INSIDER
THE FUTURE IS NOW 2017 SEASON REVIEW
1 | NSW SWIFTS INSIDER
NSW Swifts v QLD Firebirds Suncorp Super Netball - Round 14 Saturday 27 May, 2017 Volume 10, Issue 7
2 | NSW SWIFTS INSIDER
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Welcome ROB WRIGHT
IN THIS ISSUE 4-5 8 10-11 12 13 15
2017 SEASON REVIEW
Head Coach Rob Wright shares his thoughts
CLUB NEWS
Round up of all the latest NSW Swifts news
MATCH CENTRE
NSW Swifts and QLD Firebirds player profiles.
SELF CERTIFIED Claire O’Brien
So Swifts Family I call on you again to stand up, cheer loud and help get us over the line in our final appearance for the year. We will be doing our best to make you proud.
We’ve come to our final game of the 2017 season, and I’d like to take a moment to express my gratitude to our incredible Swifts Family. I say it every year, but you really are the world’s best Members and Fans and your support has been vital to our journey this season. On behalf of the entire team, Thank You for turning up every week, for cheering loud in the stands and showing your love for our players. I’ve said all along this 2017 playing group was one of young, promising and exciting talent, and that we would take time to develop. I hope we’ve shown that to you throughout the season and, like me, you’re pumped for what we can bring in 2018.
Yours in Netty,
Before then, we have one more game to go and in terms of rivalries you can’t go past the Swifts and QLD Firebirds. While both teams look quite different to those who went toe-to-toe in the 2015 and 2016 Grand Finals, that same fierce competitiveness still runs deep and both will be looking to close out 2017 with a win.
Rob Wright Head Coach
SUPERHEROES! If you’ve made a SUPER effort with your outfit today, why not share it with us? Post on your social media channels and tag @nswswifts or use the hashtag #SSNSuperHero and the Club could share it in-venue or our own channels… you might even win a little prize pack for your efforts!
For the third and final NSW Double Header Event of the season, we’re pulling out all the stops with SUPERHEROES ROUND! Some would say our Swifts have super powers on court, but we’re shining the spotlight on the crowd today to find our best dressed and most creative.
IN THE KITCHEN
brought to you by Bioglan
SWIFTS POSTER Pull it out to keep!
The Team EDITOR Victoria Bain WRITER Shane de Barra DESIGNER Dominion ADVERTISING Jennifer Silva, Tim Underwood PHOTOGRAPHY Narelle Spangher, Getty Images Contact us PHONE +61 2 9951 5000 EMAIL nswswifts@netballnsw.com WEBSITE nswswifts.com.au FACEBOOK nswswifts INSTAGRAM @nswswifts TWITTER @nswswifts YOUTUBE nswswiftstv
L GIANTS 58 SWIFTS 53 ROUND 1
W SWIFTS 54 T’BIRDS 44 ROUND 2
L
L
SWIFTS 50 LIGHTNING 55
SWIFTS 54 VIXENS 62
ROUND 8
ROUND 9
D
L
L
L
L
VIXENS 59 SWIFTS 59
FIREBIRDS 62 SWIFTS 53
FEVER 50 SWIFTS 45
SWIFTS 54 MAGPIES 55
SWIFTS 56 GIANTS 59
W
W L
L
L
T’BIRDS 48 SWIFTS 51
SWIFTS 50 FEVER 48
ROUND 3
ROUND 10
ROUND 4
ROUND 11
ROUND 5
ROUND 6
MAGPIES 62 LIGHTNING 63 SWIFTS 50 SWIFTS 49 ROUND 12
ROUND 13
ROUND 7
3 | NSW SWIFTS INSIDER
2017 RESULTS
4 | NSW SWIFTS INSIDER
Rob Wright
The Future is Now With nothing to lose, and a big home crowd expected, Wright says his charges are looking forward to another highly anticipated contest with the QLD Firebirds – a modern day rivalry which has intensified over the last few years. Despite the strong history between the two Clubs, both sides – the Swifts in particular – look remarkably different to those who took the court at Brisbane Entertainment Centre last July. Then it was two internationallystacked rosters going head-to-head for more than 70 minutes, playing out one of the tightest Grand Final contests in netball history. But the story is different in 2017, with both the Swifts and Firebirds out of Finals contention and looking to finish the season on a winning note. Wright was somewhat reflective when he sat down with Swifts Insider during the week. Having steered the Club to consecutive Finals appearances – including two Grand Finals – since taking the helm as Head Coach in 2014, Wright knew this year would be different. “We set out to build a team for the future, we didn’t just want to plug gaps. We wanted to build from the ground up and I think we have been able achieve that,” Wright said. “We have a four-year plan and that began with the playing group. They’re young, incredibly talented and exciting, and have shown great promise this year. But 2017 was all about building a strong foundation; we need to continue building on that in 2018 and beyond.”
With an average age of 23 and just 27.4 elite games, the Swifts are the youngest and most inexperienced side in the competition. It’s no surprise that before Round 1 was underway, naysayers had the Club sitting at the bottom of the ladder at season’s end. But no one told the Swifts that’s what should happen. “We’ve shown we can go toe-to-toe with serious contenders, world-class playing groups, and that’s really exciting. It might have only been for part of games, but it still shows when we’re playing our best we can compete with the best,” Wright added.
we see something we like and think ‘yep, we’re on the right track here’ and sometimes it’s cold hard facts, like statistics. Either way there’s been enough of those moments and enough stats to make me really excited about the journey ahead for this group.” Speaking of journey, what happens next? Well for Wright not much changes as he begins to look towards 2018. “I knew we had a talented team, but even for me I think we’re ahead of where I expected,” he added.
“We set out to build a team for the future…build from the ground up, and I think we have achieved that.” “I think we have certainly surprised people. At the beginning of the season they might not have shown the same amount of respect to us as they have in the latter part of the year, and that’s good because it shows they take us seriously and consider us a threat. “Certainly in the latter stages of the season we’ve seen our margins grow to double figures, which is what you’d expect coming up against teams who have 100-plus, 200-plus, 300-plus international caps between them. But the foundations are there and it’s just about building. ” Wright admits it’s rare he will judge their success based on the scoreboard; instead he and the coaches are looking for small indicators that show they’re on the right path. “While we’re always going out there to win, we knew this season would be tough, so there are other indicators that we judge our successes on,” Wright said. “Sometimes there’s a gut feel when
“But it’s important we don’t get ahead of ourselves – we’re still a little way behind the competition and unfortunately only time will help us get into Finals contention. But we have a really strong belief in this group. “Nothing quite beats match play and we’ve learned a lot this year; a lot about what we’re good at, what we can be better at, that we can really compete. “Next year that learning continues. My gut feel is we’ve exceeded expectations this year, but that doesn’t mean we can be complacent in 2018; we do so at our own peril because the rest of the competition certainly won’t be. “We will continue to get better next year. We won’t all of sudden be world beaters, that’s going to take time, but we will be. It won’t happen overnight but a journey, and geez it’s going to be an exciting one.” And as always, there’s plenty of room for our Swifts Family on the wagon.
5 | NSW SWIFTS INSIDER
In his own words, Head Coach Rob Wright says it’s been “an exciting week” in the NSW Swifts camp as the team prepares for its final appearance in Suncorp Super Netball this season.
BLP
6 | NSW SWIFTS INSIDER
7 | NSW SWIFTS INSIDER BLP746 Match Program Ad-Swifts.indd 1
17/3/17 4:24 pm
NEWS COB NAMED FOR WORLD YOUTH CUP Our very own Claire O’Brien is off to Botswana with the Australian 21/U team to contest the 2017 Netball World Youth Cup in July! COB is one of 12 athletes named by Australian selectors, which was announced last week ahead of Round 13. With our Vice-Captain Paige Hadley falling to injury this season, Claire showed great promise by stepping up to the challenge of starting in Wing Attack. No doubt her consistent performances impressed selectors, and explains why Rob Wright sees the 20 year old as a key player for the future of the Club. Congratulations COB! We’ll be keeping our Swifts Family updated throughout the tournament so you can follow closely as Australia aims to claim the Gold Medal.
SWIFTS #52 Training Partner Sophie Halpin became Swift #52 when she took the court against the Adelaide Thunderbirds at Titanium Arena in Round 10. Sophie took the court at Wing Defence for the start of the second quarter, finishing with one crucial intercept and three possession gains in her 45 minutes of court time. This was all while matching up against international representative Chelsea Pitman in her elite debut – not bad! Sophie was also named in the Round 11 team, again playing three quarters at WD, helping the Swifts to their second consecutive win. Please join us in welcoming Sophie to the Swifts Family!
NSW SWIFTS FAN DAY
8 | NSW SWIFTS INSIDER
After postponing earlier in the year due to extreme weather, the Club has rescheduled our NSW Swifts Fan Day for Saturday 3 June – we hope you can make it! Come meet some of your favourite players as well enjoy all the fun activities on offer. Starting at 10am, the day will be held at Genea Netball Centre in Sydney Olympic Park. So mark it in your diaries for the final Swifts Fan event of the season! We can’t wait to see you there.
STATS
HEIGHT 181.9
SAM WALLACE
180.6
AGE
193
23 25.2 SWIFTS Average age
SWIFTS Average SWIFTS Average height tallest of Comp player height
Average age of the competition
52 km 9 , 7 1 2017
017 in 2 lled por t) e v a e tr air istanc rpor t to Total d n ai o d e s (ba
CAPS
32
PAIGE HADLEY ABBEY McCULLOCH
64 55.6
SAM WALLACE
26.6
20.5
7.7
SWIFTS Average Most Average Caps capped Elite of Comp SWIFT Caps
SWIFTS Average Most Average Caps capped Interof Comp SWIFT national Caps
INTERCEPTS REBOUNDS FEEDS
88 61
975
*Statistics courtesy of Champions Data. Stats do not include permanent/temporary replacement players. Stats do not include Round 13.
9 | NSW SWIFTS INSIDER
SWIFTS SEASON TALLY
MATCH CENTRE
QLD Firebirds Romelda Aiken
Erin Burger
GS
C/WA
Laura Clemesha GK/GD
Kim Jenner
Abigail Latu-Meafou
Gabi Simpson
Gretel Tippett
GD/GK
GA/GS
C
Caitlyn Nevins
Jemma Mi Mi
WA/C/WD
C/WD/WA
Kate Shimmin GD/GK
WD/C
GA/GS/WA
LAST TIME WE MET Today’s opponents last met in Round 4 at Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, with the home side storming home in the final quarter to overcome a spirited Swifts outfit, 62-53. In the end it was the 18-10 final quarter that nailed the visitors, who were within one goal at three quarter time. Sam Wallace was a force to be reckoned with, putting up 48 goals at 87% accuracy in an impressive individual performance.
2017 SEASON DRAW ROUND 1 | SAT 18 FEB
ROUND 2 | SAT 25 FEB
5:00PM | SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK SPORTS CENTRE
5:00PM | QUDOS BANK ARENA (DOUBLE HEADER)
GIANTS Netball ROUND 4 | FRI 10 MAR
ROUND 5 | FRI 17 MAR
8:30PM | BRISBANE CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE
9:30PM | HBF STADIUM
QLD Firebirds 10 | NSW SWIFTS INSIDER
Adelaide Thunderbirds
ROUND 3 | SAT 4 MAR
Melbourne Vixens 8:45PM | HISENSE ARENA
ROUND 6 | SUN 26 MAR
West Coast Fever
Magpies Netball
ROUND 7 | SAT 1 APR
ROUND 8 | SUN 9 APR
ROUND 9 | SUN 23 APR
7:00PM | SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK SPORTS CENTRE
1:00PM | SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK SPORTS CENTRE
3:00PM | QUDOS BANK ARENA (DOUBLE HEADER)
GIANTS Netball
Sunshine Coast Lightning Melbourne Vixens
ROUND 10 | SAT 29 APR
ROUND 11 | FRI 5 MAY
8:45PM | TITANIUM ARENA
7:30PM | SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK SPORTS CENTRE
Adelaide Thunderbirds
1:00PM | SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK SPORTS CENTRE
West Coast Fever
ROUND 13 | SAT 20 MAY
ROUND 14 | SAT 27 MAY
7:00PM | UNIVERSITY OF SUNSHINE COAST
5:00PM | QUDOS BANK ARENA (DOUBLE HEADER)
Sunshine Coast Lightning QLD Firebirds
ROUND 12 | SAT 13 MAY
Magpies Netball 7:00PM | HISENSE ARENA
HOME
AWAY
OUR TEAM
VC
NSWSwifts
Paige Hadley
Date of Birth: 26 Aug 1992 Height: 173cm Position/Role: C/WA/WD Caps: 65
NSWSwiftsTV
Abbey McCulloch
Sarah Klau
HelenHousby1
SarahKlau
Claire O’Brien
Date of Birth: 12 Feb 1990 Height: 178cm Position/Role: WD/C Caps: 65
Date of Birth: 11 Mar 1997 Height: 172cm Position/Role: WA/C Caps: 6
Abbey_McCulloch
clairos_hectos
Emma Tickner
Amy Sommerville
Date of Birth: 26 Jun 1991 Height: 180cm Position/Role: GD/GK Caps: 0
Date of Birth: 21 Mar 1993 Height: 180cm Position/Role: GS/GA Caps: 7
EmmaTickner
ASommerville93
Sam Wallace
Rudi Ellis
Date of Birth: 16 Jan 1994 Height: 193cm Position/Role: GS/GA Caps: 13
Date of Birth: 13 Aug 1997 Height: 190cm Position/Role: GK/GD Caps: 0
TallSamSam4
rudi_ellis
Mikaela Vaughan
Date of Birth: 1 Oct 1993 Height: 185cm Position/Role: GA/GS Caps: 0
Date of Birth: 30 Jan 1998 Height: 184cm Position/Role: GK/GD Caps: 6
mikvaughan
loz_moore_98
TRAINING PARTNER
TRAINING PARTNER
Anita Keelan
Paula Peralta
Bjorn Maddern
Megan Anderson
Jason Howell
Dr. Grace Bryant OAM
Nikki Welsford
Lukas Cannan
Caitlin Reid
Assistant Coach
Rob Wright Head Coach
Team Manager
Physiotherapist
Strength & Conditioning Coach
Strength & Conditioning Coach
Maddy Proud
Date of Birth: 4 Dec 1993 Height: 174cm Position/Role: C/WA Caps: 57 MaddyProud
Maddy Turner
Date of Birth: 17 Dec 1995 Height: 183cm Position/Role: GD/WD Caps: 21 MaddyTurner
Sophie Halpin
Date of Birth: 16 May 1993 Height: 177cm Position/Role: WD/C Caps: 2 sophiebear135
Emily Keenan
Date of Birth: 3 May 1982 Height: 175cm Position/Role: WA/C Caps: 2 @the.squad.co TEMPORARY REPLACEMENT
Coaching & Support Staff Assistant Coach
Date of Birth: 30 Sep 1994 Height: 190cm Position/Role: GK/GD Caps: 21
TRAINING PARTNER
TRAINING PARTNER
Lauren Moore
@NSWSwifts
Helen Housby
Date of Birth: 19 Jan 1995 Height: 183cm Position/Role: GA/GS Caps: 10
PaigeyHadley
C
@NSWSwifts
Performance Analyst
Team Doctor
Dietitian
11 | NSW SWIFTS INSIDER
NSW Swifts
12 | NSW | NSW SWIFTS SWIFTS INSIDER INSIDER
SELF CERTIFIED
Self
Certified
SWIFT WITH SAM WALLACE, MIKAELA VAUGHAN & HELEN HOUSBY
Ingredients
Method
•
2 ½ cups of Organic Frozen Berries (your choice)
1.
•
2 tsp Bioglan Coconut Sugar
C ombine all ingredients and blend or process thoroughly and mixture is smooth.
•
4 tsp Bioglan Organic Acai + Berry Powder
2.
Serve immediately!
•
6 Organic Egg Whites
•
6 cups of Ice
13 13 || NSW NSW SWIFTS SWIFTS INSIDER INSIDER
SUMMER BERRY SORBET
THANKS TO OUR 2017 PARTNERS PRINCIPAL PARTNER
WITH OUR TO OUR THANKS TO WITH THANKS 2017 PARTNERS LEAGUE PARTNERS 2017 LEAGUE
PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL
MAJOR MAJOR
PREMIER PARTNERS
ASSOCIATE ASSOCIATE
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TEAM PARTNERS
14 | NSW SWIFTS INSIDER
BROADCAST BROADCAST
CHARITY CHARITY
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#goNSWSwifts @nswswifts
G
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#goNSWSwifts
SWIFTS @nswswifts
17
GIANTSMAGAZINE
THANKS TO OUR 2017 PARTNERS
WITH THANKS TO OUR 2017 LEAGUE PARTNERS
PRINCIPAL PARTNER PRINCIPAL
PLATINUM PARTNERS
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MAJOR
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construction & fitout
PARTNERS
BROADCAST
BROADCAST PARTNERS
STRATEGIC PARTNER
CHARITY
QUICK
QUESTIONS
WITH KRISTIANA MANU’A 3 WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME Ambitious, unapologetic and humble FAVOURITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION Samoa CELEBRITY CRUSH Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson WHO WOULD PLAY ME IN A MOVIE Zoe Saldana 3 THINGS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT Family, Netflix & mangoes BEST NETBALL ADVICE Play with a BIG lion heart! PRE-GAME RITUAL I always have a nap and a cold shower before I play FAVOURITE SPORTSPERSON Mark Hunt SHARE SOMETHING ABOUT YOU WE WOULDN’T KNOW I love watching crime documentaries and I don’t like cheese
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GIANTSMAGAZINE
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We’ve taken 3 elements from 3 different player headshots, and put them together to form one face.
CAN YOU PICK THE 3 PLAYERS? 1
2
3
PUZZLE
4 Answers: 1. Brice/Pettitt/ Bulley 2. Price/Poolman/ Wall 3. Davies/Harten/ Green 4. Manu’a/ Anderson/Guthrie
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BLP746 Match Program Ad-Giants.indd 1
22
17/3/17 4:24 pm
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GIANTS
NEWS GIANTS NAMED FOR WORLD CUP The Club received terrific news recently with confirmation that four GIANTS will be heading to Botswana to contest the 2017 Netball World Youth Cup later this year. Jamie-Lee Price was named in the 12-athlete team, alongside Training Partners Kiera Austin and Teigan O’Shannassy, with Julie Fitz’s right-hand woman, Tania Obst, leading Australia as Head Coach of the 21/U side. “The team has diversity in all areas of the court which is going to allow for different styles of play, when and if required. We are very confident that we have selected the right mix of athletes to represent our country,” Obst said in last week’s announcement. Congratulations Jay, Kippa, Teigs and Tania on the announcement – we’ll be watching closely and cheering loudly as you go for Gold in Botswana!
FDC continues to develop its portfolio of high profile clients including Google, Qantas, LinkedIn, Virgin, Optus and industry relationships using a customer-centred work principle. As a major partner of GIANTS Netball FDC are proud to become a part of the Netball NSW family at such an exciting time for the sport in Australia. @FDC_Group I #WeAreGIANTSNetball
EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR FINALS GIANTS Netball is off to the inaugural Suncorp Super Netball Finals Series and, like us, we know our Members and Fans are excited for the business end of the season! Suncorp Super Netball (SSN), who owns and operates the Finals Series, will confirm the Semi Finals Fixtures following the conclusion of Round 14. This will include who, when and where teams will meet in both the Major and Minor Semi Finals, and most importantly Ticket Information. For now, the Club has put together an extensive Finals Series FAQs for our Members and Fans to become familiar with the next phase of the competition. Check them out now on giantsnetball.com.au. L-R: Julie Fitzgerald (Head Coach, GIANTS Netball), Ben Cottle (Managing Director, FDC) Carolyn Campbell (CEO, Netball NSW) and Blake Cottle (Director, FDC)
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construction & fitout
GIANTSMAGAZINE
fdcbuilding.com.au BLP
SE R E N A G U T HR IE
L A UR A L A NGM A N
INTERNATIONAL CAPS: 141
INTERNATIONAL CAPS: 62
PREMIERSHIPS: 1
PREMIERSHIPS: 0
YEARS PLAYING: 10
YEARS PLAYING: 3
ELITE CAPS: 147
ELITE CAPS: 41
POSITIONS: WD, C
POSITIONS: C, WD, WA
HEIGHT: 173CM
HEIGHT: 177CM
AGE: 31
AGE: 27
COACH’S LAST WORDS Momentum is either your best friend or your enemy. It can change the game in an instance – you can find yourself up or down on the scoreboard in a heartbeat, depending on which way momentum falls in your favour. The same could be said as the GIANTS embark on the inaugural Suncorp Super Netball Finals Series. Both ourselves and our opponents will be looking to take winning momentum into the Semi Finals next week, and so I have no doubt that today is going to be one tough 60 minute contest. To prevail, all we need to do is stick to our game plan. Five words, one result: stick to our game plan and hopefully everything else will fall into place.
GIANTSMAGAZINE
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YOUR GIANTS
GD/GK/WD
#10
GS
#8
DOB 1/09/96 BIRTHPLACE Sydney, NSW tonieanderson
DOB 5/03/86 BIRTHPLACE Sydney, NSW Kimmygee8
GK/GD
WD/C
#5
#7 DOB 4/03/91 BIRTHPLACE Newcastle, NSW spoolman
WD/C
DOB 11/04/95 BIRTHPLACE Sydney, NSW maddiehay1
WA/C
#1
DOB 3/10/94 BIRTHPLACE Wollongong, NSW taylahd4
GA/GS
#3 DOB 23/03/84 BIRTHPLACE Canberra, ACT susanpettitt
GA/GS
DOB 26/08/97 BIRTHPLACE Sydney, NSW kiera_austin
WA/C
#9
DOB 18/08/82 BIRTHPLACE Pyramid Hill, VIC becbulley
GS/GA
#2 DOB 21/03/89 BIRTHPLACE Harlow, England joharten
KIERA AUSTIN
GD/GK
SARAH WALL
GD/GK
#6
DOB 9/07/94 BIRTHPLACE Baulkham Hills, NSW kristina_brice
WD/C
#4 DOB 5/01/90 BIRTHPLACE Peterborough, England serenabob
WA/C
#11
DOB 16/10/82 BIRTHPLACE Terang , VIC netfitsarah
DOB 10/01/96 BIRTHPLACE Sydney, NSW jamielee_price
GK/GD
WD/C
DOB 14/04/99 BIRTHPLACE Sydney, NSW teigan_oshannassy
DOB 1/08/97 BIRTHPLACE Sydney, NSW amyparmenterr
DOB 3/09/95 BIRTHPLACE Wellington, NZ kristianamanua
SUNSHINE COAST LIGHTNING GS
CAITLIN BASSETT
WA/C
KELSEY BROWNE
GS/GA
CARA KOENEN
WD/C
LAURA LANGMAN
C/WD
MADELINE McAULIFFE
GK/GD
GEVA MENTOR (C)
GK/GD
ERENA MIKAERE
GD/WD
KARLA MOSTERT
WA/C
LAURA SCHERIAN
GA/WA
STEPHANIE WOOD
GIANTSMAGAZINE
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JULIE FITZGERALD GIANT LEAPS MADE IN YEAR ONE In terms of first impressions on the Australian sporting landscape it’s fair to say GIANTS Netball has made a big one in the Club’s inaugural year. The only team in Suncorp Super Netball to be in the top four after every round of the regular season, the GIANTS have been able to get the better of all opponents (at least once, sometimes twice) and won the hearts of many in the NSW and ACT netball communities too. There is, of course, always room for improvement but Head Coach Julie Fitzgerald knows the GIANTS have acquitted themselves well so far, and a Finals appearance in their debut season is no mean feat. “I am really happy with what we have been able to build over such a short period of time,” Fitzgerald says. “When you think that the Club hasn’t even been in existence for 12 months yet I think we really have achieved a lot. “We are very lucky to have some really experienced players but I am also happy with the development of our younger members of the squad and our training partners. We have some great youth coming through for the future.”
When GIANTS AFL came on board in a strategic alliance with Netball NSW, Fitzgerald said the parallels her side could draw with the AFL teams (both men’s and women’s) helped them no end. “The culture of the football club has also been huge for us this year,” she added. “It has been really interesting to talk to people at GIANTS AFL about their first few years in the league and how they got through quite difficult times. “It has been great to learn from their experience and to see what a wonderful, family-orientated Club they have become. There are lots of shared values which makes us a stronger unit.”
“When you think the Club hasn’t even been in existence for 12 months I think we have achieved a lot.”
When Netball NSW decided to setup a second elite team to satisfy the appetite of a passionate NSW support base, Fitzgerald felt the GIANTS would have ample opportunity to succeed given the organisation’s culture of success. “I think when we selected our roster first up we made sure we were picking players that had the character to value and support the culture of a good Club,” Fitzgerald added.
GIANTS Netball’s season – win, lose or draw with the Sunshine Coast Lightning – doesn’t end today. But after leaving their rally too late against the Queensland Firebirds last weekend, Fitzgerald is looking for a performance worthy of what the Club has done so far this season. A win over the second-placed Lightning would guarantee a top-two finish, but the Coach knows it won’t be easy.
“This is a massive one but these are the sorts of games that you want to be involved in and they are the reason you play,” Fitzgerald says. “It will be a fantastic occasion, and Qudos Bank Arena is a fitting venue and we love playing there. “Now that we are in the Finals we want to consolidate our position and prove to ourselves that we can play pressure netball week in, week out.
There’s no better place to show they are a force than in Super Hero Round. And given where GIANTS Netball are after less than a year’s existence it’s fair to say the Force is strong with them.
“When you look at our players we have eight who are from NSW and they get to learn a huge amount from players like Jo [Harten] and Serena [Guthrie] who come from the elite game in England.”
“That’s probably where we let ourselves down against the Firebirds so we want to come back and show that we are a force to be reckoned with.”
“We knew with Netball NSW that we were coming into an organisation that is tremendously successful with teams like the NSW Swifts. And I really admired the fact that if there was going to be two elite teams in this state then Netball NSW were game enough to take ownership of the second team.
GIANTSMAGAZINE
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IN THIS ISSUE HEAD 2 HEAD
9
TEAM PROFILES
8
JULIE FITZGERALD FEATURE
6
COACH’S LAST WORDS
GIANTS POSTER
15
QUICK QUESTIONS: KRISTIANA MANU’A
13
GIANTS NEWS
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WELCOME Thank you for joining us for Super Heroes Round here at the final Double Header Event of the season. If our previous Qudos Bank Arena home games are anything to go by, tonight’s atmosphere is going to be something special for the GIANTS. And if you consider what happened when we first met Sunshine Coast Lightning in Round 4, you’re about to be treated to some intense, edge-of-your-seat netball for 60 minutes! Like us, the Lightning are bound for the inaugural Suncorp Super Netball Finals Series and will be looking to take some winning form into Semi Finals next weekend. No surprises that we’ll be aiming to do the same. But what can help separate us from our opponents is you – the amazing NSW crowd here tonight. So please, stand up and make some noise! Let’s ensure that Lightning know they’re on our turf and in front of our home crowd. Your support will go a long way in helping us over the line in those tough moments on court. Here’s hoping we see some heroics, both on the court and in the stands, today before we embark on our Finals campaign.
Julie Fitzgerald Head Coach
2017 FINALS INFO GIANTS Netball is bound for the inaugural Suncorp Super Netball Finals Series, which commences next Saturday 3 June with both the Major and Minor Semi Finals. Who will meet who, where and when, will all be confirmed by Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) who owns and operates the Finals Series. For now, the Club has put together an extensive Finals Series FAQs page on our website, which includes information about where and when Members and Fans can purchase tickets to GIANTS Netball games. For any Finals Series updates, the Club encourages Members and Fans to stay tuned to giantsnetball.com.au and GIANTS social media channels for any announcements.
THE TEAM EDITOR Victoria Bain WRITER Shane de Barra DESIGNER Dominion ADVERTISING Jennifer Silva, Tim Underwood, Ali Coleman PHOTOGRAPHY Narelle Spangher, Murray Wilkinson, Getty Images CONTACT US PHONE +61 2 9951 5000 EMAIL GIANTSNetball@netballnsw.com WEBSITE GIANTSNetball.com.au FACEBOOK GIANTSnetball INSTAGRAM @GIANTSnetball TWITTER @GIANTS_netball YOUTUBE GIANTSnetballtv
2017 SEASON DRAW NSW HOME
RND 1 RND 2 RND 3 RND 4 RND 5 RND 6 RND 7
ACT HOME
58 66 51 54 53 59 56
AWAY
53 51 59 55 38 51 59
RND 8 RND 9 RND 10 RND 11 RND 12 RND 13 RND 14
SAT 27 MAY | 7:00PM
51 56 45 47 56 53
55 59 48 49 52 56
SUNSHINE COAST LIGHTNING QUDOS BANK ARENA (DOUBLE HEADER)
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YOU’VE GOT THE BALL, WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK WE ARE NOW GIANTS NETBALL
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MAGAZINE Volume 1, Issue 7 GIANTS Netball v Sunshine Coast Lightning Suncorp Super Netball - Round 14 | 27 May 2017 Qudos Bank Arena GIANTSMAGAZINE 32