Cover Image: May Bailey-Ireland
Writers: Jenny Sinclair, Katrina Nissen, Ian Harkin, Andrew Kennedy
Photographer: May Bailey-Ireland
RESULTS
Melbourne Vixens 66 def NSW Swifts 65
MILESTONES
Tara Watson made her debut for the Vixens.
Jo Harten impressed in her first time as a commentator during FOX’s coverage of the Preliminary Final.
Adelaide Thunderbird Hannah Petty has announced her retirement, after 10 years with the club. Leaving the club as a dual premiership captain, Petty shared her news with teammates in the changerooms after their last match. Petty has always been known as an inspirational leader and for her team first approach, so wanted her last game to be about the team and not the end of her elite career. Petty said she is moving to the Yorke Peninsula with her partner to work as a school teacher and enjoy returning to a rural lifestyle.
Tara Watson made her debut in a barnstorming Vixens’ win. Image: May Bailey-Ireland | Clusterpix
Hannah Petty has announced her retirement from elite netball. Image: Hannah Howard/On the Ball Media
INJURIES
While Paige Hadley (Swifts) took the court and played out a full game for the Swifts, she wasn’t moving with her usual ease due to a foot injury.
Rudi Ellis (Vixens) was also sporting a massive black eye following an unfortunate elbow from teammate Jo Weston in last week’s pre-match warm up.
LET’S TALK ABOUT:
News of the Week
There’s been so much to talk about all season, and this week is no different with news coming in from around the globe.
Firstly, there is Jamie-Lee Price, who is parting ways with the Giants. While she had a year left to run on her contract, Price had long talked about her wish to join her partner Harry Perryman in Melbourne, after he was traded to AFL club Collingwood this season. Price asked to be released from her contract, and in a statement, the Giants said the club and she had agreed to a “mutual and respectful” end.
Giants executive general manager Tim Underwood said, “While we’re naturally disappointed to see her go, we understand and respect her decision to prioritise her personal life and wish her the best in this next chapter.”
The Australian Netball Players Association has announced the 2025 player board members, one from each club. They include: Jess Anstiss (Fever), Tilly McDonnell (Giants), Tayla Williams (Thunderbirds), Macy Gardner (Firebirds), Allie Smith (Swifts), Molly Jovic (Mavericks), Cara Koenen (Lightning) and Jo Weston (Vixens). Congratulations to the eight who will help guide the ANPA and act as club liaisons.
Across the other side of the globe, Sonia Mkoloma is stepping down from her role with England Netball as Roses Pathway Head Coach, to head up the Birmingham Panthers after Jo Tripp’s resignation. One of the most respected rising stars of the coaching ranks, Mkoloma is a huge coup for the club as they enter their second year of NSL 2.0
The Mainland Tactix has won their first ever ANZ Premiership title with a 58-46 win over the Northern Mystics. While not seeing game time in the final, Australian Charli Fidler was a member of the Tactix squad, while Donnell Wallam played the full 60 minutes for Mystics.
The Silver Ferns’ captain, Ameliaranne Ekenasio, has announced that she’s having a break from the 2025 international season, saying, “I need this break for my mind, body and spirit.” Ekenasio made her international debut in 2014, has captained the Silver Ferns since 2021, and has earned 79 national caps.
Her coach, Dame Noeline Taurua, said she will welcome Ekenasio back when she is ready.
“I fully respect Ameliaranne’s choice to step away from the international stage at this time,’’ said Taurua.
“As a mother and wife, supporting a growing family, alongside the demands of being a high-performance athlete and carrying significant leadership responsibilities, the load can be immense. I personally understand that sometimes being everything to everyone simply isn’t sustainable”.
One of the finest goal attacks in world netball, Ekenasio will be a huge loss to the Silver Ferns, especially given they lack depth in that position. It also perhaps prompted New Zealand to reassess their selection policy as the absence of Ekenasio, Grace Nweke – currently playing in Australia, and Amelia Walmsley, who could be absent for World Youth Cup commitments, would significantly weaken the Silver Ferns.
Dame Noeline Taurua and Ameliaranne Ekenasio share a nice moment after the 2024 Constellation Cup. Image: Aliesha Vicars
The other huge news out of New Zealand this week, which has caused much chat around the water fountain, has centred around its selection policy. After banning players from the Silver Ferns if they took up overseas contracts, the Netball New Zealand board has reviewed its selection policy. Until now there has been no official process to allow for exemptions, but players can now be considered for selection via a formal application.
While there are multiple layers involved in the application, including the Silver Ferns and relevant clubs, Netball New Zealand and the Netball New Zealand Players Association, permission – or not – will still be given on a case by case basis, so is somewhat subjective.
It is rumoured that four Silver Ferns are considering contracts with Australian clubs, and up to 10 have expressed an interest in playing overseas, and there are many aspects to this which have got people talking.
Firstly, NNZ and its broadcaster will rightfully want to hang on to as many of its Tier 1 players as possible, to attract interest to the struggling ANZP.
However, with players rumoured to be facing a pay cut of up to 50% for season 2026, how many of them will look offshore to increase their earnings?
And finally, but perhaps most importantly for Australia, what could a potential influx of players do to its pathways? With so many imports already in the system and senior players staying in the game longer, there are limited opportunities for young players to earn full time contracts. If that capacity is further reduced, how many of them will be lost to other codes, or out of the game altogether? And while imports from the African, European and Caribbean nations do so much to add to the flavour of Super Netball and also strengthens their teams to make them more competitive on the world stage, should it be used as a development pathway for Australia’s greatest rival?
Two things are for certain from an Australian perspective – any moves to sign New Zealand players should be carefully considered, and it’s time for Super Netball to expand if it is to include those players while also keeping local pathways strong.
Hear Dame Noeline Taurua’s thoughts on these hot topics in this week’s edition of the Sporting Scoop. Catch up now on Spotify and Youtube
And, don’t forget to stay in the conversation with the Netball Scoop Forum
Rudi Ellis had one of the best games of her career, finishing with 6 gains against the powerful Grace Nweke. Fans will hope to see Nweke in the red dress again next season, with Netball New Zealand’s decision potentially opening the door for her to stay if she chooses. Image: May Bailey-Ireland | Clusterpix
2026 SSN Signings
The 2026 signing window opens in just over a week. But, that doesn’t mean we haven’t already had some shock announcements and re-signing’s confirmed. This week, the worst kept secret in the 2026 signing period was announced with Jaimie-Lee Price being voluntarily released from the last year of her contract with the Giants. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until after the free-agency period opens before we find out where she will be playing in 2026. Until then, here are the current confirmed playing squads, as we know them, for next season:
Thunderbirds: Matilda Garrett, Georgie Horjus, Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, Tayla Williams, Latanya Wilson
Giants: Sophie Dwyer, Erin O’Brien, Jodi-Ann Ward*, Hope White
Mavericks: Kim Brown, Shimona Jok, Molly Jovic, Amy Parmenter
Swifts: Paige Hadley, Helen Housby, Sarah Klau, Maddy Proud, Maddy Turner
Firebirds: Imogen Allison, Ruby Bakewell-Doran, Mary Cholhok, Macy Gardner
Lightning: Courtney Bruce, Cara Koenen, Liz Watson
Fever: Jess Anstiss, Sunday Aryang, Jordan Cransberg, Alice Teague-Neeld, Olivia Wilkinson
Vixens: Unknown
*injured but will still be in the contracted ten with an injury replacement player likely to be added
STATS OF THE WEEK
The Preliminary Final – wow, what a game. Just as we were thinking that Swifts had one foot in the Grand Final, Vixens had other ideas and came roaring back. Here are some stats and facts…
Vixens won the last quarter 25-14 and took the game by one goal. 25 goals equals Vixens’ best ever fourth quarter, and it’s their best quarter all season by four goals. It’s the highest fourth quarter score in a finals match in SSN.
Vixens played basically the perfect final quarter. They had 18 centre passes and scored from every single one. They also had four extra possessions from gains and turnovers and scored from all of those as well, meaning they converted 100% of the possession they had for the quarter.
After giving up 19 turnovers (15 general play turnovers and four missed goal turnovers) in the first three quarters, Vixens had zero turnovers in the final quarter. Sophie Garbin shot 17/17 in the quarter and Kiera Austin 5/6 including three super shots from three attempts. Together, they shot 22/23 for the quarter and Austin’s only miss was rebounded by Garbin.
Swifts’ biggest lead during the game was 11 goals, therefore making this the biggest ever comeback in a finals match in SSN history. The previous record also belonged to Vixens who came back from 10 down against Giants in the 2022 Preliminary Final.
Since Simone McKinnis announced she was stepping away from the Vixens head coaching job at season’s end, the team has won 8 of their 10 matches with a nothing-to-lose approach. Their last five wins have been by margins of 2, 3, 2, 2, and 1.
The last four Preliminary Finals have all been decided by one goal and the winner has been Vixens on three occasions:
2022: Vixens 55 def Giants 54
2023: Swifts 65 def Fever 64
2024: Vixens 73 def Fever 72
2025: Vixens 66 def Swifts 65
The devastation shows for the Swifts, who came so close. Image: May Bailey-Ireland | Clusterpix
As we prepare for the Grand Final, it’s a good time to look back at the history of Suncorp Super Netball and see what that tells us.
Of the eight SSN winners so far, only two have come from a win in the Preliminary Final to take out the Grand Final. They were Lightning in 2018, and Swifts in 2019. The other six winners, including the past five, all won the Major Semi-Final, and earned a week off into the decider.
Only one team has won the title after finishing outside the top two on the ladder. Lightning was victorious from fourth spot in 2018, winning three finals in a row. That is a feat that Vixens are trying to replicate this season. No team has won SSN after finishing third on the ladder, and Thunderbirds’ exit last week means that will continue for at least another year.
Teams finishing second on the ladder have the best record overall with five wins, but Swifts’ defeat means they can’t make it six this year. Meanwhile, the minor premiers have gone on to win just twice from eight attempts. Will Fever improve on that this year?
This year, Swifts won their first eight matches, but then could only win two of their last eight. Incredibly, in the nine year history of Super Netball, no team has ever won the title after winning more than three straight matches to start the year. Nine times now a team has started a season with four or more wins in a row, and not one of those nine teams has gone on to win. Crazy!
Kate Eddy checks on an exhausted and emotional Kate Moloney. Image: May Bailey-Ireland | Clusterpix
MATCH WRAP:
Preliminary Final – Swifts v Vixens
A dazzling 25-14 fourth quarter from Melbourne saw them snatch victory in the final eight seconds of the preliminary final. Despite trailing for large portions of the game, it was sensational leadership and slick feeding from MVP Kate Moloney, contributing to a 90% gain-to-goal conversion rate, that kept her side in the match to strike at the end. With the scores level, the Vixens calmly played the ball around between themselves for over a minute until the right moment to bury the Swifts’ grand final aspirations by a single goal. Unfortunately for the Swifts, Grace Nweke had a chance to level the scores and force the game into extra time, but passed off to Helen Housby instead.
The first half was tight, with alternating surges of momentum seeing the lead grow to as much as four for the visitors, and even up to six goals for the Swifts. Rudi Ellis dominated in the first quarter with four gains, capitalising on early nervous shots and feeds dropping short. In the second quarter both Housby and Grace Whyte started to sight and release long bomb feeds with more finesse.
After the main break the hosts grew in confidence, losing possession only twice in the third quarter and zooming away to a 10-goal advantage. Vixens were starved of possession and Kiera Austin was struggling to get into the game, languishing with five turnovers, as they scrambled to find answers with several positional changes to no avail. Housby and Nweke appeared to have found the spark lacking in recent games – in particular, the Kiwi goal shooter had ironed out her problems with offensive contacts, and was establishing eye contact early with the feeders before becoming an immovable wall on the hold. The crowd were feeling comfortable that victory was in hand, but Melbourne had other ideas.
The Vixens came out in the final fifteen with nothing to lose, pulling out their most brilliant attacking netball this season. Only a scant few unfortunately-timed turnovers and ill-disciplined feeds by the Swifts were enough to give the visitors the opportunity to make their run. The Vixens gave away no possession, and Sophie Garbin delivered fabulous moves that saw her easily found by incisive passes time and again, scoring 17/17. Kiera Austin was masterful with her feeds between two defenders, also adding three supershots. The Swifts continued to have access to Nweke, but Housby was well-held away from two-point attempts, and this was potentially their undoing.
With the scores drawn and a Vixens centre pass, the visitors passed around amongst themselves for 70 seconds, and timed their final one-point shot to perfection, only to see Swifts miss an attempt on the final buzzer. While the Swifts were left to lick their wounds and commiserate, the scene was set to farewell legendary coach Simone McInnis with one more grand final in Melbourne.
Jo Weston puts big arms over Helen Housby’s pass. Image: May Bailey-Ireland | Clusterpix
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Kate Moloney (Vixens)
Known for her inspirational leadership and passion, Moloney’s epic performance was the rock upon which the Vixens’ thrilling win was built. In the preliminary final the Vixens converted over 80% of the possession earned, and it was the captain’s feeding that was particularly smart and consistent. Moloney’s 24 goal assists were high quality, as she showed time and again the experience and cool head to wait for her shooters to organise their offers. Add to that her tenacious scrapping for four pickups and two intercepts, plus her unrelenting proud and courageous leadership, she made her team believe and dragged them over the line.
Captain Kate Moloney was a well deserved MVP. Image: May Bailey-Ireland | Clusterpix
Grace Whyte (Swifts)
At the close of an intense season, Whyte is one of the big winners amongst the young players in terms of minutes and growth. In a high-pressure preliminary final the rookie took to the court after the first 11 minutes with her side down by four goals and played an exceptional game. Typically known as a shooter, her height, unorthodox movement pattern, flair, and instincts proved pivotal in stabilisng the Swifts forward line, as she dominated the feeding with 34 goal assists and only three turnovers. Whyte is easy to find on drives to the pocket, adding width to the front end, thereby opening space for the goal attack to work with. Balancing with Housby at the centre pass and executing dozens of clever feeds, she has drawn attention as a major talent for Super Netball in future.
Sophie Garbin (Vixens)
The Vixens goal shooter had a scintillating, perfect 17-goal final quarter to help Vixens fend off the end of their season for another week. While her partner in goals, Kiera Austin, was flagging with only 7/10 in the first three quarters, Garbin kept the scoreboard dutifully turning over with 29/30. However, it was when they had nothing to lose that the attack line gelled and played with freedom. Instead of long, slow drives that were easily covered and clogged space, Garbin timed her moves with authority. By using pace to the front and deception in the back, she was easily found by the feeders, especially off the magic hands of Austin. The Melbourne shooters, ranked first (Austin) and third (Garbin) for turnovers in the league in 2025, responded to the challenge from their coach, a near-flawless final term to making the impossible comeback a reality.
Sophie Garbin rose to the occasion, particularly in the last quarter. Image: May Bailey-Ireland | Clusterpix
QUOTES CORNER
Briony Akle (Swifts coach)
On today’s game
I’m really proud of the girls. Last week was not the Swifts way and to lose by 32 goals it was a big effort to turn that around in such a short time so whilst we didn’t win it, I’m really proud that we brought the pride back into our dress and fought to the end. It wasn’t to be our day, and well done to the Vixens.
They are shattered. While they can be really hard on themselves for that last two minutes, for 58 minutes leading into that, being 32 goals down against Fever last week is an extraordinary turn around that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Mentally the team have copped it all week and know that they should have been better.
On Paige Hadley
Obviously she has struggled for the previous two weeks which is why she hasn’t played, but I certainly think her voice and her leadership out there is something that we have missed and today she was outstanding in that role.
On not going for the two point shots more often.
At the end of the day we should have taken those twos, but when you are in the heat of the battle out there, it’s on Helen and Gigi to work that out, because who knew that the Vixens could throw it around for a minute and a half. That’s pressure netball and they did that really well.
Maddy Turner (Swifts co-captain)
On today’s game
The feeling in the changerooms is a bit numb at the moment. I feel like the second and third quarter is the best netball we played all year, and that is something we are really proud of and to fall short is super disappointing.
They didn’t have any turnovers in the last quarter and if they can do that next week, good luck Fever.
Simone McKinnis (Vixens coach)
On how she feels.
I feel exhausted, but probably not exhausted as the players. Exhilarated, excited for the week ahead, super proud of what they achieved in that game because it wasn’t looking good for a while.
We kept backing ourselves on the supershot, Kip took it to another level in that last quarter which was amazing. Swifts had been pretty amazing for three quarters and for much of the game we were struggling to hang on and stay in the contest. But they had the belief that they could do it and just needed to give it all in that last quarter.
It’s been a long hard slog to get here, it was a slower start to the season and we were needing to win, week in and week out. Every game was critical, and it’s been three weeks in a row on the road and we are feeling the pinch from that.
On how Sophie Garbin opened up in the last quarter.
Simone: When Kip lifts, they both lift and the people around, the people feeding the ball in.
Kate Moloney: It was probably more us out the front that allows Sophie to be open, we didn’t have that dynamic movement that allowed her to be.
What did you say to Rudi Elllis when Grace Nweke started getting on top in the middle section of the game.
Keep going! It’s one of the toughest jobs and she does it week in and week out. Last week it was Romelda, the one before it was Jhaniele. It is a really tough job and there is no one single answer of how to win ball and you have to be persistent, you have to be relentless, you have to be mentally strong and tough and in the contest, and she was. There was that patch where balls were going in and I thought, ‘Here we go’, but she had that mentally capacity to get herself back into it when it counted to get the ball.
You have to be kind to yourself, even the defence end in general you have to be kind to yourself because the balls go in so you can’t get hung up, because it can be frustrating.
NEXT WEEK
GRAND FINAL
Sat, August 2
7:30pm AEST: FEVER v VIXENS
(Rod Laver Arena)
