Super Netball trades: Mavs lock in senior star, with Aiken-George, Fowler-Nembhard, on the market
Mavericks have made a move to lock in a senior star as the Melbourne side eyes a rise up the Super Netball ladder in 2026. See every player’s status, and the key target for each club, here.
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Super Netball clubs are racing to lock up their stars, with club captains, seasoned internationals and rising stars among more than half the players in the league officially off contract and able to negotiate with any team in less than a fortnight.
While the competition remains a year away from the signing silly season - a period in which every player in the competition is off-contract at the same time, there are several big stars whose signatures their clubs are racing to secure ahead of free agency, which starts on August 4.
Teams are able to contract their own players at any stage, as the Mavericks did with defender Kim Brown and captain Amy Parmenter, before the end of the season, and remain eligible to lock them in at any stage ahead of free agency, which begins on the Monday following the grand final.
READ MORE: The coachkillers that sabotaged Super Netball’s bottom four
Again, it was the Mavs - who initially had none of their full-time list of 10 re-signed for 2026 - who made a signing announcement last week, confirming key goaler Shimona Jok was locked in for next season.
With players unable to be signed past the end of the current Collective Player Agreement and broadcast cycle, at the end of the 2026 season, only 12-month deals can currently be done.
But with more than half the club’s players off contract and five of the eight clubs now officially finished their playing duties, expect a flurry of announcements in the coming days.
Code Netball has highlighted five of the biggest names off contract.
MAVS MOVE ON MOLLY
– Rebecca Williams
The experience of Collingwood’s Super Netball demise is driving midcourt star Molly Jovic to go “above and beyond” to ensure the Melbourne Mavericks’ success as she recommitted to the league’s youngest franchise for next season.
Coming off one of the best seasons of her career, the centre court ace has been confirmed as the fourth player to be locked in for the Mavericks for season 2026.
The Mavericks’ vice-captain joins goal defence Kim Brown, captain Amy Parmenter and Jamaican goal shooter Shimona Jok as the key quartet to be signed up for the club’s third season in Super Netball.
Jovic was a member of the final Magpies’ squad when the club disbanded in 2023 and said her “lived experience” had fuelled her resolve to ensure the fledgling franchise, which again missed the finals this season, became a success.
“We have built something special the last two years and it’s always going to be hard starting a new club and I want to keep being involved and help it grow,” Jovic said.
“I obviously saw how Collingwood ended and I saw the ways that didn’t work for Collingwood and Mavs coming on board, it has been a lot of extra work.
“But I think because I know, and my lived experience through Collingwood, I am more than willing to do whatever that’s needed to do to keep this club up and running.
“You always know it is going to be hard but then when you get in there there’s the element off the court that you have to do to get it started, building a culture. But then it is also on the court and we were playing with girls that we had probably never played with before and we are coming up against teams that have been playing together for many years.
“It has been hard, but I think it has been really rewarding as well. I am super proud of how everyone has come along on the journey and bought in.
“I feel like I have been more willing to go above and beyond for the club because of our lived (Collingwood) experience as well. I think everyone has been willing to go above and beyond because they have all moved their lives here to be a part of this.”
In their second season in the league, the Mavericks finished seventh in another injury-hit campaign, but Jovic believed there had been plenty of upside.
“If you look on paper, we have obviously gone down, we finished fifth last year and now we’re seventh. But I think as a club, we have made some inroads,” Jovic said.
“Last year we probably played the top teams and had bigger loss deficits, this year we are kind of closing the gap. We have managed to beat a top-three team, which we didn’t get to do last year, so I think there are little wins that we can celebrate along the way.
“I think we are still in our development stage, but I think regardless even this year is probably seen as a bit of a failure not making finals.
“That’s always the ultimate goal because once you make finals, you never know what can happen.
“There have been some key learnings that we have had this year and even though it has been really hard, hopefully they will help us and put us in good stead for the years to come.”
Named a co vice-captain for the Mavericks this season, Jovic enjoyed a standout year individually. She sat fourth in the league for goal assists, third for pick-ups and second for second phase receives at the end of the regular season.
Jovic felt she had been able to develop the attacking side of her game under Mavericks coach Tracey Neville.
“At Pies I was probably more a defensive midcourt player, or a centre-wing defence and something that Tracey has been working on with me is becoming more of a centre-wing attack,” Jovic said.
“I have grown up playing all three so it’s not something that is foreign to me.
“But I have really enjoyed taking on this more attacking game and Tracey has really helped me with it.”
CLUB BY CLUB GUIDE
West Coast Fever
Coach: Dan Ryan (2026)
Regular-season finish 2025: Minor premiers
Squad: Jess Anstiss (2026), Alice Teague-Neeld (2026), Sunday Aryang (2026), Fran Williams (2025), Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard (2025), Kadie-Ann Dehaney (2025), Shanice Beckford (2025), Jordan Cransberg (2026), Olivia Wilkinson (2026), Ruth Aryang (2025), Zoe Cransberg (temporary replacement player, 2025), Mwai Kumwenda (temporary replacement player 2025)
Comment: While they have several experienced hands, the Fever have also invested heavily in youth with the efforts of the Cransberg twins this season stellar. If Ruth Aryang is unable to recover from an achilles injury in time for the 2026 season, Zoe Cransberg could be in line for an extension.
BIG NAME
Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard
The GOAT only signed a two-year contract when the last major signing period opened, taking her through to the end of the 2025 season. And it’s unknown at this stage whether she will play on in 2026. After missing the opening two games of the season, Fowler-Nembhard’s importance to the Fever has never been more stark. They won the next 12 games in a row when after she returned and her impact on the side and standing as the best holding shooter in the world is unchallenged. Has said on a number of occasions this year after returning she feels blessed to be playing the game she loves but whether she wants to step back or extend a career that is already one of the best in history, is unknown.
NSW Swifts
Coach: Briony Akle (2026)
Regular-season finish 2025: Second
Squad: Sarah Klau (2026), Sophie Fawns (2025), Maddy Turner (2026), Paige Hadley (2026), Helen Housby (2026), Teigan O’Shannassy (2025), Allie Smith (2025), Sharni Lambden (2025), Grace Nweke (2025), Verity Simmons (2025 - permanent replacement player), Maddy Proud (2026)*
Comment: The Swifts’ midcourt struggled in the back half of the season and whether contracted midcourter and co-captain Maddy Proud returns from maternity leave next season will have a big bearing on contracting.
BIG NAME
Grace Nweke
Signed only a one year deal with the Swifts given Netball New Zealand’s ruling that any of its athletes not playing in its domestic league remain ineligible for national selection. Nweke sacrificed the Silver Ferns dress that remains so sacred to her to improve her game playing Super Netball but a return was unlikely in a Commonwealth Games year. That was until Monday’s news from across the ditch that Netball New Zealand had reviewed its policy and will consider individual requests on a case-by-case basis. Her sacrifices this year may not only extend her own stay but open the floodgates for others.
Adelaide Thunderbirds
Coach: Tania Obst (2027)
Regular-season finish 2025: Third
Squad: Georgie Horjus (2026), Tayla Williams (2026), Lauren Frew (2025), Latanya Wilson (2026), Lucy Austin (2025), Matilda Garrett (2026), Hannah Petty (2025), Romelda Aiken George (2025), Shamera Sterling-Humphrey (2026)*, Kayla Graham (2025)
Comment: Romelda Aiken-George’s next steps are likely to determine what happens to Lucy Austin, while the club is yet to confirm whether contracted defender Shamera Sterling-Humphrey plans to return from maternity leave after the birth of her first child.
BIG NAME
Romelda Aiken-George
There’s plenty of speculation Aiken-George is about to announce her retirement after incredible 18-season long stint in the ANZ Championship and Super Netball. It seemed the goaler’s stellar career could be over when she was cut by the Queensland Firebirds at the end of the 2022 season as she was set to return from maternity leave. But she reinvented herself, first at the NSW Swifts, then with the Thunderbirds and has played in the last two grand finals, earning MVP honours in the 2024 decider with the T-Birds before her incredible run came to a halt in the minor semi-final on Sunday.
Melbourne Vixens
Coach: Simone McKinnis (Resigned)
Regular-season finish 2025: Fourth
Squad: Jo Weston (2025), Kate Moloney (2025), Kate Eddy (2025), Hannah Mundy (2025), Kiera Austin (2026), Sophie Garbin (2025), Rudi Ellis (2025), Zara Walters (2025), Lily Graham (2025), Emily Mannix (2026)*, Maggie Caris (temporary replacement player 2025)
Outs: McKinnis
Comment: The Vixens will have fresh leadership with a new head coach next season, but only had two players locked in for 2026 entering this year’s campaign. Hard to see too many changes to one of the most stable teams in the competition. Key defender Emily Mannix’s plans after a season off following the birth of her first child will be one of the major points of interest.
BIG NAME
Kate Moloney
It seems laughable even putting the Vixens captain on this list, yet she’s off contract
and hasn’t yet been secured for 2026. The thought of Maloney playing for any other club though is almost unimaginable. She’ll be back at the Vixens next season and spurring them on to great heights in a new era after the resignation of coach Simone McKinnis - the only coach under whom she and most of the Vixens have ever played.
Sunshine Coast Lightning
Coach: Belinda Reynolds (2026)
Regular-season finish 2025: Fifth
Squad: Liz Watson (2026), Leesa Mi Mi (2025), Mahalia Cassidy (2025), Cara Koenen (2026), Steph Fretwell (2025), Courtney Bruce (2026), Reilley Batcheldor (2025), Tara Hinchliffe (2025), Ash Ervin (2025), Ava Black (2025 -long-term injury list), Kristiana Manu’a (2025 - temporary replacement player)
Comment: Veteran defender Courtney Bruce is locked in for next season, but the Lightning will want to shore up the rest of their powerful defensive unit with Tara Hinchliffe coming off a career-best season and Ash Ervin a Diamond-in-waiting. Midcourt speedster Leesa Mi Mi will also be a top priority.
BIG NAME
Steph Fretwell
The former Diamonds vice-captain has yo-yoed this season, showing glimpses of her absolute scheming best while at times looking slightly off the mark. Bitterly disappointed at the Lightning’s failure to make the finals, Fretwell has also spoken of her desire to play on, although she knows it might need to be in an altered role given the rise of the Lightning’s young star Reilley Batcheldor. Her leadership skills and playmaking nous though remain invaluable and it would surprise if she does not get a new deal.
Giants
Coach: Julie Fitzgerald (Resigned)
Regular-season finish 2025: Sixth
Squad: Jamie-Lee Price (2026), Sophie Dwyer (2026), Jo Harten (2025), Matisse Letherbarrow (2025), Amy Sligar (2025), Maddie Hay (2025), Tilly McDonell (2025), Jodi-Ann Ward (2026), Erin O’Brien (2026), Hope White (2025), Casey Kopua (2026 - temporary replacement player)
Outs: Julie Fitzgerald, Jo Harten (retired)
Comment: The retirement of Jo Harten and stepping down of veteran coach Julie Fitzgerald could lead to a real revamp of the playing roster, although the Giants have some great young talent they’ll be keen to keep hold of.
BIG NAME
Amy Sligar
The Giants should be out of the blocks quicker than Usain Bolt in a bid to lock down defensive midcourter Sligar, whose potential has long been known but showed this season just what a talent she is going to be, earning a position as a Diamonds training invitee last week when the squad was announced by coach Stacy Marinkovich. An asset to any club - get her signature on the page now.
Mavericks
Coach: Tracey Neville (2025)
Regular-season finish 2025: Seventh
Squad: Eleanor Cardwell (2025), Sasha Glasgow (2025), Maisie Nankivell (2025), Shimona Jok (2025), Kim Brown (2025), Liv Lewis (2025), Molly Jovic (2025), Amy Parmenter (2025), Lauren Parkinson (2025), Tayla Fraser (2025)
Ins: Kim Brown (2026), Amy Parmenter (2026), Shimona Jok (2026)
Comment: Had no players contracted at the start of the year and only two - Brown and Parmenter by the end of the season. Announced Jok’s re-signing last week, expect more to follow.
BIG NAME
Eleanor Cardwell
Cardwell did not play a game for Mavericks this season and after missing the end of the Mavericks inaugural year in 2024 has played just 11 games for the club over two years after switching from the Adelaide Thunderbirds. The England Roses representative has made no secret of the fact she struggles at times with homesickness and it’s debatable how long she sees her time in Australia. Her decision could hinge as much on whether the Mavs resign coach Tracy Neville as anything else but our feeling is she’s likely to stay on to make her mark as a Mavs foundation player.
Firebirds
Coach: Kiri Wills (2027)
Regular-season finish 2025: Eighth
Squad: Ruby Bakewell-Doran (2026), Macy Gardner (2026), Hulita Veve (2025), Tippah Dwan (2025), Lara Dunkley (2025), Isabelle Shearer (2025), Emily Moore (2025), Ashlee Barnett (2025), Imogen Allison (2026), Mary Cholhok (2026)
Comment: Just four players locked in for next season for the wooden spooners - significant change likely and needed if they are to become genuine challengers.
BIG NAME
Hulita Veve
The Firebirds co-captain is one of the best and yet, most hard luck stories in Super Netball. A premiership winner with the club in 2016 as a rising star, Veve became a young mother before returning to the sport and lingering on the training partner list for years before finally being handed a full-time contract last season and grabbing her opportunity with both hands. Turning 30 in September, Firebirds officials would have been carefully considering her role in a midcourt that has two of its four members already contracted for next season but needs an injection of some sort after failing to fire this year. But an ACL injury at training late in the season may mean her chances of returning are extremely tough.
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Originally published as Super Netball trades: Mavs lock in senior star, with Aiken-George, Fowler-Nembhard, on the market
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