Netball Unlocked Podcast

With Paul out of action this week, Chloe is joined by podcast favourite Ella Powell-Davies to look back over a consequential Round 13, in which Nottingham Forest were eliminated from the top four race, giving us our teams for the semi-finals.

We look back at the round and consider where games were won and lost, and reflect more broadly on how injuries have shaped the season so far and how they could still play a part in what’s to come.

Meaty analysis to one side, we then take a quick break from the Netball Super League and pivot to England with Paul leading an exclusive one-on-one interview with head coach Jess Thirlby. With the dust now settled over selections, Jess shares more about the process, including what exactly the role of “Futures” is in the overall program.

Ella then opens up on the differences between England's and Wales' selection processes, sharing special insight into the gruelling fitness tests the players must endure to show they’re ready for the international stage.

Back to the NSL, we then preview Round 14, after which we will learn who our regular season winner is and consider what it’s like to have a “dress rehearsal” of the 3v4 match-up with Thunder v Mavericks due to meet at Wembley ahead of their semi-final date.

In the latest of our series of extended interviews we speak to one of the stars of the Netball Super League season so far - Nottingham Forest and South Africa shooting superstar Rolene Streutker.

Chloe and Paul chat with Rolene about her arrival in the NSL and Chelsea Pitman's vision for Forest that was in keeping with her own ambition.

Rolene tells the story of remodelling her shooting action after a crisis under the post that is barely believable given the way she has taken to the Super Shot.

There's also plenty to discuss on career goals, inspirations and a South Africa international team with big plans for medals as the sport goes from strength-to-strength in the country.

In the latest episode of Netball Unlocked, there's a bumper news round up as Paul and Chloe reflect on the career of netball icon Geva Mentor after she announced her retirement.

There's plenty from the Birmingham Panthers to dissect as Jo Trip will leave Panthers at the end of the season and Sigi Burger's injury prompts a raid of Loughborough - what does that say about the NXT Gen pathway and how might it evolve.

We hear from one of the stars of the season so far in Leeds Rhinos Cassie Howard who chats with us after defeat the Copper Box.

We'll reflect on big wins for Nottingham Forest, London Mavericks, London Pulse and Manchester Thunder as the race for the top four places is now down to two teams chasing one spot

With that in mind we look ahead to Round 13, as Nottingham Forest face Birmingham Panthers, Loughborough Lightning host London Mavericks, London Pulse travel to face Manchester Thunderand Leeds Rhinos meet Cardiff Dragons.

Paul and Chloe hand out the latest Netball Unlocked debut to London Mavericks Assistant Coach Mikki Austin, who opens up on the heartbreaking decision that saw NSL stalwarts Surrey Storm dropped from the new era of netball in the UK.

We discuss Mikki’s new role as Director of Netball at Epsom College and the fuel-firing Mavs to end an eight-year absence from the Super League playoffs.

Mikki and Paul look back at Round 11 and a huge win for the Mavericks over Forest and how that came together.

We also reflect on wins for London Pulse and Loughborough Lightning over Cardiff Dragons, which secured their places in the top four, and Manchester Thunder’s win over Leeds Rhinos, featuring the return of Paige Reed.

That rounds off our review before we look ahead to Round 12 and the reality that two more teams could complete the top four with two rounds to spare.

Finally, Chloe arrives back from holiday to finish up the podcast with Paul and review the latest England Roses squad, which has been announced for 2025-26.

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George Inger (nee Fisher) joins Paul and Chloe for the latest instalment of the Netball Super League season as a huge weekend of NSL action comes under the microscope.As well as a tour of Fisher family home, we get a chance to discuss a whole host of topics with George who reflects on just how far she has come since an horrendous knee injury.With an incredible sense of perspective George looks back on how her move to New Zealand has changed her whole life - on and off the court, with the incredible support of family and friends across the globe.Now indulging in a spot of commentary as well as coaching and playing NXT Gen, George is perfectly placed to cast her eye over the Round 10 action alongside Paul and Chloe.Loughborough Lighting's win over London Pulse, and the questions it poses are among the main talking points, while Manchester Thunder see off Birmingham Panthers and London Mavericks and Nottingham Forest are on a collision course after wins over Leeds Rhinos and Cardiff Dragons.We also look ahead to Round 11 and that huge Mavs v Forest showdown and there's reflections on Paul and Chloe's interview with NSL Managing Director Claire Nelson, and a shout out for an incredible England Netball U14s Nationals Clubs competition.

In the latest episode of Netball Unlocked’s series of extended interviews, Paul and Chloe are joined by the Netball Super League Managing Director, Claire Nelson.

As the league unveils a host of statistics revealing the growth at the start of 2.0, Claire reflects on the season so far - how things have gone and how things will continue to improve.

With so much to cover, we look back at the tender process, the introduction of the super shot and the myriad of issues the league has faced through nine rounds of action.

Claire also looks ahead to an offseason of putting learnings into practice, as the league's journey to professionalisation prepares to learn from its first season of action.

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Paul and Chloe are flying solo this week with some chunky netball super league action to get stuck into as we reach the business end of the season.

They kick off with a look back at the Jace Bode interview and what it says about the global game, plus there’s reaction to the Leeds Rhinos' response to the NSL’s decision on that Super Shot controversy.

It’s onto the action as Paul and Chloe look into the keys to Cardiff Dragons' first win of the season and what that says about Birmingham Panthers.

London Pulse return to top spot with a Wembley win over London Mavericks, but it’s Mavs who have questions to answer.

Manchester Thunder motor past Nottingham Forest with ‘the most impressive display of the season’, so that victory gets the clip art treatment from Chloe.

And Loughborough Lighting’s win over Leeds Rhinos completes a trio of wins that have set the top three apart.

Before we finish, Paul and Chloe rank the Round 10 games by importance, including a battle for top spot and win-or-go-home time for those chasing the top four.

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Adelaide Thunderbirds’ General Manager of High Performance, Jace Bode, joins Chloe and Paul as they go Down Under for the latest episode of their ‘Unlocked’ extended interview series. 

Jace begins by opening up on how the Thunderbirds navigated the news of Shamera Sterling-Humphrey’s pregnancy and the integration of South Africa’s Sanmarie Visser, detailing the sensitivities involved and why the timeline unfolded as it did.

From limited funds to contracting quirks, we hear what it’s like to work day-to-day as a General Manager of High Performance, including working alongside renowned coaches Tania Obst and Cathy Fellows. What keeps Jace up at night? How does he rest, if at all?

Turning to the future, we discuss bigger picture ideas, including what netball should be doing to keep pace with the rest of the sporting landscape in Australia and worldwide.

Enjoy!

Twitter/X: @Netball Unlocked

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Chloe returns from her curling travels in Canada in time to join Paul and former Stars and Wales player, Ella Powell-Davies, and dissect one of the most dramatic weekends of netball in Super League memory.

We discuss the Panthers v Rhinos game and the controversies surrounding the result before turning to the news of the early retirement of Gabby Marshall following her consecutive concussions.

We hear from Ella about her netball origin story, why she decided not to be part of the initial relaunch of NSL 2.0 and life as an expectant mother.

Ella also helps us run the rule over the weekend's games and previews the upcoming action with an exciting slate of games sure to whet any fan's appetite.

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Paul Prenderville is joined by seven-time Netball Super League champion Tamsin Greenway for the latest episode with Chloe Merrell on location in Canada.

We turn the tables on Sky Sports Off the Court host Tamsin to get her thoughts on the netball media landscape, plus as franchise director of London Mavericks we get an insight into how the bid came together and the player recruitment process.

Paul and Tamsin take a look back at Round 7 at the NSL reaches the halfway point of the season - London Pulse stay perfect with a win over Cardiff Dragons, Loughborough Lightning make it three wins in a row by beating Birmingham Panthers, Manchester Thunder edge London Mavericks in a thriller and Nottingham Forest keep their top four hopes alive with victory at Leeds Rhinos.

Before wrapping up Paul and Tamsin look ahead to Round 8 and finish up by getting Tamsin's thoughts on her own ambitions as well as netball's need for a global calendar.