The Netty Life

International netball is back for the Diamonds in 2024 as they take on world number three in a series on Aussie soil. Both teams offer a mix of experience and youth in their squads, with potential debutants in play as coaches start to look towards the Netball World Cup in 2027. 

We talk to Adelaide Thunderbirds No.11 player Tyler Orr, who is set to leave the championship-winning team to take up an opportunity in the UK Superleague for more playing time, signing with the London Pulse for 2025.

Super Netball's 2025 contract signing window is now closed and while there are still a few missing pieces of the puzzle that need to fall into place with training partners and 11th players, we at least know the main 10 that will represent each of the eight teams.

Kate and Britt go through each of the club's rosters for next season and discuss the biggest signing news.

Before hearing from Uganda She Crane goal shooter Mary Cholhok about her exciting move down under to the Queensland Firebirds.

The Adelaide Thunderbirds are the Super Netball champions of 2024 after winning back-to-back premiership titles. They were victorious over the Melbourne Vixens, 59-57, who were courageous until the final whistle.

There was nothing in the game, it was a real arm-wrestle and everything you would hope a grand final at this level would be. The win for the Thunderbirds cemented their undefeated record at home this season. For the Vixens, it is back to the drawing board with the knowledge they took it to the best team this year, and almost came away with a fairy tale finish. 

An MVP performance by 35-year-old veteran, Romelda Aiken-George, was a highlight of the grand final. Leading the Thunderbirds to the trophy off just two hours sleep mind you as her daughter was unwell the night before. After being let go by the Firebirds in 2022 after 14 years service, she has found her place at the top of the sport once more and is thriving in Adelaide.

Super Netball grand final time always feels a bit, like Christmas here at The Netty Life!  

Now we know the deciding match of the season will be played between the Adelaide Thunderbirds and Melbourne Vixens we give our predictions.  

We also take a look back at the poor West Coast Fever who have finished third for a consecutive year, losing by one goal in their last two preliminary finals.  

Plus we hear from Thunderbirds midcourter Tayla Williams about her experiences with endometriosis as a profession athlete. And discuss all the latest signing movement at the Queensland Firebirds as New Zealand’s Kiri Wills joins as their next head coach. 

The semi-finals of Super Netball have left us with three teams who now have to decide whether they are contenders or pretenders. 

The Thunderbirds are through to back-to-back grand finals.The Fever are full of ruthless confidence as they head to Melbourne for the preliminary final. 

Meanwhile, the Vixens have dropped off the pace and are battling mental demons as they try to shake off imposter syndrome and reclaim their inner belief. 

Listen here for all your finals analysis, plus an interview with Bess Schnioffsky about the research she’s done into netball’s historical white femininity.

Super Netball fans have stepped it up a gear this year and they're breaking records all over the place. Crowds, memberships, you name it. The sport is experiencing a huge boom in popularity across the board.  

So why is this happening? Is it the Matildas' effect? We take a deep dive into this topic.  

Before we pick a side and debate whether the league really does need to introduce a third round to extend the length of its season.  

Plus, we analyse each of the Round 14 matches and the Adelaide Thunderbirds minor premiership win. Before hearing from Sunshine Coast Lightning captain Steph Fretwell as her team prepares for the semi-finals.

Round 13 was the second installment of First Nations Round, delivering two spectacular one-point matches as we entered NAIDOC Week.

We watched the Adelaide Thunderbirds take top spot on the ladder, and an emotional Donnell Wallam took to court after a tough week where she received a horrible racist letter. 

Plus we finally get to speak with West Coast Fever and Jamaican powerhouse Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard — the best goal shooter in the world — it’s been a long time coming!

Before we analyse all the big moments from the penultimate round, including that massive collision between Amy Sligar and Kim Jenner in the Giants and Mavericks game.

We can hardly contain our excitement because Round 12 has been and gone and we’ve got just two rounds left before the finals! Woo hoo!

On the weekend the majority of games were decided by three goals or less, as some teams lived by the super shot and died by the super shot in a desperate effort to stay in contention for finals.

We take a closer look in our game analysis at how the Fever, Firebirds and Mavericks all got home in tight contests.  

Before we discuss the concerning reports that Mavericks training partner and Tongan Tala shooter Uneeq Palavi was warned off her international commitments by her Super Netball club. She has since made an impressive debut with another team and wowed fans.

Plus, we hear from Swifts goal attack Sophie Fawns where she touches on the fight her team is showing in a difficult season. 

A week after parting ways with head coach Bec Bulley, the Queensland Firebirds bounced back with an emotional win against the West Coast Fever as their new co-coaches Katie Walker and Roselee Jencke took the reins for the rest of the 2024 season. 

The Melbourne Vixens have maintained the No.1 spot on the ladder without looking like they’ve even hit top gear yet and the Adelaide Thunderbirds jumped the Fever into second place.

Meanwhile, both NSW teams are struggling, with the Giants at the bottom of the ladder and the Swifts still feeling the effects of their off-court drama with Samantha Wallace-Joseph. 

We also hear from Australian Kelpie Josh Byron about the state of men’s netball in this country and his ambitions for the sport to get onto the Olympics program.

Netball chaos indeed...

The past week sent fan speculation into overdrive as the Queensland Firebirds “mutually” parted ways with their head coach Bec Bulley and the NSW Swifts also “mutually” parted ways with their import shooter Sam Wallace-Joseph. 

We unpack both decisions from the clubs that happened to break news on the same night. 

Before we analyse the Round 10 games and look ahead to the final month of the regular Super Netball season.