It’s about time we noted and celebrated the players who have stepped up to the big league. The most public one was Sophie Garbin at the Swifts, and Kate Eddy did not embarrass herself either. Tara Hinchliffe at Firebirds made it three newbies on the court at the end, and there is the welcome return of Mahalia Cassidy, who must have had a tiny amount of court time previous to 2017.
Kristiana Manu’a is only a technical debutant for SSN, as she played in the ANZC before her injury, and Jacqui Russell so far has not taken the court for Lightning.
Jhanielle Fowler, Msomi and DeBruin are newcomers to SSN but hardly debutants, but I will call Shimona Nelson a debutant, as she would never have played at this level before. I am pretty sure that Charlee Hodges, Hannah Pettu and Kaitlyn Bryce have all had a few quarters in previous years, so not debutants, although they could qualify for best newcomer. Matilda Garrett got a quick run for Magpies last night, as did Kierra Austin for Giants – is this a debut for both of them?
Have I missed anybody?
