Giants home to diversity that no other team in the competition has, says new recruit

Prized Giants defensive recruit Jodi-Ann Ward can’t wait to be kicking off the Super Netball season on Saturday night against the West Coast Fever in front of her new fans for the first time.

Jodi-Ann Ward has embraced a new life in Sydney and the “diversity” she believes can help the Giants become a Super Netball premiership force.

The former Collingwood defender was one of the most in-demand players in the league when the Magpies folded at the end of last season, with the Giants winning an early commitment from the Jamaican to make the move to Sydney once the protracted pay war was finally settled.

She joins a virtual United Nations of the competition at her new home, adding to a diverse roster that includes homegrown talents as well as players from England and New Zealand, a mix Ward believes gives the Giants not only diversity of athletes but also playing styles.

“The culture here is very diverse, we have a bit of everything and I think that’s a good move for us,” Ward said.

“It’s not it’s not just Australia, and it’s not just Jamaican, it’s Kiwi as well, it’s English, so it’s a different style of play in every nation.

“Putting that together is a very big thing for us. And that is going to separate us from the rest.

“I don’t think there’s any other team in the competition that has such a diversity. And that’s a good place to be.”

How will the Giants go this season? Picture: Tim Hunter.

Ward will be joined by former England internationals Jo Harten and Chelsea Pitman and former Kiwi midcourter Sam Winders on court when the Giants open the season against West Coast Fever at Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena on Saturday evening.

The Giants also have former Silver Ferns midcourter Gina Crampton as a training partner and the international depth, which also includes homegrown Diamonds Jamie-Lee Price and Sophie Dwyer, has given a hard edge to their training environment.

The Jamaican herself is also a prize recruit and adds a new dynamic to the Giants defence.

One of the smaller defenders in the league at just 177cm, Ward has a powerful leap and the ability to read the play and fly out of the circle for stray ball.

Jodi-Ann Ward was ranked as the 18th best player in the competition. Picture: Tim Hunter.

The impending collapse of Collingwood ensured rivals were able to discuss contracting with Magpies players like Ward before the official re-signing period, a blessing given how long negotiations over a new Collective Player Agreement eventually took.

The Giants move was telegraphed as much as the type of opposition pass Ward loves to fly out of the circle for but Giants coach Julie Fitzgerald was glad the 29-year-old stuck true to her word and made Sydney her new Aussie home after four years in Melbourne.

“I met with her and we talked about all sorts of things, and she virtually said on the spot that she would come,” Fitzgerald explained in her recent interview with former Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander.

“I was very grateful because that was early on in the piece.

“I know from that time on, she got a lot of offers from a lot of other clubs and she just honestly said, ‘I’m sorry, I’ve already committed’ and stuck with us and I’m so grateful that she did.

What impact will Chelsea Pitman have this season? Picture: Getty Images

“She’s great at teaching them (young defenders Tilly McDonell and Erin O’Brien) and working with them. She’s a great communicator, they’ve developed considerably, just having her to play with.”

The diversity Ward believes will be such a weapon for the Giants in personnel terms also exists in their styles in defence, something she believes she, goalkeeper Tilly McDonell and wing defence Winders can work into a powerful united force.

“Tilly brings such a vibe in defence,” Ward said of one of the stars of the pre-season Team Girls Cup.

“She’s very vibrant, she’s very chatty - and that is what we want to know that there’s someone behind us that has given us the direction and drive that we need.

“We need to win ball as a unit and any way we can help her to win ball or she can help us to win ball, that is what we’re aiming for.

The Giants line-up looks strong. Picture: Getty Images

“We all play differently in that defensive end that is the beauty of it. But it’s how we can come together as a unit and I feel like we’re doing that perfectly.”

Giants co-captain Price said the players were “itching to get out there” after several pre-season games and were looking forward to taking on the Fever.

Price described Ward as a “go-getter” and said she was inspiring as a teammate.

“Jodi brings so much experience and she’s just a go-getter,” Price said.

“It’s so inspiring watching her play when she gets these crazy intercepts ... and that definitely lifts us as players.

“She gives you so much confidence and she definitely adds so much to our team.”

Originally published as Giants home to diversity that no other team in the competition has, says new recruit