Writers: Jenny Sinclair, Ian Harkin, Katrina Nissen, Ariane Virgona
Photographers: Charli Leonard, Simon Leonard, Shaun Sharp, Aliesha Vicars, May Bailey
Cover image: Shaun Sharp/Sporting Moments by Shaun
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Stats courtesy of Champion Data
In our latest article, Jenny Sinclair speaks with NSW Swifts defender Teigan O’Shannassy about her journey to feeding her mind and soul. O’Shannassy outlines some of the health issues associated with her previous eating disorder, and how she overcame them. You can find the link to the interview here.
RESULTS
Queensland Firebirds 77 def NSW Swifts 66
Melbourne Vixens 56 def Adelaide Thunderbirds 50
West Coast Fever 59 def Melbourne Mavericks 47
Sunshine Coast Lightning 59 def GIANTS Netball 51
The Firebirds were a happy camp after their win. Image: Charlize Leonard
NEWS OF THE WEEK
There’s been plenty of big news in the netball community this week.
Firstly, Netball Australia has announced a five-year media rights partnership with Nine from 2027 to 2031, with every Super Netball, Diamonds and 2027 Netball World Cup match to be broadcast on 9, 9Now and/or Stan Sport, as well as QMS and publishing divisions.
While there were some hiccups the last time that Nine broadcast netball, ANPA has released a statement saying that “players are committed to working closely with Nine to realise the potential of this partnership. This includes contributing to how the game is presented and engaging more directly with fans.”
The deal brings Fox’s five year partnership with netball to an end later this year. The Commonwealth Games will be broadcast on Seven, while any internationals later this season should be on Fox.
In an article by ABC’s Britt Carter, she has confirmed that Netball Australia has pushed back possible Super Netball expansion until at least 2028. This is due to a busy period hosting a home World Cup, plus negotiations for the new broadcast deal and the players’ agreement. All eighty Super Netball athletes will be off contract at the end of this season, leading to a frantic period for all clubs, particularly if the CPA drags on again. Read the article here.
The 2026 Constellation Cup dates have been announced. They are:
Sat, Oct 17 – Melbourne (John Cain Arena)
Thu, Oct 22 – Sydney (Qudos Bank Arena)
Mon, Oct 26 – Hamilton
Thur, Oct 29 – Christchurch
The much-awaited clash between Vixens and Thunderbirds was played in front of a big crowd at John Cain Arena. Thunderbirds were on top early, but Vixens stuck with them, and finally overpowered them in the last quarter. Showing their toughness and will to win, Vixens have won their last nine matches and stand alone on top of the ladder, one win ahead of Thunderbirds and Fever. It’s a further two wins back to Lightning in fourth.
Meanwhile, what’s happened to the Swifts? This time last season, they were in the middle of an eight-game winning streak to start the 2025 season. But ever since that streak was broken, they have won just three of their next 14 matches. Swifts have certainly had trouble with injuries this season, but in Round 6, they were beaten by a Firebirds side missing three first choice midcourters. They currently sit seventh on the ladder with just one win, and a big NSW derby coming up!
The Swifts body language says it all. Image: Charlize Leonard
The Melbourne Mavericks have listened to their fans, particularly those with sensory issues, and will be turning the music down during their live matches, particularly during play. Their message was ‘The aim is simple: big energy, great netball and a space where everyone feels welcome.’
Sharelle McMahon was the recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Contribution to Victorian Sport award.
Tonga Tala captain, Hulita Veve is expected to make a return to the court for the Ipswich Jets in the upcoming Sapphire Netball Series. Veve is nearing the end of her recovery from last year’s ACL rupture and is hoping to get match fit as she looks to make an international return at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in July.
Netball WA has launched a statewide Netball Respects the Whistle campaign designed to foster a more respectful, positive and inclusive netball environment by championing the role of umpires at every level of the game.
South Africa’s Telkom Netball League gets underway this week, and will include teams from the Malawi Under 21s and Zimbabwe.
The SSN Reserves competition gets underway on the 25th of April, with all SSN clubs fielding teams. Just prior to the finals weekend starting on the 12th June, Tasmania, the ACT and Northern Territory will take part in a play-in tournament. With Newscorp the official broadcast partner, all matches will be streamed on Kommunity TV and Code Sport – although a subscription will be needed. But many of the fixtures will be played before or after SSN matches, so if you are interested, they are worth making the effort to attend live. You can find the full fixture here.
The finals of Australia’s National Netball Championships were held during the week, and it’s congratulations to South Australia and New South Wales. SA won the 17U title for the third straight year, while NSW is the 19U champion for the fourth time in five seasons.
17U final: SA 42 def NSW 41
Placings: 1 SA, 2 NSW, 3 VIC, 4 WA, 5 ACT, 6 QLD, 7 TAS, 8 NT
19U Final: NSW 39 def SA 29
Placings: 1 NSW, 2 SA, 3 VIC, 4 QLD, 5 WA, 6 TAS, 7 NT, 8 ACT
ANZ Premiership Round 2 has been run with the following results:
Steel 69 def Stars 60
Mystics 57 def Magic 37
Tactix 53 def Pulse 48
NEWS OF THE ROUND
Milestones and Injuries
A huge congratulations to Kiera Austin, who played in her 100th national league match. And she had a starring role as the Vixens maintained their unbeaten start to 2026.
Kiera Austin accepts her 100th game flowers from coach Di Honey. Image: Shaun Sharp/Sporting Moments by Shaun
Firebirds welcomed players from their 2011 and 2016 premiership teams into training and their game this week. Throughout the week, the club posted tributes to their premierships and past leaders on social media and the players walked out to a guard of honour created by players from the last 30 years.
Past Firebirds premiership winners lined the entry onto court. Image: Mackenzie Sweetnam/Netball Queensland
The injury list continues to grow, with new omissions this round including the Firebirds Macy Gardner, who is recovering from a calf strain and will be out for a number of weeks, and Imogen Allison, who is resting an ankle complaint. That leaves the Firebirds with three of their four midcourters currently sidelined. But due to the injuries, the Firebirds were able to give two long-term training partners a run with Jessie Laga’aia and Sasha Flegler making their debuts.
Sasha Flegler debuted for the Firebirds. Image: Charlize Leonard
Maddy Gordon, who is still rehabbing a quad tear, was a technical coach on the Firebirds bench this week. Her role was to specifically work with Laga’aia throughout the match, to give her feedback and ‘work on her angles’.
Post match, Firebirds coach Kiri Wills laughed about having the wisdom of three middies to draw on for the task of technical coach but ultimately chose the more experienced Silver Fern due to her friendship with Laga’aia. “They have a really nice connection and I thought it would be nice for Jessie to have that mate on the bench with her.”
Lucy Austin (Giants) injured her foot during the week and will need further scans to determine the condition and treatment involved.
Alice Teague-Neeld was a late withdrawal for the West Coast Fever on Sunday due to back soreness, and was replaced by training partner Verity Simmons.
Matches
Firebirds 77 def Swifts 66 (MVP Lara Dunkley)
Firebirds recorded their second win of the season, as they came from behind to defeat Swifts in emphatic fashion in front of a roaring home crowd. The match began with Swifts having the better of a high-scoring first half (42-37). But the second half was a very different story. Playing near flawless netball, the Firebirds quickly made up the deficit, then powered away from their opposition. They scored off every one of their centre passes in the final quarter, while Swifts struggled for answers.
One of two Firebirds debutantes in the game, Jessie Laga’aia, was a revelation. Playing the entire game at centre, she was composed, at first playing a supporting role, but as the game went on, her confidence grew. Laga’aia and Lara Dunkley were able to find Mary Cholhok with ease against a Swifts circle defence that failed to come up with a single gain after quarter time. This was the Mary Cholhok that Firebirds have been wanting to see. She was dominant and dynamic under the post, and unlike previous matches, her shooting was on point as well.
For Swifts, Maddy Proud had another strong game, while the combination of Grace Nweke and Grace Whyte put on a show in the first 30 minutes. Whyte in particular, displayed great flair and was close to the best player on court in the first half. However, she found things much tougher after half time. Firebirds’ goal keeper Kelly Jackson did an excellent job of disrupting the Swifts attack, and in the final quarter, her four gains helped to seal the result. This was Swifts’ 11th loss from their last 14 matches; a puzzling form slump from a team which had won eight matches straight before that.
Grace Whyte continues her strong season for the Swifts. Image: Simon Leonard
Kelly Jackson found out just how difficult it is to challenge Silver Fern teammate Grace Nweke in the air. Image: Simon Leonard
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- On debut Jessie Laga’aia took a cracking intercept. Image: Charlize Leonard
Vixens 56 def Thunderbirds 50 (MVP Kate Eddy)
The Vixens are now the only undefeated team in the competition, with a convincing win over the Thunderbirds in front of a sold-out home crowd. In what is turning out to be true Vixen style this season, they took the lead for the first time in the final quarter, asserting their dominance to score 16 goals to the Thunderbirds’ 8. Despite forcing the Vixens into more errors and gaining more ball in the first three quarters, the Thunderbirds struggled to capitalise via scoreboard pressure, allowing the Vixens to flip the story on its head in the fourth quarter and ultimately get over the line with the support of the roaring 8th player.
As is the Thunderbirds’ signature, the defensive pressure in the goal circle made it difficult for the Vixens to penetrate at times. Shamera Sterling-Humphrey wreaked havoc, finishing with 8 gains, 4 intercepts, 4 deflections, 2 rebounds, and 2 pickups, combining well with Matilda Garrett, who played 40 minutes at goal defence, and Latanya Wilson across goal defence and wing defence positions. Elmere van der Berg offered a strong, calm presence under the post with 91% accuracy (42/46), swapping with Lauren Frew in the final quarter to play goal attack, which, in the post-match presser, Tanya Obst revealed was intended to capitalise on van der Berg’s athleticism.
Throughout the middle of the court, Kate Heffernan was also outstanding for the Thunderbirds, offering a strong physical presence and attack to the ball at centre for most of the game before shifting back to wing defence to cover Hannah Mundy (see Players that Caught Our Eye). In defence, Jo Weston and Kate Eddy did a terrific job for Vixens, creating confusion in the Thunderbirds’ attack line late in the game. Kiera Austin had an outstanding game in her 100th match, galvanised by the crowd of friends and family who had gathered with balloons and signs to mark the occasion and cheer her on. She shot with accuracy that kept the Vixens in touch before they eventually took control. In the post-match pressure, Austin highlighted how “the Vixens reminded [her] why I love the sport again”, and this comfort at the club is evident in her confident and free playing style.
Jo Weston with the big lean over the shot. Image: Shaun Sharp/Sporting Moments by Shaun
Shamera Sterling-Humphrey somehow comes up with the ball. Image: Shaun Sharp/Sporting Moments by Shaun
The versatile Tayla Williams at wing attack. Image: Shaun Sharp/Sporting Moments by Shaun
Fever 59 def Mavericks 47 (MVP Fran Williams)
Fever’s exceptional first term that they blitzed 20-7 paved the way for their ultimate win. Mavericks had led 5-3 early on, but then Fever went on an extraordinary 17-2 run. It was a complete performance as they pounced on a sloppy Mavericks’ eight turnovers with Romelda Aiken-George converting a perfect 18/18 at the other end. A good old-fashioned spray from coach Gerard Murphy sparked the Mavericks into life, and they gradually clawed their way back, taking the second and third quarters. Jamie-Lee Price was significant with 40 feeds and two gains. Amy Parmenter also tightened up on Jordan Cransberg, while Jessie Grenvold started getting her hands to some ball.
In contrast, Fever looked more stagnant during this time, as their lead eventually narrowed to just five in the last quarter. Sadly for Mavericks, their final power five will be one they’d want to forget, as they failed to score a single goal. They put up just two unsuccessful super shot attempts, which were gleefully rebounded by the opposition. Meanwhile, Fever piled on seven goals of their own to kick away again and take out the win by 12. That final margin perhaps flattered Fever slightly, but it was a well-deserved win.
Jordan and Zoe Cransberg relished being on court together, combining for 73 feeds. Sharing feeding duties made life particularly hard for the Mavericks defenders, especially when the twins switched it up – for example, in the third quarter Zoe had 14 feeds to Jordan’s 6, then in the final term, she had 5 to Jordan’s 14. Pivotal to Fever’s win was their defensive pressure, with Fran Williams (11 gains) and Kadie-Ann Dehaney (5 gains) working superbly in tandem.
Kadie-Ann Dehaney snaffles an intercept. Image: Aliesha Vicars
Jordan Cransberg combined with her twin for a total of 73 feeds! Image: Aliesha Vicars
Jamie-Lee Price in full flight. Image: Aliesha Vicars
Lightning 59 def Giants 51 (MVP Donnell Wallam)
In what was at times a rather scrappy match, Lightning ground out a tough win to climb back into the top four. Both sides were guilty of careless errors on occasions, but in the end, it was Lightning’s greater experience that saw them keep their composure in the final quarter. It was the opposite story for Giants, who did well to draw level at three-quarter time, but then fell away in the final 15 minutes.
Although Lightning didn’t have it all their own way, they played the more consistent netball for the 60 minutes. Donnell Wallam (52/55) was a strong player throughout, but particularly in the final quarter. When the game was on the line, she shot 16/16, and didn’t give the Giants defence a look in. At the other end of the court, Karin Burger and Courtney Bruce were a formidable pair. They each finished with four gains, and Bruce got her hands in for 11 deflections. Their defensive pressure led to the Giants’ feeders taking bad options.
Giants will rue a missed opportunity in this match. At three-quarter time, they had the momentum, but they started off on the wrong foot in the last quarter and had to play catch up, with the errors mounting. Amy Sligar had her usual solid game, and Matisse Letherbarrow is proving to be a good target. She is forming a solid shooting combination with Sophie Dwyer, but they need support from their midcourt. In the crucial last quarter, Whitney Souness and Casey Adamson had 5 general play turnovers between them. Errors like this are holding the team back, but Giants are still showing enough to suggest a win could be coming.
Karin Burger almost gets a hand to Sophie Dwyer’s take. Image: May Bailey/Clusterpix
Donnell Wallam was dominant at the post, and finished as MVP. Image: May Bailey/Clusterpix
Jodie-Ann Ward has been strong since her return from injury. Image: May Bailey/Clusterpix
PLAYERS THAT CAUGHT OUR EYE
Te Paea Selby-Rickit is an enigma. So far this season, she has shot 54/79 (68%) and conceded an expensive 28 turnovers. In Saturday’s win, Selby-Rickit only shot 9/10 and gave away six turnovers in the first half. For many coaches, those stats alone would have been cause for a changeup and yet she remained out on court. Post match, coach Kiri Wills said she opted to leave Selby-Rickit out there because she was a settling presence for debutant Jessie Laga’aia. Laga’aia came into the Firebirds as an injury replacement, and ran out a full game at centre in her debut. It was a very controlled performance for the rookie, and she finished with 27 feeds, 17 assists, one intercept, two pickups, and just two turnovers in her first 60 minutes of Super Netball.
Jessie Laga’aia had a strong performance on debut. Image: Simon Leonard
Jo Weston and Kate Eddy were outstanding in their defensive combination, finishing collectively with 6 gains, 1 intercept, 5 deflections, 4 rebounds, and 2 pickups, forcing the Thunderbirds to move Georgie Horjus and trial newer shooting combinations. In the post-match press conference, Di Honey highlighted that “whoever I put in there, I am confident that they can do the job.” She spoke about how Weston has come through the pathways as a goal keeper and brings aggression and attack on the ball, while Eddy’s long arms, good angles, and rebounding meant she was a good match-up against the speedy playmaker, Horjus. It’s this flexibility to rotate players that is a key strength of the reigning premiers.
Kate Eddy put in an MVP performance. Image: Shaun Sharp/Sporting Moments by Shaun
Hannah Mundy was another outstanding player for the Vixens, with strong, safe hands and strong drives to the ball. Finishing with the highest Net Points of both teams for the game, Mundy recorded 14 goal assists, 30 feeds, 18 with an attempt, 20 centre pass receives, 2 gains, 1 deflection, and only 1 general play turnover, which was no mean feat against the physical pressure and smarts of Latanya Wilson and Kate Heffernan. With performances like these, Mundy continues to solidify her position as a future starting seven Diamond.
Fran Williams is usually a quiet and consistent achiever, but she was simply outstanding against the Mavericks. Recording an extraordinary 11 gains, she used her netball IQ to get to the right place at the right time, especially when the game was in the balance. As important was her consistency, as her work rate remained constant across the match, while she was also a key driver in attack.
Fran-tastic! Fran Williams with perhaps the best individual goal defence performance so far this season. Image: Aliesha Vicars
Midcourt turnovers are a continuing issue for the Giants, with Whitney Souness (4), Casey Adamson (8) and Sophie Dwyer (4) handing over most of their side’s 24 errors. While Adamson can be excused due to her relative inexperience, there’s fewer excuses for Souness and Dwyer. These handling errors need tidying up, as they are particularly costly in the attacking third, leading effectively to a two goal turnaround.
STAT CHAT
There were a couple of standout statistics from the Firebirds team in their win over Swifts. After trailing at half time, the home team put on a truly astonishing performance with ball in hand to take the match. In the second half, Firebirds converted 30 of their 31 centre passes at 97%! Swifts’ overall centre pass to goal conversion rate of 79% would be enough to win many matches, but not this one. Firebirds finished on 87%, the second-highest rate for the year. The highest was 88% by Fever in round four, which also happened to be against Swifts.
Firebirds’ shooter Mary Cholhok had struggled for accuracy in previous matches. In the first five rounds, Cholhok had 66 missed attempts, and while she was able to rebound many of them, it wasn’t good for the confidence of herself or her team. But she turned it all around against Swifts, shooting 63/66 at 96%. Thanks to Cholhok’s improved accuracy, Firebirds shot a combined 74/78 at 95%. Compare that to their shooting percentages from other matches – 70%, 72%, 72%, 78%, 69%.
One feature of Vixens’ win over Thunderbirds was the effective use of the super shot. Kiera Austin has been on fire from two-point range this season (28/36 at 78%), and in the second and third quarters, she used it to great effect, shooting 4/4 to keep her side in touch. Then, when Vixens were on top in the last quarter, Thunderbirds tried to do the same, but without the same success. As a result, Vixens’ 5/6 super shots at 83% is a stark contrast to Thunderbirds’ 1/7 at 14%. The one super shot that Thunderbirds managed to score was on full time when the game was beyond doubt.
Vixens enhanced their reputation as the best fourth-quarter team in Super Netball. In 2026 so far, Vixens have won all six last quarters, by a combined margin of 35 goals. Saturday’s match was the perfect example of a team struggling early, but working through their problems and finishing strongly. Vixens’ centre pass to goal rate was a low 54% in the first quarter, but they improved that to 64% in the second, 80% in the third, and then 92% in the fourth. By contrast, Thunderbirds’ last quarter was clearly their worst – just 33% centre passes to goal.
There was an amazing defensive display in the match between Mavericks and Fever. The combination of Fran Williams and Kadie-Ann Dehaney came up with all but one of Fever’s 17 possession gains during the match. Dehaney had a terrific game, but she was overshadowed by her defensive partner. Williams finished with 11 gains, 5 intercepts, 5 deflections, and 3 rebounds. Meanwhile, Jessie Grenvold continued her hot form this season. Among her impressive defensive stats in this game, she had 11 deflections which was part of a total of 31 by Mavericks – the most deflections by a team this year.
Another player to finish with 11 deflections was the Lightning’s Courtney Bruce in their win over the Giants. And while this was undoubtedly a reflection of her ability, it’s noteworthy to recognise that none of those 11 deflections ended up resulting in a possession gain. In fact, just two of Lightning’s total of 20 deflections led to their team winning the ball and they both came from a midcourter, not a defender. Leesa Mi Mi had just two deflections during the game, but both resulted in a gain.
Courtney Bruce fired up her team during the fourth quarter. Image: May Bailey/Clusterpix
LADDER
Team / Pts / %
1 Vixens . 24 . 115.3%
2 Thunderbirds . 20 . 120.3%
3 Fever . 20 . 113.3%
4 Lightning . 12 . 96.6%
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5 Mavericks . 8 . 99.2%
6 Firebirds . 8 . 97.6%
7 Swifts . 4 . 86.5%
8 Giants . 0 . 80.3%
Zoe Cransberg had another strong game at centre, with Fever sitting third on the ladder despite their injury woes. Image: Aliesha Vicars
NEXT ROUND
Sat, Apr 25
5pm AEST – SWIFTS v GIANTS
7pm AEST – THUNDERBIRDS v LIGHTNING (6:30pm local time)
Sun, Apr 26
2pm AEST – FIREBIRDS v MAVERICKS
4pm AEST – FEVER v VIXENS (2pm local time)
A cuddle for Kiwi compatriots Whitney Souness and Karin Burger before the game. Image: May Bailey/Clusterpix
