well, what more needs to be said about Jamaican goal shooter, Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard. She will go down as one of the best ever, and 2025 was another brilliant year to add to her illustrious career in netball.
2025 start tragically however. In the off-season, Fowler-Nembhard suffered the heartbreak of miscarriage, and it was purely with the support of West Coast Fever (and cheered on by the wider netball family) that she was able to make a return to the court in round three of Suncorp Super Netball. And what a return. She shot 59/61 and was named Player of the Match as Fever toppled Melbourne Vixens by 10 goals.
Fowler-Nembhard’s worth to the team was well demonstrated by what followed. In her absence, Fever had lost the first two rounds by a combined 31 goals and were sitting last on the ladder, but her return saw Fever go on a 13-match unbeaten run. She shot 66/68 as Fever demolished Swifts by 32 goals in the Major Semi-Final to book themselves a spot in the Grand Final. Ultimately, the season would end in disappointment as Vixens held on to beat Fever by a single goal in an incredible match. Despite the loss, Fowler-Nembhard was still able to shoot a flawless 51/51.
Given all she’s achieved, it’s hard to believe, but Fowler-Nembhard may have actually improved in 2025. She was incredibly fit, athletic, and her scoring dominance was astounding. Even though she gave other shooters two games head start, Fowler-Nembhard still finished the Super Netball season as the leading goal scorer with 841. That works out to be 60.07 goals per game. Overall, she shot at 96.89% and that includes shooting 7/18 from super shot territory. Her percentage from closer to the post was 98.12%, which means just one miss from every 50 attempts. And such is her rebounding prowess, she was almost certain to rebound that one miss!
After such a strong season, it was no surprise to see Fowler-Nembhard reclaim the Super Netball Player of the Year crown again in the Australian Netball Awards. And more good news was to follow with the announcement that she is expecting a child in 2026.
Sue Gaudion – “Complete transformation at the age of 36. Incredible return to the court after heart breaking circumstances to stamp her authority in her return game with an MVP performance! Whilst we didn’t see her in 2025 on the International stage, her domestic season was up there with one of if not her best ever, topped with a record sixth SSN Player of the Year award.”
Jenny Sinclair – “There are few athletes so dominant in any code, and Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard truly belongs among the immortals. Despite enduring a tragic miscarriage and missing two SSN games, Fowler-Nembhard returned to the court in the form of her life. Incredibly, she still managed to top the goal scoring and accuracy lists, shooting at a phenomenal 97%. I’ve run out of superlatives for this generational athlete.”
Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard was all smiles after an MVP performance in her return game. Image: Shaun Sharp
1st – LATANYA WILSON
Jamaican defender Latanya Wilson shared top spot in our poll last year with countrywoman Shamera Sterling-Humphrey. The absence of Sterling-Humphrey for most of 2025, has only served to highlight just how incredible a player Wilson is. Having already established herself as clearly the world’s best wing defence (and almost certainly the world’s best goal defence too), 2025 saw Wilson spend quite a deal of time at goal keeper. And to the surprise of absolutely no one, she starred there as well.
The year began with a dominant Wilson racking up possession gains for fun in the Sunshine Girls’ triumph over the Proteas in the Sunshine Series in Jamaica. She was rewarded with Player of the Match in the second test, and then in the final test, she had an incredible eight gains in the first half alone. Then it was on to the Suncorp Super Netball season for Wilson, playing her regular wing defence/goal defence role. However, the announcement of Sterling-Humphrey’s pregnancy saw a reshuffle in the Adelaide Thunderbirds line up as coach Tania Obst tried several different combinations to overcome her star goal keeper’s absence.
Wilson spent time in all three defensive positions during the season, but two of the best individual performances of the entire year in Super Netball came when she played goal keeper. In round seven against the Mavericks, she finished with 11 gains, seven intercepts, and eight deflections. To prove that wasn’t a one-off, she backed up in round 13, also against Mavericks, with 12 gains, a record-equalling nine intercepts, and nine deflections.
Thunderbirds made the playoffs, but they were ultimately unable to complete a treble of Super Netball titles, losing narrowly to eventual premiers, the Melbourne Vixens. But it was still a tremendous season from Wilson. She finished the year with 77 gains, 22 more than any other player. Her total of 41 intercepts was 17 more than the next best player, while her 97 deflections were also 25 more than anyone else. Her anticipation in and around the circle, puts her in a league of her own.
2026 looks like another big year for Wilson, particularly with the highlights of a Commonwealth Games, and Jamaica playing a test series in Australia for the first time in 16 years. Wilson has only recently turned 25, so she could be dominating opposition attackers for many years to come. She has an unmatched ability to play not just a relentless one-on-one defence taking her opponent out of the game, but to also regularly win valuable possession for her team. And what a claim to have – to be able to play three positions so amazingly well. She’s a coach’s dream.
Michael Hutchinson – “Marshalling the Adelaide Thunderbirds defensive unit from all three positions, 2025 was a defining year for Wilson’s leadership and maturity. Without her partner in crime, Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, Wilson comfortably lead the Deflections, Gains and Intercepts stats across the Super Netball season. Influential across Jamaica’s limited international season, Wilson was a standout during the Margaret Beckford Series against South Africa last January, being awarded Player of the Match in the second test and equally as strong in the final match of the series.”
Tobey Keddy – “She is by far the best player when it comes to the ability to swing into three different positions. She was this year’s best wing defence, goal defence and was consistently performing in at goal keeper in the Suncorp Super Netball league. The potential for Latanya is limitless and I think she will continue to grow in 2026 with more international experience on the horizon. ”
Latanya Wilson’s 12 gains earned her MVP honours in round 13. Image: Hannah Howard
FINAL VOTE TALLY
40 . LATANYA WILSON (JAM)
33 . Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard (Jam)
18 . Maddy Gordon (NZ)
14 . Kate Moloney (Aus)
13 . Jamie-Lee Price (Aus)
10 . Grace Nweke (NZ)
7 . Kiera Austin (Aus)
3 . Karin Burger (NZ)
3 . Sophie Garbin (Aus)
3 . Georgie Horjus (Aus)
3 . Alice Teague-Neeld (Aus)
2 . Funmi Fadoju (Eng)
1 . Kelly Jackson (NZ)
Latanya Wilson collected a game high 11 gains including 7 intercepts in round 7. Image: Shaun Sharp
MEN’S NETBALLER OF THE YEAR
It was a different year for men’s netball as there was no Open Men’s series played between Australia and New Zealand. One of the highlights of this year was the birth of the Aurora Series. For the first time, the England Thorns hosted world number one, the Australian Kelpies in a three test series. While the Australians won each test comfortably, this was a great learning experience for England who have already shown tremendous improvement in their short time on the international stage. Among those playing well for the Thorns were captain James Thomson-Boston, Jamal Nicolson and James Firminger. There were several other important Men’s tournaments held throughout the world in 2025. Some of those to impress were:
Nathan Wilson (NZ) – With a 205cm frame, Wilson stood out for the Northern Mystics Men in their 3-0 series win over the Stars men in June and July.
Kitione Waqavonovono (Fiji) – The Fiji captain was a focal point while leading the national side to an historic 2-1 series win over New Zealand in August.
Vukile Zulu (RSA) – A breakout year for Zulu who was named Best Defender at the Africa Netball Cup as South Africa again secured the win.
However, showcasing their position as the world’s best, it was a group of Kelpies players who were in the mix for the honour of player of the year. The following five players were all worthy of a mention… shooters Liam Killey and Brodie Roberts, midcourter Liam Forcadilla, and defenders Alistair Punshon and Josh Byron. These are our judges’ top three players for 2025…
Equal 2nd – ALISTAIR PUNSHON
Alistair Punshon had another great year after winning our poll last year. This year’s Australian Championship Open final was a classic match, with Victoria just edging out New South Wales by two goals in a thriller. Playing a crucial part in the win for Victoria was Punshon. He was rewarded by being named joint winner of the Lionel Foster Medal for final MVP. He then went on to play a big role in the Kelpies’ 3-0 win against England.
Equal 2nd – JOSH BYRON
Another terrific defender who had a big hand in Victoria’s 2025 title win was Josh Byron. And he was integral to the Kelpies’ series win in England. In 2025, Byron also continued his role as a commentator, bringing his netball knowledge to viewers of the women’s game in Suncorp Super Netball.
Michael Hutchinson – “A fixture of the Australian side since 2018, Byron is in his prime. In April, he was pivotal to Victoria’s back-to-back titles at the 2025 Australian Championships in Melbourne (and is keen to secure a third in Perth this Easter), before leading the Kelpies defence end to a sweep of the England Thorns in their inaugural international series.”
1st – LIAM FORCADILLA
It was another big year in netball for Liam Forcadilla from New South Wales. Despite the disappointment of losing the Men’s Open Nationals final to Victoria, he was named as a joint winner of the match MVP. He was then a vital part of the Kelpies team in the inaugural Aurora Series against the Thorns. The dynamic midcourter was awarded the Player of the Match in the first test and was consistently brilliant throughout the three-match series.
Forcadilla is renowned for his work in attack, with silky skills and great vision on the pass. And that was all there to see in this series. But a feature of the series against England was his defence. If there was any hesitation or inaccuracy in the Thorns’ attack end whatsoever, he was often there to pounce, coming up with regular intercepts in order to turn defence into attack.
Liam Forcadilla is an important player, not only for Australia, but for Men’s netball generally, as one of the best-known athletes in a sport trying to gain traction as we head towards the first Men’s World Cup in the coming years, and possibly an Olympics berth in 2032. Earlier this year, he was a guest on the Sporting Scoop podcast where he chatted with Tobey Keddy. You can check it out here.
Liam Forcadilla is our Men’s player of the year. Image: Nicole Mudgway
