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News.com.au
a day ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Emotions ran high as the Giants farewelled legend with inspirational Super Netball win
Emotions ran high as Giants Netball farewelled their retiring skipper Jo Harten in style, celebrating a 15 point win over the Melbourne Mavericks in Sydney. One of her club's foundation players, Harten announced this week that she was calling time on a decorated 20 year playing career. With her long term coach, Julie Fitzgerald, in tears on the sidelines before the match even started, the former English Rose played a pivotal role in the win, using her game smarts to outfox opponents in the 74 to 59 point Super Netball victory. Harten went on to finish the match with 33 points, including seven from range, with a buzzer beater as her last ever touch of the ball. Speaking post match, Fitzgerald said, 'Watching her grow into the person she's become is probably more important to me than the netball. 'It's going to continue. She might take her bib off but she'll still have a big impact on netball in the world.' Giants started slowly without youngster Erin O'Brien, who'd been named at goal defence but was missing when the opening whistle blew. One of her side's most consistent performers, O'Brien appeared halfway through the first quarter with a heavily strapped shoulder, after tweaking it in their warmup. With her return, the Giants upped their tempo after a poor start, to bring the scores back to almost level at quarter time. O'Brien went on to have a huge influence on the game, picking off five gains, as she underscored her credentials for a possible Diamonds' callup. With both sides ramping up their defensive pressure, while also making a range of attacking errors, there were multiple changes of possession in the second quarter. Centre Molly Jovic ran a marathon for the Mavericks as the ball pinged from end to end, finishing with 42 feeds and two valuable pickups. With the game locked on level terms at half time, Giant Jamie-Lee Price told commentary that the game was 'messy'. She said, 'We're getting plenty of ball, but we're just not scoring off it.' 'It's so simple, just score goals. I feel like we should be ahead by way more, but we're just making errors.' Despite most Mavericks playing for contracts, a blistering Giants second half saw them take the eventual win. Eight spaces still remain on the Melbourne based side's roster, and they could snaffle Jamie-Lee Price. Commentator Kim Green potentially let the cat out of the bag, letting slip that she has played her last game for the Giants. While the co-captain has a year left to run on her contract, there's been plenty of speculation that she will be released to head south and join her AFL-playing partner in Melbourne. closing things out in style ðŸ�� Watch every game live on Kayo Sports, Foxtel and Binge. — Suncorp Super Netball (@SuperNetball) July 12, 2025 HARTEN HANGS UP HER DRESS Jo Harten retires as one of netball's greats, having played 202 National League games and 117 tests for England. Among those was the Roses' historic Commonwealth Games medal in 2018, where they upset Australia on home soil. Known for her leadership, court craft and accuracy under the post, Harten has coaching experience with the Roses already under her belt, as she views a possible career in that space. MAVERICKS ON A MISSION As the Super Netball season comes to a close, Mavericks will be on a mission to bolster their ranks. Currently, captain Amy Parmenter and defender Kim Brown are the only two players contracted for 2026, with even the future of coach Tracey Neville up in the air. If the injury plagued side is hoping to climb the ladder next year, they will need a mixture of better luck and stronger roster in several areas of the court. With teams unable to talk to players from other clubs until the season has ended, it could explain why they still have a number of contracts waiting to be filled.
News.com.au
18-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
NSW derby highlights Swifts dominance for season 2025
Their last clash was a battle to avoid the wooden spoon but the NSW derby has underlined the dominance of the NSW Swifts in season 2025. The Swifts poured in a season-high 82 points in a 13-point victory over the Giants that maintained their unbeaten record this season and helped them retain the Carol Sykes Memorial Trophy. A runaway 22-13 third quarter gave them an 82-69 win, with the final scoreline no real indication of how close the unrelenting physical battle was. The Swifts won every quarter but their edge for the first, second and fourth terms combined was only four points, with only the disastrous third term - when the Giants committed six of their 16 turnovers for the match and had a previously firing Jo Harten subbed out and head up the tunnel before taking no further part in the match - turning the game. While 16 of their 18 previous derby matches had been decided by single digits - and the last game by a solitary goal - the Swifts showed why they're already considered premiership favourites this season with a dominant performance. The Giants came into the match on the bottom of the ladder but belied their position with an outstanding effort in the first half. The match started at a frenetic pace, with the teams going goal for goal in the opening 10 minutes, even when there was turnover ball - the Giants winning the ball back before the Swifts could capitalise - until Jo Harten finally missed an attempt during the super shot period at 12-12. Just one point separated the teams at the opening break and three at halftime, with the Swifts in the lead but the Giants clinging on desperately after arguably their best half of netball this season. But the Swifts took the match away from their rivals with a 22-13 term, Grace Nweke scoring 18 goals in the third quarter alone and Helen Housby putting a couple of nails in the coffin with a pair of super shots. MIDCOURT BATTLE The Swifts started Verity Simmons and Maddie Hay with Paige Hadley in the midcourt after battling with their full court transition against the Vixens a week earlier. But it was the battle in the middle between Hadley and her Diamonds teammate Jamie-Lee Price that dominated proceedings. In a physical encounter, the pair went hammer and tongs at each other, with Price taking points in an opening half during which both wore the centre bib. Hadley said it was a battle she loved. 'I'm never going to beat her physically, she loves being on the body, she loves to push and shove but for me it's about bringing my skill set really well,' Hadley said. 'But you always love the battle coming up against a Diamond.' Hadley was switched to wing attack in the second half and dominated, creating outstanding opportunities and angles for her shooters, with Price switched to wing defence in a bid to shut her down again. The Giants' middies were exceptional at times but their lack of depth and experience told at times, with Hope White's injection in the third term in place of Maddie Hay not paying dividends, while for the Swifts, Allie Smith and Sharni Lambden entered the game seamlessly for Verity Simmons and Maddy Turner. SWIFTS DEFENCE ON SONG Just as they rotated their midcourt, the Swifts' depth in defence was on full show, with Teigan O'Shannassy switched to goalkeeper just before halftime and snaring MVP honours with five gains, including four intercepts. Sarah Klau, who snared player of the match honours the previous week against the Vixens, started in the GK bib against Harten but with the former England Roses shooter leading by example and keeping her team in the game, the switch was made, with the taller O'Shannassy pushed back to 'keeper, allowing Klau to hunt out in front, with Turner also used at goal defence. The injection of Aussie Kelpies men's captain Dylan Nexhip as an assistant focusing on defence has been an overlooked component of the Swifts' dominance this season and his input was again pivotal in Sunday's derby. WHERE TO FOR GIANTS Things get no easier for the Giants, who host the West Coast Fever on Saturday to finish the opening round of fixtures. With just one win under their belts, pressure is mounting on players and coaching staff, with questions over the future of veterans Julie Fitzgerald and Harten, who are both off contract at the end of the season. Harten's co-captain Jamie-Lee Price is contracted until the end of 2026 but her recent comments that 'It's just a matter of when I go to Melbourne' to join long-term partner and Collingwood AFL player Harry Perryman could also be destabilising. Price though was outstanding for the Giants on Sunday and her efforts cannot be questioned, while Harten, one of the smartest players in the league, has also turned in a couple of vintage performances in her last two outings, although she is no longer a 60-minute option at full throttle.
News.com.au
03-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Super Netball 2025: Defending premiers Adelaide Thunderbirds defeated by winless Giants in massive upset
Giants Netball have pulled off the biggest upset of the 2025 Super Netball season to date by overthrowing the 2024 premiers, Adelaide Thunderbirds by one point. After leading by as much as eight points in the second quarter, Giants kept their composure as the Thunderbirds mounted a last-ditch comeback. Erin O'Brien, one of Giants' rising stars, pulled off a matchwinning intercept at the 57-minute mark, giving her side a small buffer which put the match just out of reach for the visitors. Earlier in the week Thunderbirds star defender Shamera Sterling-Humphrey announced she'd be missing the remainder of the season while pregnant with her first child, and the previously winless, eighth placed Giants pounced on this disruption to claim the morale-boosting 64 to 63 point victory. Think you're a sports fanatic? Take the test. Play daily trivia for FREE on CODE Sports. Sign up here > With Sterling-Humphrey sidelined due her pregnancy, the Thunderbirds elevated South African Sanmarie Visser into the starting seven as a replacement player. Visser finished the match with two intercepts and five deflections on debut, although her hefty 24 penalties will likely be a 'work-on' for matches to follow. Giants capitalised on the new look Thunderbirds defensive end to get out to a 3-0 lead within the first 90 seconds of play. They continued to ride momentum as they pushed the lead to as much as eight points at various points throughout the match. The Thunderbirds had moments when they threatened to come back at the bottom of the ladder Giants. Talking post match, Giants coach, Julie Fitzgerald said she was proud of her side's composure in the face of that pressure. 'That is what I am most proud of. For us to maintain composure in what was intense pressure and those two middle quarters when it was goal-for-goal, those are moments when in the past we would have let them get on top of us.' Young defensive duo, Erin O'Brien and Amy Sligar had their best games of the season. Both showed tenacity and maturity beyond their years and collectively contributed five gains for the home side. Speaking post match about the task of containing Thunderbird Romelda Aiken-George, O'Brien said, 'It was tough. She was someone I loved to watch when I was growing up so to play against her is a real privilege. I love the challenge of trying to get her a bit annoyed. It was fun.' Co-Captain Jo Harten won MVP honours, saying post match, 'I loved being out there in the second half. With a four week old newborn at home coming here is just … I love playing netball and letting go. It is such a privilege.' Goal attack Sophie Dwyer silenced the negative commentary surrounding her recent form as she returned to her best for the Giants. The 24-year-old put up 23 from 28 and also contributed 21 centre pass receives and two pick-ups in her 60 minutes of play. WHO IS SANMARIE VISSER? The Thunderbirds newest recruit might not be a household name yet, but her signing was a coup for the Thunderbirds. The 21 year old made her debut for the South African Proteas in January against Jamaica before collecting Player of the Match accolades in the Nations Cup. At the 2024 Fast5 World Tournament she was one of the competition's leading defenders, collecting nine rebounds, and 13 deflections across the six 30-minute matches, showing her readiness to step onto a Super Netball court. HOW TO REPLACE A LEGEND Pregame, Thunderbirds coach Tania Obst spoke to commentary about the loss of Sterling-Humphrey, who has now returned to Jamaica, and the introduction of Visser. 'We have known for a little while [about Shamera's pregnancy] but it was great that she was able to go for as long as she did. She [Visser] has been around the group for a little while and we have integrated her in different moments in our pre-season and the last three weeks. She is very athletic. Her ability to back up and go again with efforts is sensational.'
