The Netty Life

The West Coast Fever have won the minor premiership for the very first time in the club’s history, and spots two and three on the ladder have been secured by the NSW Swifts and the Melbourne Vixens, leaving the last finals spot up for grabs in Round 14.

The Queensland Firebirds lost their 11th straight game and Super Netball recognised NAIDOC Week for the second instalment of First Nations round. But we have major worries about the Giants and their future. As Jo Harten announces her retirement from domestic netball we wonder will the Giants cease to exist in 2026?

English legend and Giants co-captain Jo Harten has joined an elite group of players in the 200 club amid speculation that this could be her last season before retirement.

The players’ association has released their inaugural anonymous athlete survey and it seems there’s still a fair bit of work to do to repair the relationship between the playing group and Netball Australia after the 2023 bitter pay dispute.

We analyse all the Super Netball Round 12 results with just two weeks of the regular season left to play before finals and catch up with Aussie import Tyler Orr ahead of her Netball Super League Grand Final appearance for the London Pulse.

With the news that Super Netball has aligned with Whoopi Goldberg's All Women’s Sports Network and World Netball announcing that the Netball World Cup will now be contested as a biannual event, it has been a massive week for the sport.

Round 11 showcased some epic battles as the NSW Swifts stay on top, with just the slightest goal difference keeping West Coast Fever at bay.

The Queensland Firebirds suffer their ninth consecutive loss and are the first team to be ruled out of finals, while the Melbourne Vixens are rising as the unexpected contenders in the competition at this crucial time of year.

Plus Zoe Cransberg joins us following Fever’s victory in the Super Netball Reserves final.

Netball New Zealand want World Netball to change their eligibility rules, which prevent players representing two different countries at consecutive World Cups. And yet they won’t even let their Silver Ferns play Super Netball?

Speaking of, Round 10 is done and we’ve got just one month left to play of the regular season. Over the weekend, the Giants got their first back-to-back victories in two years, the Vixens are finding form at the pointy end and the Fever are closing in on the Swifts’ No.1 spot.

Our interview this week is with Giants defender Erin O’Brien, who shares with us what it’s been like to play alongside Casey Kopua.

Giants get their second win for the season against the Adelaide Thunderbirds, as the only team to have beaten the reigning premiers twice so far this year.

West Coast Fever are closing in on the top spot after snapping the NSW Swifts unbeaten streak of eight straight victories.

We are joined by Roses captain and Fever defender Fran Williams to discuss her re-selection into the England squad and the dominance of Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard in Super Netball.

The Giants may be frontrunners for a consecutive wooden spoon but they are the most interesting team in the Super Netball league right now.

Julie Fitzgerald’s team made global headlines twice over the past week when Jamaican import Jodi-Ann Ward was sadly ruled out with an ACL tear and when they signed retired New Zealand legend Casey Kopua as her replacement. Sending us all into a headspin.

Our interview this week is with David Capron, who joins us to share their story as a gender diverse athlete amidst the controversial decision by some Victorian grassroots competitions to ban transgender players from participating in their women’s divisions.

As we reach the halfway point of the regular rounds in Super Netball, the NSW Swifts remain the team to beat, with the Fever closing in each week. The middle of the ladder is contested, making the race to the top four thrilling!

Round seven also marked the first instalment of the First Nations Round for National Reconciliation Week. Prior to the games, we were treated to stunning uniforms designed by talented First Nations artists and engaging Welcome to Country ceremonies.

We also catch up with Kelpies defender Alistair Punshon, who is in incredible form and currently competing in a three-test series against the English Thorns in the UK.

Melbourne Vixens head coach Simone Mckinnis has delivered some shocking news, as she prepares to step down at the end of the season after 13 years in the job. But she also delivered a brilliant one liner for a second straight week, which is giving us great inspiration for our episode titles.

Will Gretel Bueta make a comeback in 2025? Aussie Diamonds head coach Stacey Marinkovich has poured fuel on the fire and we are allowing ourselves to get excited.

Here to help us analyse round six is new NSW Swifts midcourter Sharni Lambden, who has stolen the show in her first proper Super Netball season.

Super Netballround five brought us plenty of entertaining viewing as several coaches gave their teams a spray in the timeout huddles. The closest game all weekend was decided by eight goals, as mistakes were plenty and the contests became scrappy.

Firebirds co-captain Ruby Bakewell-Doran came out publicly to support her friend and ex-teammate Remi Kamo in a brave show of solidarity, as she continues to call out mistreatment and a lack of accountability at her old club.

Plus, we discuss the confusion around the New Zealand Silver Ferns eligibility rules. Do you need to be a centurion to play abroad or not? The athletes seem to be on a different page to the national netball board.

The news is out. The world’s best goal keeper is pregnant and will miss the rest of the 2025 Super Netball season. But did the Adelaide Thunderbirds start the ongoing speculation about Shamera Sterling-Humphrey by bringing her replacement to Australia so early?

The Giants upset the Thunderbirds, the Vixens continued their dominance in the Melbourne Derby, the Fever pinched a win late against the Lightning and the Swifts defeated the Firebirds to go eight points clear at the top of the ladder.

The ANZ Premiership is also about to start in New Zealand and despite there being real concerns about the future of the competition, we are very excited to have it back. Gabi Simpson has been a last-minute surprise signing for the Central Pulse and she joins us to chat about her return to elite netball after spending more than a year out of the game.