Cover Image: Hannah Howard
Writers: Georgia Doyle, Ariane Virgona, Ian Harkin, Katrina Nissen
Photographers: Aliesha Vicars, Hannah Howard, Simon Leonard, Shaun Sharp,
Results SSN Round 3
Melbourne Mavericks 71 def GIANTS Netball 56
NSW Swifts 65 def Adelaide Thunderbirds 57
Sunshine Coast Lightning 64 def Queensland Firebirds 50
West Coast Fever 67 def Melbourne Vixens 57
Shimona Jok celebrates reaching her 100th national league game against the GIANTS. Image – Aliesha Vicars
Milestones
Romelda Aiken-George – Most games in the ANZ Championship and SSN combined (233).
Shimona Jok – 100th national league Game
Cara Koenan – 100th national league Game
Mahalia Cassidy – 100th national league Game
Rudi Ellis – 50th national league Game
Steph Fretwell – 2000th Goal
Helen Housby – 300th Super Shot
Tania Obst on Romelda Aiken-George’s milestone.
“What she’s doing after 233 games is pretty spectacular. You can tell what it means to her after the game, how she just loves playing the game.”
Fans get behind Romelda’s milestone. Image: Hannah Howard
Injuries
Ruth Aryang has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025 season and the World Youth Netball Cup with a ruptured achilles. This is a devastating blow for the Fever and for Aryang, who had just recovered from an ACL injury and received her first full contract in 2025.
Sasha Glasgow (Mavericks) – calf strain (rested as precaution).
Kristiana Manu’a (Lightning) – ankle.
Sunday Aryang (Fever) – ankle
LET’S TALK ABOUT:
News of the Week
Not since the dreaded Covid disruptions has Super Netball had a disrupted or ‘split’ round. And, it’s safe to say that this iteration has received temperate reviews with many critics citing that it occurred too early in the season and was unnecessary. An unfortunate consequence of the early split round was the loss of two opportunities to host ANZAC commemorative services.
Vixens and Lightning were the only two teams able to host ANZAC Commemorative Services in 2025. Image: Shaun Sharp
It was an emotional game for Romelda Aiken-George as Thunderbirds celebrated her achievement of going past Geva Mentor for the total number of caps in the ANZ Championship and Suncorp Super Netball combined. Aiken-George was in tears during the post-match presentation, as was her friend Shamera Sterling-Humphrey. After debuting in 2008, Aiken-George has now played 233 games, made up of 197 games for the Firebirds, 17 games for the Swifts, and 19 games, and counting, for the Thunderbirds.
New Zealand Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua was back with the Swifts coaching team for the game. This continues the working relationship that Taurua has with Swifts coach Briony Akle, which has seen Akle assisting Taurua during Silver Ferns games. Taurua was here for just one game at this stage, but she will reportedly be back for more games later in the season.
Akle said the combination of Taurua with Swifts’ assistant coach Dylan Nexhip added great finesse to the team’s coaching style. “It’s nice to have her back in and around the girls. I think Dylan has brought awesome stuff to our defence end, so it’s just adding finesse: a sprinkle on top of what Dylan has been doing.”
Silver Ferns head coach Dame Noeline Taurua was spotted again on the Swifts coaching bench. Image – Hannah Howard
Netball New Zealand chief executive Jennie Wyllie has said that the NNZ board will review Grace Nweke’s eligibility to play for the Silver Ferns and the situation regarding New Zealand players playing overseas. There is also uncertainty surrounding the future of the ANZ Premiership, and Wyllie said that needs to be resolved before a decision on player eligibility is made.
After completing an intense return to play program and a subsequent sign off from Netball Australia and West Coast Fever, Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard made her long-awaited return to Super Netball – just in time for her side’s clash with the Melbourne Vixens. The Jamaican superstar looked right at home back under the post, slotting a cool 59 from 61 in what was surely an emotional return to play. Her MVP performance inspired the team to win, and coach Dan Ryan dubbed the full-team performance the best he has seen from the side in his time with the club.
Speaking of the Fever, Sue Gaudion is stepping down as General Manager of the West Australian club in August. After five years in the role, Gaudion’s legacy includes the club’s first premiership and improved high performance pathways in Western Australia. She’s also done an exceptional job of building the connection between sport and entertainment, with Fever regularly recording the best attended games in the league. Gaudion will continue her specialist coaching role at the club.
In Netball Australia’s debut episode of their new “Uncovered” series, Verity Simmons provided further insight into her departure from Fever at the end of the 2023 season. While she hopped codes to AFLW at the time, the decision was made because “a player” had suggested she wasn’t in the club’s plans. Simmons later found out she was very much wanted, with a contract ready and waiting to be signed, but by that point she’d already decided to depart. For the full story, we highly recommend watching the 18-minute documentary, linked above. Here’s hoping that the series continues with more behind-the-scenes access to other players and clubs across the season.
Fox promised a revitalised commentary team this season and they have delivered with Kate Moloney, Ava Black, and Kelpie Josh Byron debuted as side-line commentators during Round 3. Each brought excellent current player insight and unique expert analysis to the current commentary teams. We look forward to hearing more from other current Super Netball and Aussie Men’s players throughout the season.
The National Netball Championships were held recently at Netball Central in Sydney. South Australia and NSW took out the honours, retaining the titles they won last year. In the 17U division, SA beat NSW 33-26 in the final, with Victoria coming 3rd. SA defender Jazmin McKay (who is the daughter of former Diamond Sarah Sutter) was grand final MVP and shared the tournament MVP with Tasmania’s Sophie Sherrif. In a very even 19U division, NSW beat Victoria 35-28 in the final, with Queensland coming 3rd despite clearing the pool rounds without dropping a game. NSW midcourter Nevaeh Matenga was the grand final MVP, while Queensland’s Tia Molo was the tournament MVP.
The Australian Men’s and Mixed Nationals were also conducted recently at the State Sport Centre in Parkville, Melbourne. Congratulations to Queensland (17/U), Western Australia (20/U), Victoria (23U and Mens Open), Djubeddah First Nations (Mixed Reserves), and South Australia (Mixed Open) for taking home the trophies. The Championships concluded with a terrific open Men’s final. Victoria just edged out NSW 44-42, with Alistair Punchon (Vic) and Liam Forcadilla (NSW) sharing the MVP award from the game.
After a social media campaign, Robert Irwin finally attended his first Lightning game. Image – Simon Leonard
After three weeks of constant, lighthearted social media badgering by Sunshine Coast Lightning and their fans, Robert Irwin appeared at UniSc Arena for the Queensland Derby. The ‘Sunshine Coast royalty’ received a huge cheer from both teams, the crowd and even the commentators as he entered the stadium to deliver the game ball. By all accounts, Irwin was as nice in person as he appears in the media, as he was very gracious taking sideline selfies, waving and chatting to all his fans. During an in-stadium interview, he said he would like to come back again and bring his niece, Grace, who he said will be playing netball in the future.
In international news, controversial Netball South Africa President Cecilia Molokwane has been suspended from her position by World Netball until a disciplinary panel has heard her case. While the allegations against Molokwane haven’t been outlined, they are described as “serious”, and NSA will also face suspension if they allow her to continue in the role.
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Catch up with The Sporting Scoop podcast on Spotify and Youtube,
Last week’s guest was Sunday Aryang
Stat of the Week
This week we’re talking about possession gains after an incredible thing happened in Adelaide. The renowned Thunderbirds defence went for two straight quarters without a gain against Swifts. After a poor first quarter, Swifts upped their attacking game, and left the home side struggling for answers in the second and third quarters.
Before this round, Thunderbirds had played 470 quarters in SSN and only failed to record a gain nine times. But against this Swifts team, it happened twice in a row. This is now the seventh occasion a team has gone without a gain for two straight quarters.
Two straight quarters without a gain
2018 Rd 11 – Giants (v Firebirds)
2019 Rd 9 – Magpies (v Giants)
2019 Rd 12 – Swifts (v Vixens)
2021 Rd 3 – Lightning (v Fever)
2022 Rd 8 – Lightning (v Thunderbirds)
2024 Rd 14 – Mavericks (v Fever)
2025 Rd 3 – Thunderbirds (v Swifts)
Even after this game, Thunderbirds are still well ahead of the pack when it comes to the number of quarters without a possession gain. They now have 11 in total in Super Netball. Next best are Fever with 17, Giants 19 and Firebirds 20.
Grace Nweke get fingertips to the ball over Latanya Wilson. Image: Hannah Howard
Rolling stat of the Season
It’s important to note that coming up with possession gains is not the end of the story. You need to capitalise on the gains you get. Once again, the game in Adelaide was a perfect example. Swifts had nine possession gains in the game, and converted every one of them into a goal. By comparison, Thunderbirds were only able to score off 40% of their gains.
A 100% gain to goal rate is a great performance from a team. Vixens were also able to achieve this feat in round two. So, how are all the teams travelling this season so far? As you can see, Swifts are on top, and Thunderbirds, despite having the most gains, haven’t been converting as they would hope.
2025 Gain to Goal rate
Swifts – 80.7% (25/31)
Vixens – 73.5% (25/34)
Firebirds – 71.4% (30/42)
Mavericks – 66.7% (24/36)
Giants – 65.2% (19/29)
Fever – 60.5% (23/38)
Lightning – 59.5% (25/42)
Thunderbirds – 59.2% (29/49)
MATCH WRAPS:
Mavericks v Giants
Mavericks claimed their first win of the season and showed potential of more to come with a dominant 15-goal win over Giants. The margin was only four at half time, but when Mavericks lifted their game in the second half, Giants couldn’t go with them and the margin blew out. For the injury-hit Mavericks, the withdrawal of Sasha Glasgow, left Uneeq Palavi to play goal attack, and she did her job to perfection.
For the most part, Palavi played the support role to Shimona Jok, often leaving Jok alone in the circle. But she still remained an offensive threat herself. Jok scored 60 goals in her 100th match and no matter what they tried, Giants simply had no answer to her. Molly Jovic was back to full fitness for Mavericks and outplayed her opponent Jamie-Lee Price who had a poor game by her high standards.
Meanwhile, Kim Brown and Olivia Lewis did an excellent job in disrupting the Giants attack end. The Giants simply made too many errors in this game. They finished with 70 penalties and 29 general play turnovers. Jodi-Ann Ward and Amy Sligar were the best performers in a beaten side.
Shimona Jok and Erin O’Brien battle for the ball. Image – Aliesha Vicars
Mavericks centre Molly Jovic got through her first 60 minute game this season. Image – Aliesha Vicars
Maddie Hay (Giants) and Amy Parmenter (Mavericks) in action in Round 3. Image: Aliesha Vicars
Thunderbirds v Swifts
NSW Swifts won the much-anticipated clash with Adelaide Thunderbirds to go to the top of the table. It was Swifts’ first victory over Thunderbirds since 2022 and Thunderbirds’ first loss at home since Round 13, 2023. Swifts and Thunderbirds have met 72 times since the start of the National League in 1997, and the head-to-head stands at 35 wins apiece with 2 draws.
The long-awaited match up between Shamera Sterling-Humphrey and Grace Nweke was the headline act. Sterling-Humphrey struggled to inject herself into the contest, with Nweke’s smart body positioning keeping Sterling-Humphrey on her back and limiting her ability to win clean ball. Nweke finished with 48/50, while Sterling-Humphrey had a quiet game for her with four gains. At the other end of the court, the introduction of goal keeper Tiegan O’Shannassy was the turning point for Swifts. She turned the match on its head with five intercepts in the opening 10 minutes of the third quarter, and each one led to a Swifts goal. She finished with seven gains and was awarded Player of the Match.
The Swifts had two easy options to goal, either a steady feed delivered safely from circle edge or the on the run feed from Verity Simmons that gave Sterling-Humphrey little time to have a crack. The Thunderbirds on the other hand had their work cut out for them, with Georgie Horjus shut down by Sharni Lambden. Horjus finished the match with only nine goal assists and four turnovers, numbers which are not up to her normal high standards.
Sharni Lambden had another impressive performance at wing-defence for the Swifts. Image – Hannah Howard
Kayla Graham had nice impact of the bench, shooting 100% including 3 super shots. Image – Hannah Howard
Georgie Horjus continues to be the conductor of the Thunderbirds front end. Image: Hannah Howard
Lightning v Firebirds
Lightning maintained its dominance of the Queensland Derby with a comfortable 14-goal win over the Firebirds. Lightning have now won the past six clashes and lead the head-to-head 13-4 overall. The standout player was Lightning goal keeper Ash Ervin whose anticipation and reflexes had all Firebirds attacking players second guessing.
Aided by Tara Hinchliffe, Ervin was on song right from the start, and dominated the circle, decisively winning the battle with Mary Cholhok who shot just 23 points and was benched for a period in the third quarter. If Liz Watson has been somewhat down on form this season, she certainly hit back in style with 21 assists and 46 feeds, ably supported in the midcourt by centre Leesa Mi Mi.
Cara Koenen hasn’t had the best start to the season either, but she appeared to regain some lost confidence in what was her 100th appearance. She topped it off by sinking two super shots late in the game. Standout performers in a beaten Firebirds team were Ruby Bakewell-Doran and Hulita Veve. Bakewell-Doran was a constant defensive threat, and finished with eight gains, while Veve was a steadying influence in the midcourt.
A commemorative ceremony was held pre-game to honour ANZAC Day. Lightning players also donned commemorative ANZAC bibs and warm-up tees. Image – Simon Leonard
Leesa Mi Mi celebrates Cara Koenen’s super shots after telling her to ‘just put them up’. Image: Simon Leonard
Mahalia Cassidy threads the needle in her 100th national league match. Image: Simon Leonard
Ruby Bakewell-Doran was the best-on for the Firebirds with her 8 gains. Image: Simon Leonard
Vixens v Fever
The Fever finished with a 10 goal win over their rivals, outplaying the Vixens by capitalising more efficiently off their centre pass possession and gained ball. After two losses to start the season, the return of Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard seemed to give the Fever the confidence they had been looking for. As she has done so many times before, Fowler-Nembhard dominated up front and kept scoreboard pressure on the Vixens.
The defensive unit of Kadie-Ann Dehaney, Fran Williams and Jess Anstiss kept the Vixens contained, disrupting the speed of entry of the ball into the circle. They combined for 15 possession gains and 14 deflections, while centre Jordan Cransberg was there to pounce on the loose ball. She finished with a tally of seven pickups.
The combination between Cransberg, Alice-Teague Neeld and the circle shooters proved difficult to contain, although the entry of Maggie Caris onto the court provided the Vixens with several opportunities to close the gaping scoreline. As the Vixens were in chase-mode from the second quarter, Lily Graham offered some reprieve, shooting three consecutive supershots to lift the Vixen’s spirits. Her agility and movement on the baseline and accuracy to post saw Sophie Garbin sidelined until the last quarter.
‘What you doing down there?’ Image: Shaun Sharp
Lilly Graham had played 25 minutes at hit 14/19 including three super shots. Image: Shaun Sharp
Shanice Beckford tries to keep the ball in play. Image: Shaun Sharp
Players of the round
Uneeq Palavi (Mavericks)
With Sasha Glasgow out with a calf injury, Palavi stepped up and played her first full game for the Mavericks. In goal attack, Palavi showed great combination with Jok with 24 feeds, 23 with an attempt. She was also threatening in the circle, drawing the double defense away from Jok, with 7/7 (100%) and 2/4 supershots (50%).
Jodi-Ann Ward (Giants)
In the loss against the Mavericks, Jodi-Ann Ward was a shining light. With 4 gains, 3 intercepts, 5 deflections, 1 rebound, and 1 pickup, her consistent contest and attack of the ball brought much needed energy to her flagging side.
Sharni Lambden (Swifts)
To beat the Thunderbirds is to shut down play-maker Georgie Horjus. Wing defence, Lambden, took the responsibility on her shoulders and kept Horjus to only 4 goal assists in the first half. Lambden didn’t dominate the stats sheet herself, but she did an amazing job in curtailing the effectiveness of her opponent, executing her role perfectly.
Ash Ervin (Lightning)
The long reach and smarts of Ash Ervin were again on full display. Against the Firebirds, Ervin racked up 11 gains, four intercepts, 10 deflections, six defensive rebounds, and only seven contacts. Ash was outstanding at casting doubt in the mind of the league’s tallest shooter, Mary Cholhok, and her feeders. As Player of the Match, her performance continues to embed her into the future of the Diamonds.
POTM Ash Ervin was on fire right from the first whistle.
Cara Koenen (Lightning)
After receiving much criticism for her less-than-Diamonds form, and lack of confidence shooting the twos, Koenan reminded us what she’s made of in her 100th game. Her agility on the baseline and strong connection with Steph Fretwell and the midcourt (Leesa Mi Mi and Liz Watson) was on full display, finishing with 39/44 (89%). In the final two minutes of play, Koenan also shot two supershots in loud response to those that doubted her.
Kadie-Ann Dehaney (Fever)
Dehaney’s pressure was formidable against the Vixens, finishing the game with eight gains, one intercept, four deflections, and six rebounds. Combining well with Fran Williams, she caused all sorts of problems for the Vixens attack end, and was there to pounce on the errors they made. She had the better of Sophie Garbin and that saw the Diamonds shooter benched.
Maggie Caris (Vixens)
In 30 minutes of play, Caris scored the second-highest Net Points for the entire Vixens team, despite coming up against Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard. With 3 gains, 3 intercepts, 5 deflections, and 1 pickup, Caris offered some much-needed ball to the Vixens who were struggling to capitalise on their possession.
Quotes Corner
Shimona Jok on the Mavericks’ win and working with Uneeq Palavi
“It goes to show that if you have a team-first mentality, you can do anything out there…Those zappy passes, I like them…I feel like Pav really put me on show out there… she was strong, she delivered as well as possible, she gave all that we asked… we can’t be more proud of Pav.”
Briony Akle on Teigan O’Shannassy’s performance.
“It was so good to watch. You can appreciate a defender who actually backs herself and goes for the ball. Once you get that ball in hand and get that feel for it, I certainly think that’s what drew her confidence.”
Jamie-Lee Price on the confidence of the GIANTS outfit.
“I just feel like we have so much potential, but we are not showing it…it’s definitely not physical, I feel like once we get a win on the board, learning to win, having or knowing to have the confidence in ourselves that we can win and that we are good enough.”
Cara Koenen on her rare supershot and being urged to take it by Leesa MiMi
“I feel the unwavering support whenever I get myself into that 2pt zone. It is definitely an element of the game that I have wanted to grow and I am also still making sure I am executing in the 1pt. But at the end of the game, all the pressure was off, so it was a good little confidence boost for sure.”
In her 100th national league game, Cara Koenen shot 39/44 including two super-shots. Image – Simon Leonard
Ladder
Team / Pts / %
Swifts . 12 . 119%
Thunderbirds . 8 . 112%
Lightning . 8 . 105%
Firebirds . 8 . 102%
–
Mavericks . 4 . 99%
Vixens. 4. 91%
Fever. 4. 89%
Giants . 0 . 87%
Next Week
Sat, May 3
5pm – GIANTS v THUNDERBIRDS
7pm – FEVER v LIGHTNING (5pm local time)
Sun, May 4
2pm – MAVERICKS v VIXENS
4pm – SWIFTS v FIREBIRDS
Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard was all smiles after an MVP performance in her return game. Image: Shaun Sharp
