Super Netball: 17 rising rookies to watch in the 2022 season
Super Netball is blessed with a host of young guns who are ready to make their mark. We profile more than 15 rising stars set to break out in season 2022.
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From teen sensations and future Diamonds — a host of rising rookies are set to make their mark on the Super Netball this year, a trend Netball Australia hopes to see continue well into the future.
Young guns Ruby Bakewell-Doran, Rahni Samason and Teigan O’Shannassy are just three of the many former training partners elevated to full-time contracts with Super Netball clubs this year.
Netball Australia Executive General Manager of Performance Stacey West said she was thrilled with the diversity of talent recruited by Super Netball teams this year.
“We have young talent and experienced, developed athletes and a good cross section of playing positions,” West said.
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“They bring an energy, youthfulness and enthusiasm to the teams but also accountability as they are hot on the tails of the high performing athletes and fighting for a spot in the starting seven.”
A change to this year’s model means training partners will be able to travel to games with the team – a luxury not previously permitted.
West said it was a new Covid-19 contingency so that teams could pull in extra players if needed.
“It means the training partners will get to feel what it’s like to get on a plane, stay overnight in a hotel, prepare to play, it is an incredible opportunity,” West said.
Covid-19 caused massive disruption to the netball calendar of events and West said there were some players she hadn’t seen take to the court in two years.
“I’m very curious to watch the under-21 cohort, we are looking to have a Diamonds team ready for the 2027 World Cup in Sydney,” she said.
HERE ARE 17 RISING ROOKIES TO WATCH IN 2022
Rahni Samason
After a year as a training partner, Rahni Samason has earned her way to a full-time contact with the Melbourne Vixens.
The 24-year-old shooter made a stunning debut, sinking a super shot after the siren to win the game against the Firebirds, when Emily Mannix was out injured.
Samason is known for her composure in front of goal.
Hannah Mundy
Versatile centre-court talent Hannah Mundy, named 2021 Rookie of the Year, is sure to shine on the court this year. Mundy, 21, debuted for the Vixens in Liz Watson’s absence.
Netball is in her blood — mum Shelley O’Donnell was the inaugural captain of the Melbourne Kestrels (one of the Vixen’s predecessor clubs).
Mundy plays centre, and wing attack.
Tayla Fraser
Tayla Fraser came through the Netball NSW State Team Pathway, eventually earning herself a Swifts Training Partner spot at the age of 19.
However, due to injuries, she soon found herself debuting for the club against the West Coast Fever in Perth in Round 10 of the 2019 season.
Fraser, now 22, took the court in the 2019 Grand Final against the Sunshine Coast Lightning, winning her first premiership with less than five elite games under her belt.
With extended squads for the 2020 Super Netball season, which was played in a condensed hub format in Queensland, Fraser found herself playing a full season of professional netball.
She impressed enough to be offered a first full-time Super Netball contract for the 2021 season, and repaid the faith shown in her. Playing across three positions – wing defence, centre and wing attack – Fraser cemented her place in the Swifts’ starting seven for the 2021 Grand Final against the Giants. She played a starring role to secure her second premiership title.
Teigan O’Shannassy
Regarded as one of the most promising up-and-coming defenders in the Australian game, Teigan O’Shannassy is ready to burst onto the scene in 2022.
A NSW junior, who worked with Swifts head coach Briony Akle in the Netball NSW State Team pathway before the latter was promoted to Super Netball level, O’Shannassy, 22, is no stranger to the elite game.
Last year the Swifts were keen to bring her back to their environment and offered her a training partner contract, which she made the most of.
Despite having limited time to train with the team, due to Covid hubs, O’Shannassy’s athleticism and tenacity in defence was obvious and it earned her a full-time contract for the Swifts’ title defence in 2022.
Kelly Singleton
Kelly Singleton, 23, benefited from the extended squads named for the 2020 season, and went on to make her elite debut against the Adelaide Thunderbirds.
Playing her underage netball with the likes of Tayla Fraser and Teigan O’Shannassy, Singleton has been a standout performer in the QBE Swifts Academy and, with the departure of Sophie Garbin to Collingwood, has been given the opportunity to make an attacking position her own with her first full-time contract for the 2022 season.
While not as big a presence in the attacking circle as Garbin, Singleton makes up for this with good movement and her ability to get in behind defenders.
Reilley Batcheldor
Reilley Batcheldor, 19, will take to the court in her debut Super Netball season with Sunshine Coast Lightning this year. She impressed greatly at the Team Girls Cup with her confidence to shoot from long range and hit the scoreboard whenever taking to the court. A former Firebirds training partner, the GA and GS honed her skills playing for QUT Netball in the Qld Sapphire Series. Batcheldor is a current Australian 21/U squad member.
Annie Miller
The 20-year-old centre/wing-attack has earned her first full time contract with Sunshine Coast Lightning after being a training partner at Giants Netball. Miller was elevated for one game last year, making her Suncorp Super Netball debut in round 2, against Collingwood Magpies. She is also part of the Australian 21/U representative side and is known for her speed, agility and endurance.
Matilda McDonell
One of the best young impact defenders in the game, Giants’ Tilly McDonell is set to keep impressing this season. The 22-year-old defender, who played her debut game for the Giants in 2019, is known for her passion, grit and determination.
Amy Sligar
Teen sensation Amy Sligar will step up for the Giants this year as a full-time midcourter. The 19-year-old centre/wing defence played three Super Netball games in 2021 and is ready to evolve her game this year. She is known for her athletic ability and aerial skills.
Ruth Aryang
The 18-year-old sister of Fever player and Diamond Sunday Aryang has been named as part of the Western Australian’s club’s extended squad for the 2022 season. Ruth won the medal for the best and fairest player in the Western Australia Netball league in 2021, after a stellar season as goal defence for the ECU Souwest Jets.
Zoe Cransberg
Named on Fever’s extended team list, Zoe Cransberg, 22, is no stranger to elite sport. Her father Peter Cransberg played 79 VFL/AFL games for Essendon and twin sister Jordan is a training partner with the Vixens. Cransberg, a versatile midcourter, is a fierce competitor. She has also completed a Bachelor of science.
Maggie Lind
The daughter of former Melbourne Kestrels head coach Marg Lind, Maggie Lind has picked up her first full-time contract this year – signing with the Magpies for 22. Lind was a training partner with the squad, who was awarded the MVP in the Victorian Netball League last year. A former goaler Lind is now a smooth-moving wing attack with great ability to feed into the goal circle.
Tayla Williams
The 21-year-old midcourter has secured a contract with the Thunderbirds for the 2022 season, after being a training partner with the side since 2020. Williams also represented SA at the 2019 National Championships, where she won gold with the U19 side. That same year, she represented the Southern Force in the Australian Netball League. Off the court, Williams studies a double degree in sport and exercise and nutrition and food science.
Tippah Dwan
Sharp shooter Tippah Dwan, 21, has joined the Thunderbirds for 2022 after making a name for herself with the Firebirds in 2020. Dwan finished fourth in the league for super shots collecting 713 Nissan Net Points for the season. She has been named in the Australian Development Squad for the past two years. When not training or playing Dwan is studying a Bachelor of Business and Interior Architecture.
Latanya Wilson
Season 2022 will be Latanya Wilson’s second with the Thunderbirds. She was just 19 when she arrived in Adelaide from Jamaica. Wilson, 20 is a versatile defender playing wing defence, goal defence and goal keeper. She grew a lot in the 2020 season and has continued to shine in the pre-season clashes.
Ruby Bakewell-Doran
Ruby Bakewell-Doran, a goal defence or keeper, played three games for the Firebirds last season and is looking forward to more court time this year. The 23-year-old played for Queensland Fusion in the 2018 and 19 Sapphire Series before switching to Brisbane North Cougars and being named the grand final MVP after a convincing win against Ipswich Jets.
Mia Stower
After being a training partner and member of the extended squad since 2020, Mia Stower has earned her first Super Netball contract with the Firebirds. Stower, 21, is a promising goal attack, who finetuned her skills with the Brisbane North Cougars in the Hart Sapphire Series – winning back to back premierships. Stower is also a member of the U21 Australian World Youth Cup Squad.
Originally published as Super Netball: 17 rising rookies to watch in the 2022 season
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