What went wrong, what needs to be fixed and the dream recruit for Super Netball’s bottom six sides
Super Netball's eliminated teams must confront harsh truths about their failed campaigns. But there is a road back to the top. We assess what’s next for the six teams to miss the grand final.
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The race for the Super Netball premiership is now down to two teams with the West Coast Fever and Melbourne Vixens to face off in the title decider.
So what now for the other six teams, whose season is over?
Code Sports takes a look at what went wrong for the bottom six, what needs to be fixed and the dream recruit the teams should be targeting for next season.
NEW SOUTH WALES SWIFTS
WHAT WENT WRONG?
It was a season that started with so much promise for the Swifts, who landed the recruiting coup of the off-season with the signing of star Silver Ferns goal shooter Grace Nweke. After eight consecutive wins to start the season, many pundits had the Swifts pegged as early title favourites. But the second-half of the season was a much tougher battle for the Swifts, who bowed out of the Super Netball finals in straight sets after a heavy major semi-final loss to the West Coast Fever before a forgettable final-quarter fade-out in a preliminary final thriller against the Melbourne Vixens. There were a few factors at play in the Swifts’ slide; signs of midcourt connection, goal attack Helen Housby doing too much work outside of the circle, a drop in Nweke’s confidence late in the year in her first season in Super Netball, while injuries to defender Teigan O’Shannassy and captain Paige Hadley – who put in a gutsy performance to play wounded in the preliminary final – also hurt at the business end.
HOW TO FIX IT?
The Swifts already have half their list locked away for next season, but Nweke’s status has still not been confirmed. The Swifts will be hoping Netball New Zealand’s decision to relax its eligibility rules means she will be granted permission to return. While she is no doubt a star in the goal circle, Nweke would benefit from having a year in the competition under her belt if she’s back for season two. The same could be said for breakout star Sharni Lambden, who would also be stronger for a full season in the league if she is to return. The Swifts made a lot of changes to their midcourt in games throughout the year, but perhaps some more stability is needed.
DREAM RECRUIT
Maddy Proud
OK, so she’s not technically a recruit as a long-time member of the Swifts family. But the club would no doubt love to have her back. The former Swifts co-captain missed the 2025 season after welcoming her first child in May. Proud’s absence was felt in the midcourt, particularly at the pointy end of the season. The 31-year-old’s return would inject more experience and depth, which was lacking in that part of the court.
ADELAIDE THUNDERBIRDS
WHAT WENT WRONG?
The obvious blow to the Thunderbirds’ hopes of a Super Netball title three-peat was star defender Shamera Sterling-Humphrey’s pregnancy, which ruled her out of the team’s campaign from round three. In this case, the loss of one player can – and did – make an enormous difference to the outcome of a season. While fellow Jamaican star Latanya Wilson and Matilda Garrett did a fine job holding up the Thunderbirds’ defence in her absence, Sterling-Humphrey is the best defender in the world and boasts a matchwinning X-Factor not possessed by many players. Plenty were ready to write them off after losing the key defensive piece, but the two-time defending champions recovered well late in the season to book a finals spot and only lost their semi-final to the Vixens by two goals. There were still positives to come out of the T-Birds campaign with the star of Georgie Horjus continuing her rise, goaler Lauren Frew considered unlucky not to earn a Diamonds’ invite, while they also blooded emerging talent Kayla Graham and Sophie Casey.
HOW TO FIX IT?
The biggest question-mark over the T-Birds list centres on veteran goal shooter Romelda Aiken-George and whether she will be offered a spot for 2026. This decision is likely to have a flow-on effect for young goal shooter Lucy Austin, who has been biding her time behind Aiken-George the past two seasons and hasn’t played a match since round three this year. She will likely look elsewhere for opportunities if she is faced with the same scenario again. The Thunderbirds already have one spot on their list to fill following the retirement of dual premiership captain Hannah Petty. They will miss her experience, but the game time they got into their young midcourters this year will hold them in good stead. Sterling-Humphrey is contracted for next season and early indications are she is planning to make a return after the birth of her first child, which would immediately boost their title credentials again.
DREAM RECRUIT
Elmere van der Berg
If there are any changes in the attacking end, one name who has been rumoured to have piqued interest overseas is young South African goaler Elmere van der Berg. Van der Berg has been playing for the Manchester Thunder in the English Super League and topped the league’s scoring this season. At 191cm, she is an option at either goal shooter or goal attack.
SUNSHINE COAST LIGHTNING
WHAT WENT WRONG?
Again, the Lightning had a team that, at least on paper, suggested they should still be competing at the pointy end of the season. Last year there was disappointment when they were knocked out in the first week of finals. This year, they didn’t even make the top four. They’ve battled plenty of injuries this season – Courtney Bruce was off the court for much of the year with a calf problem that has taken a lot longer to solve than initially thought, while the ACL injury to Ava Black before the opening round was a real blow. Cara Koenen also struggled with a foot injury in the back end of the year, missing three games but the Lightning again dropped some close matches that they needed to win in order to in order to push for a premiership.
HOW DO THEY FIX IT?
Coach Belinda Reynolds has a list many Super Netball coaches would kill for with a scattering of Diamonds and others on the cusp of international duties. It’s an ageing list though and managing the likes of the off-contract Steph Fretwell – who wants to go around again in 2026 – Bruce, who will turn 32 in December, and Diamonds captain Liz Watson (31), will be part of her challenge.
Little will change with the Lightning list. Several key players are locked in for 2026 while there will be others like Reilley Batcheldor or Leesa Mi Mi and Tara Hinchliffe, who the club is almost certain to retain. Given that, it’s how they respond in the tough times that will make the difference. On too many occasions in the last two seasons, the Lightning have stumbled when the pressure is on. Last season, they lost six games by five goals or less and another, that went to extra-time, by six; in 2025 it was three under five and four by eight points or less. In the world’s best league, that just can’t happen if you want to be a finals outfit. Where there were moments – like in the last-second win against the Swifts where they brought that courage, there have been too many times where they have become flustered and failed to carry out basic skills under pressure.
DREAM RECRUIT
Maddy Gordon
Can’t see any change in the attacking or defensive end for the Lightning, with the midcourt the only likely exception. With several Kiwis looking to enter the League, a player the calibre of Silver Fern Maddy Gordon, who can play across all three midcourt positions, could push them to even greater heights.
GIANTS
WHAT WENT WRONG?
The Giants lifted themselves off the bottom of the Super Netball ladder in 2025, but it was far from a perfect campaign from the Sydney team. While it was news that was celebrated by the club, the list had its first setback in January when key midcourt signing and former Silver Fern Gina Crampton announced her pregnancy, which would rule her out of the season. It was a rocky start to the year for the Giants, who took another hit in round seven when defender Jodi-Ann Ward suffered a season-ending ACL injury. Coach Julie Fitzgerald was forced to go back to the future to fill an experience void, plucking former Silver Ferns star Casey Kopua out of retirement to steer their defence. Uncertainty surrounding Fitzgerald’s future also swirled late in the season before she announced in July she would be stepping down as head coach.
HOW TO FIX IT?
After three years out of the finals picture, there needed to be a shake-up at the Giants and there will be. For the first time since the club’s inception in 2017, the Giants are on the hunt for a new head coach for 2026 to replace inaugural mentor Fitzgerald. The list will also have a new look following the departure of foundation players Jo Harten (retired) and midcourt ace Jamie-Lee Price, who has been released from the final year of her contract to allow a move to Melbourne. The loss of Price, in particular, is a blow and the Giants will miss the pair’s Super Netball experience unless they can draft some wise heads in. As it stands, the Giants have only Sophie Dwyer, Erin O’Brien, Jodi-Ann Ward and Hope White contracted for next season. After Harten’s exit, Matisse Letherbarrow deserves her chance alongside Dwyer in the goal circle, while the Giants also have exciting young goaler Monika ‘Otai waiting in the wings as a training partner. The growth of O’Brien, Amy Sligar and White this season were positives for the Giants, who have some promising talent to work with.
DREAM RECRUIT
Kate Heffernan
Another Silver Ferns star who could be targeted for a move across the ditch. Jamie-Lee Price drove the Giants’ midcourt at either centre or wing defence and Heffernan, also a defensive midcourter, could fill the void left by the Diamonds star. With 39 Test caps to her name, she would add experience to the Giants’ list, which will be losing plenty with the exit of Price and Jo Harten. At 181cm, she would also add midcourt height.
MELBOURNE MAVERICKS
WHAT WENT WRONG?
Injuries to key personnel hurt the Mavericks again in their second season in Super Netball. After being without Sasha Glasgow (leg) and Lauren Parkinson (knee) for their entire debut season, the Mavericks lost star English goaler Eleanor Cardwell (knee) for the full 2025 campaign. Parkinson only returned for a cameo at the end of the season, while it took time for Glasgow to find her feet again after her gruesome fractured leg last year. Shimona Jok was a standout again at goal shooter, while captain Amy Parmenter and Molly Jovic were rock solid in the midcourt, but the Mavs’ defence lacked pure height against the league’s towering goalers. Kim Brown (185cm), Liv Lewis (184cm), Lauren Parkinson (184cm) and Jessie Grenvold (185cm) were all undersized against the competition’s shooting giants.
HOW TO FIX IT?
Head coach Tracey Neville is out of contract and in negotiations over her future, but she deserves the chance to see where she can push the team with a full and fit list. Only four players have so far been confirmed as re-signed – Brown, Parmenter, Jok and Jovic – and the biggest question mark is over the future of Cardwell. If the Roses star does not return, the Mavericks need to go shopping for a dynamic goal attack to add some more variety to an attack centred around tall, holding shooter Jok. Diamonds’ star Jamie-Lee Price has been linked to a move to the Mavericks after pulling out of the final year of her contract with the Giants and she would add grunt, star power and more depth to the midcourt alongside Parmenter and Jovic. More height in defence would also be ideal.
DREAM RECRUIT
Kelly Jackson
Netball New Zealand’s decision to relax its strict eligibility rules has opened the door for the star Silver Ferns defender to make a move into Super Netball. Standing at 192cm, the rangy Jackson is the kind of tall defender the Mavericks need in the goal circle. With 72 Test caps to her name, she boasts plenty of international experience, which would be a major plus for the young franchise.
QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS
WHAT WENT WRONG?
A list of what went right for the Firebirds this season is probably a lot shorter than what went wrong. A new coach, significant list change, two new imports coming to terms with the best league in the world, an external spotlight on the club’s culture and injuries all combined to make it a massively tough season for the for the Birdies. Promised plenty in the opening two games after consecutive wins but that was the only good news for the club who then capitulated to lose 12 in a row and finish with the wooden spoon. Losing becomes as much a habit as winning and in the end, the Firebirds were a team that didn’t know how to win the match-changing moments despite overall improvement.
HOW DO YOU FIX IT?
Netball Queensland has done the right thing in extending the contract of coach Kiri Wills, who has worked hard on and off the court to change the culture and focus of this team who went close on many occasions to causing significant upsets despite a club-record losing streak. There needs to be list change and there will be difficult conversations, with many of the players off contract and who might not return long-term servants of the club.
Mary Cholhok will improve next season after her introduction to the best league in the world but she also needs a potent partner in the shooting circle, as well as consist feeding from her midcourt – and the 2026 list needs to reflect that. Plenty of promise from the defensive end, with captain Ruby Bakewell-Doran returning to sparkling form and youngster Isabelle Shearer coming along in leaps and bounds.
They’re working hard, have a tactical mastermind at the helm and great game plans, and with a couple of strategic changes, the Firebirds will climb the ladder next season.
DREAM RECRUIT
Gretel Bueta or Ameliaranne Ekenasio
Goal attack was area in which the Firebirds struggled the most this season and they need a fix. The dream would be the return of former premiership player and Diamonds star Gretel Bueta or the injection of former Silver Ferns skipper Ameliaranne Ekenasio, a Queensland-born former Firebird who headed across the ditch for her chance to play consistently at national league level. Both women are in their 30s and mothers raising young families, so it’s a big ask for either come back, especially Ekenasio to move her family to Australia. But Firebirds fans can dare to dream and welcoming a former Birdie back to the nest would be the pinnacle.
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Originally published as What went wrong, what needs to be fixed and the dream recruit for Super Netball’s bottom six sides
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