Gold Coast Suns star Jasmyn Hewett wants two big wins for Pint in both the NTFL and 2020 Darwin Netball League Grand Final

PINTS defender Jasmyn Hewett couldn’t contain her excitement when talking about the celebrations that could be in store for her this weekend.Hewett will play at goal defender for Pints against Nightcliff in the 2020 Darwin Netball Premier League Grand Final at Marrara on Friday night.The 27-year-old will then run out for the reinvigorated Queenants against her former club St Mary’s in Round 2 of NTFL Women’s Premier League action at Marrara on Saturday.

Pints football and netball star Jasmyn Hewett – pictured playing for the Suns against Brisbane in the AFLW on February 22 – is excited at the prospect of winning the 2020 Darwin Netball Grand Final against Nightcliff on Friday night. She then wants to cap a great weekend by helping the Queenants to a victory over her former club St Mary’s in Round 2 of the NTFL Women’s Premier League on Saturday. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

PINTS defender Jasmyn Hewett couldn’t contain her excitement when talking about the celebrations that could be in store for her this weekend.

Hewett, from Stirling North near Port Augusta in South Australia, will play at goal defender for Pints against Nightcliff in the 2020 Darwin Netball Premier League Grand Final at Marrara on Friday night.

The 27-year-old will then run out for the reinvigorated Queenants against her former club St Mary’s in Round 2 of NTFL Women’s Premier League action at DXC Arena on Saturday.

The Gold Coast utility is taking the 2021 AFLW season off to concentrate on her career with TIO Insurance, managing motor accident claims for Indigenous people in remote Territory regions.

“It’s going to be a massive weekend, and one where hopefully I’m celebrating two Pint wins,” she told the NT News.

“We can’t be too confident because Nightcliff has been ­really consistent the past two years.

“There are still a few girls in our team from when we won the premiership in 2016 and 2017 after I moved to Darwin, so we’re no stranger to this.

“And we’ve got plenty of young players who are absolute jets.”

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Hewett said being back on a netball court would help her become a better football player.

“The way you move on a court and the agility you need has been great to transfer to footy,” she said.

Hewett – who kicked a goal in the Queenants’ impressive 48-point win over reigning premiers Southern Districts in NTFL Women’s Premier League action last Saturday – said the mood was buoyant among her team.

“There definitely weren’t any individual performances. We all played well together,” she said.

“A couple of players new to the team really stood out like (Williamstown VFLW star) Jacinta Reid and (former prolific goalkicker at Waratah) Amy Chittick in our forward line.

“We’ve got a really good mix of new and older players who have been in the team a while for this season.

“Katie Streader is a great leader on and off the field, and my teammates are just fantastic human beings.”

Hewett won the Rising Star award at St Mary’s after moving to Darwin in 2016, before joining the Suns from the Adelaide Crows, where she played seven games in two AFLW seasons in her native state.

She said it was a no-brainer to join Rick Nolan’s team for the 2020-21 NTFL season, Nolan himself a former mentor at the Green Machine, winning three Men’s Premier League titles there.

Jasmyn Hewett in action for St Mary’s against her current club Pint in February, 2017. Picture: Elise Derwin

“I already had a soft spot for Pints after playing netball there,” Hewett said.

“I didn’t come to Pint for any strategic reasons.

“I wanted to play for a club where I could help give it some guidance and assistance because I want to give back to the NTFL for what this competition has done for me.

“And Rick is a great coach who brings a lot of experience to his role.

“We all love being here and we all want to get better.”

Despite it being all smiles for Hewett at the Queenants, it indeed was a difficult decision to put her AFLW dream on hold for next year.

“It was a tough decision because the dream is to play at that level,” she said.

“But I couldn’t give up my home (by moving back to the Gold Coast) and my job.

“I also love my job – it’s very rewarding.”

Hewett said there would be no added motivation when taking the field against her former club the Saints at DXC Arena on Saturday.

But they will be tough to beat.

The Green Machine showed it is another team on the rise this season after its big 63-point win over Wanderers in Round 1.

Williamstown recruit Ashlea Melnikas (three goals) and St Kilda AFLW representative Claudia Whitfort (two goals) were among the standouts for Saints.

“I guess so (I’m looking forward to taking on St Mary’s) but I just want to see this competition continue to improve, and to give back what I can to it,” Hewett said.