The Netty Life

With the Thunderbirds sitting on top of the ladder after eight rounds, the 2023 Super Netball season has undoubtedly delivered some beautiful surprises.

Kate and Britt have a yarn with Diamond #105, Sharon Finnan-White, who updates us on her Indigenous Diamonds team ahead of their Premier League campaign in Townsville.

Also on the agenda are concussion protocols and how they seem to differ from one game to the next, and the fiery time-out spray that Thunderbirds coach Tania Obst gave her team to inspire a gutsy win.

This week we delight in the glory of our Queen Liz Ellis, who stole the win (and everyone's hearts!) on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! We hear from former Australian Diamonds head coach, Lisa Alexander, on the recently announced Diamonds squad and she gives us her thoughts the inclusion of Adelaide Thunderbirds defender, Matilda Garrett.

Round seven served up some tight matches where we saw the come-back-queens of 2023, the Swifts come from behind (again!) to steal the Sydney Derby from the Giants. The Firebirds, Lightning and Magpies were again unable to put in a 60-minute performance this week; and we wonder if the bottom four teams on the ladder are even a slight chance of making finals as we reach the halfway point of the season.

A Giant of our game has called time on her international career and we are struggling to come to terms with it!

This week we dedicate our podcast to the one and only English Rose Jo Harten, featuring special messages from the coaches and teammates that have felt the impact of her career.

We also interview Aussie Diamonds World Cup hopeful Jamie-Lee Price.

The Adelaide Thunderbirds have hit great form in 2023 and are chasing the ladder leaders, West Coast Fever.

The Giants and NSW Swifts enjoyed wins against the Collingwood Magpies and Sunshine Coast Lightning, making a spot in the top four very interesting as we find ourselves a third of the way through the season.

This week we also chat with U19’s Nationals champion and captain for South Australia, the delightful Sophie Casey, who shares her experience at the tournament and her thoughts on the next generation of players to watch.

English import Eleanor Cardwell, nicknamed ‘The Claw’, has been the biggest buy of Super Netball in 2023 and her presence at the Adelaide Thunderbirds has already made a huge difference in just five rounds.

Britt caught up one-on-one with the Roses shooter early in the season to learn more about her netball story.

Including Cardwell’s plans for her upcoming match against her old rival, West Coast Fever and Diamonds defender, Courtney Bruce.

The reigning premiers are sitting pretty on top of the ladder and Giants have their first win for 2023.

Through their Easter induced chocolate comas, Kate and Britt discuss the big topics from round four.

Do the Lightning have the bench to win grinding battles?

Do the Thunderbirds believe they are a grand-final team?

Did the timing of Bec Bulley’s Fox Netball interview cost the Firebirds the game?

And did the Swifts implode due to the gamesmanship of Dan Ryan and the physicality of Fever?

Two investigations with vastly different findings and outcomes from Super Netball on the controversies surrounding last week.

The Fever and Thunderbirds continue to stamp their undefeated dominance on the competition, while the Giants and Firebirds flounder in search of their first win.

We’ve got an update for you regarding concussion and plenty of nice things to say about Fever shooter Sasha Glasgow!

Unsafe decals, power outages, extra centre passes and concussion policies were all under the spotlight in Super Netball’s Round 2.

It makes us wonder if our sport is doing enough to keep up with the professional standard of its athletes? And whether this season’s campaign ‘We Are Here’ is totally accurate?

This week we discuss the two big controversies that rocked the weekend gone and speak with neurophysiologist Dr Alan Pearce from La Trobe University about netball’s concussion policy.

The opening weekend of the 2023 Super Netball season saw the Jamaican imports star, cleaning up all four match MVP awards available.

Other than that, we saw an upset in the first game, some impressive debuts and the defending champions the West Coast Fever make a strong statement.

Our guest this week is South African and Sunshine Coast Lightning star Karla Pretorius who shares her experience returning to elite netball after taking last year off during pregnancy.

We also hear about Pretorius’ excitement for a home Netball World Cup, coming up in July in Cape Town and what she hopes it will do for the sport in her country.

Nat Butler (nee Medhurst) is an Australian netball legend that needs so introduction.

She’s a three-time World Cup champion and a Commonwealth Games gold and silver medallist.

After a couple of years in retirement, watching from the sidelines, the goal attack has decided to make a return and extend her elite netball career by signing as a training partner with the West Coast Fever.

So how is Nat doing this pre-season and what’s it like making a comeback after having two kids?