How will Simone McKinnis’ departure from Melbourne Vixens impact on who will coach which Super Netball team in 2026
The Melbourne Vixens are on the hunt for a new coach for next season but up to three Super Netball clubs could be looking for another mentor, with a number off contract at the end of the season.
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The first Super Netball coaching domino may have fallen, but it won’t force a league-wide toppling of the out-of-contract leaders.
Simone McKinnis’ shock decision to step down as Melbourne Vixens coach at the end of the season now moves the spotlight on to the Giants and Melbourne Mavericks, whose coaches Julie Fitzgerald and Tracey Neville are also out of contract at the end of the year.
Both clubs are adamant they will not be rushed into an early call on their coaches’ future, despite the McKinnis mid-season move, which has the Vixens already on the hunt for a 2026 coach.
But there is a genuine possibility that three of the eight Super Netball clubs could have lost their coaches at the end of the season, including the two most experienced mentors in the league.
There has been widespread speculation that Fitzgerald, the most experienced coach in the league who has more than 400 national-league games at the helm, could move on at the end of the season.
Former Roses coach Neville, whose husband is still living in England, is only in her second season at the new Melbourne franchise but has the pull of family on the other side of the world.
The Giants, who won the wooden spoon last year and currently sit at the foot of the ladder, said Fitzgerald’s focus was on the remainder of the season and upcoming games and she would not be discussing her coaching future.
The Mavericks, who sit a game outside the top-four, said their focus remained on the team’s 2025 campaign and would not engage in discussion about the coach’s future.
“Whilst we’ve always got an eye looking to the future, we’re not even halfway through this current 2025 season of SSN yet, of which there’s still a lot to play out.” Mavericks’ general manager Shae Bolton-Brown said.
“We will be – as always was the intention – focusing on the season in front of us and the goals we want to achieve in year two of the Mavs, before entering into any commentary around coaching contracts for 2026 and beyond.”
Melbourne
As it stands, the Mavericks only have one player contracted beyond this season – defender Kim Brown and several players were attracted to the club to play under Neville.
Mavericks and Diamonds assistant coach Nicole Richardson could be seen as a natural successor, but would also be a likely target for other clubs on the hunt for a coach.
Giants co-captain and former England international Jo Harten, who last year was a specialist coach with the Roses, could move into a coaching role with the Sydney-based team.
Whether Harten could jump straight into a head coaching role is unclear, but she has spoken of her desire to pursue that pathway after her playing career is finished.
“Obviously if I look to the future I can see netball being a huge part of my future. What that looks like at the moment, I’m not sure,” Harten said.
“But certainly, when I’ve coached for England previously, the passion for coaching is definitely there and it’s something I’m trying to evolve in that part of my game now – not just the physical aspect (of playing) but also thinking more tactically around the game.”
Fitzgerald, a five-time premiership winner who last year racked up 400 games as a head coach, came under enormous pressure last season as the Giants flailed and was the mentor under most scrutiny to start this season.
McKinnis, in her 13th year as Vixens coach and who recently celebrated her 200th game as a national league coach, was unsure if she would coach again at Super Netball level.
“I don’t know,” McKinnis said when asked about her coaching future.
“That’s not even something I’ve thought about, to be honest.
“Really, I’ve just got to focus on this season. I’ve got a season to coach.”
Several highly qualified coaches would line up to be candidates for the jobs, including current assistants and Super Netball Reserves and state league mentors, while plenty across the ditch are also monitoring the situation closely given the uncertainty surrounding New Zealand’s ANZ Premiership post 2026.
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Originally published as How will Simone McKinnis’ departure from Melbourne Vixens impact on who will coach which Super Netball team in 2026
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