Net Gains: Team Girls Cup under threat, no trophy for Reserves, Vixens head coach search begins
The Super Netball season is set for a condensed season in 2026 due to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Team Girls Cup is expected to be paused. But will it disappear altogether?
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Have we seen the final edition of the pre-season Team Girls Cup?
The competition, a three-day pre-season netty fest that gathered all teams together in one location ahead of the Super Netball competition proper, is almost certain to pause next year in a condensed season ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in late July.
And its continued place on the calendar is understood to be under review, with a real chance this year’s competition in Adelaide was the last.
Clubs and NA are believed to be assessing the competition’s value from a high performance and cost perspective.
While it’s a great spectacle with all players gathering together in one place, it hasn’t historically drawn huge crowds and the on-court action often throws a spotlight on the next generation given some of the biggest names in the sport, especially representative players, can be on restricted workloads ahead of the season.
Whether it gets a makeover, new timing or disappears completely is unclear for now but with the season needing to start at least a fortnight earlier next year and the possibility of Test matches to aid Comm Games preparation, wave goodbye to the Team Girls Cup for now at least.
WHERE’S THE TROPHY?
There have been some raised eyebrows over the absence of a trophy being awarded for the winner of the Super Netball Reserves grand final.
Netball Australia confirmed there would not be any silverware awarded to the winner of the decider between West Coast Fever Reserves and the Melbourne Mavericks Reserves at Waverley Netball Centre in Melbourne on Sunday – only a title.
The Super Netball Reserves competition is in its second season following last year’s pilot program, which did not feature finals.
This year, the reserves competition will feature a finals weekend, being live streamed on Code Sports and KTV, with the top-two placed teams on the ladder playing off in the grand final on Sunday, while there will also be a playoff for the third and fourth ranked teams on Saturday.
Tasmanian Wild, Capital Darters and Territory Storm will also feature against the league’s other reserves teams following a play-in tournament this week.
The Super Netball Reserves has been described as a critical development pathway for emerging national talent, providing additional match play opportunities for players on the fringe of Super Netball.
HUNT FOR NEW COACH BEGINS
Melbourne Vixens have officially entered the marketplace for a new head coach with their advertisement for the role going live on Wednesday.
Long-time coach Simone McKinnis dropped a bombshell in May when she announced she would be standing down from the post after 13 years in the job.
Many netball pundits have Thunderbirds assistant and national 21/U coach Cathy Fellows and Mavericks and Diamonds assistant coach Nicole Richardson pegged as two of the early frontrunners for the job.
A two-time premiership coach at the Vixens, McKinnis steered the team to the 2014 and 2020 titles; minor premierships in 2017, 2020 and 2022, while they were also runners-up in the 2022 and 2024 Super Netball grand finals.
Who will get the job? According to the ad posted by Netball Victoria: “You are an experienced High Performance Coach with a deep understanding of elite-level netball, athlete development, and pathway systems. You are a strategic thinker, a clear communicator, and an inspiring leader who thrives on innovation and collaboration.”
Applications close on July 2.
FIREBIRDS EXTEND COACH
The Kiri Wills era at the Firebirds will extend into a third season in 2027 after the Queensland club extended the Kiwi coach’s contract from her original two-year deal.
The Firebirds slipped to the bottom of the Super Netball ladder after their loss to the Adelaide Thunderbirds last week, their eighth loss in a row, but Wills’ success is not just being judged on on-court results.
The Firebirds said the decision underscored the club’s commitment to fostering stability and “sustaining the transformative systems Wills has implemented since her appointment”.
Netball Queensland boss Kate Davies said while there had been challenges on court this season, Wills had created an environment that aligned with the Firebirds’ vision for sustained excellence.
“We recognise that meaningful change requires time, and this extension ensures continuity as we accelerate toward our goals,” Davies said.
“Kiri’s approach has redefined our identity. This decision is a vote of trust in her strategy and our collective future.”
Wills said while the club was not happy with where it sat on the ladder, strong foundations had been laid.
“Our staff and players are fully invested in this vision, and we’re determined to finish 2025 with pride – particularly in our final three home games,” Wills said.
LEGEND JOINS ANPA
Former Australian captain Nat von Bertouch has joined the Australian Netball Players Association as the new Alumni and Diamonds wellbeing manager.
A Hall of Fame inductee, two-time World Cup winner – the second as Diamonds skipper – von Bertouch will provide ongoing wellbeing support to the Diamonds playing group, including at tours and camps, and lead engagement with past players.
It comes at a crucial juncture for the Diamonds, whose players are under increasing pressure heading into their Commonwealth Games and World Cup defences, the latter at a home tournament in Sydney in 2027.
MENTOR FAREWELL
Former Super Netball star Geva Mentor was treated to a guard of honour after officially signing off from her decorated netball career at the weekend.
The former England Roses star played her final game in the Super League for Leeds Rhinos after a career spanning more than two decades on either side of the globe.
In an emotional farewell, the champion defender walked under a guard of honour after her final game and received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Mentor played in Australia between 2008 and 2023 for four teams: Adelaide Thunderbirds, Melbourne Vixens, Sunshine Coast Lightning and the now defunct Magpies.
She also amassed 175 Test caps for England.
Originally published as Net Gains: Team Girls Cup under threat, no trophy for Reserves, Vixens head coach search begins
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