THE 2022 Australian Netball Championship (ANC) is just around the corner, and after a Covid induced two year hiatus the redesigned national second tier competition is back. 10 teams from across the country will be facing off in Traralgon later this month for the title.

In preparation for the tournament, we are going to preview each of the 10 teams that will be competing at this year’s tournament.

Next up is the Southern Force.

The Southern Force will be representing the great state of South Australia at these Championships, and are one of the teams who did compete in the old Australian Netball League.

Like many of the teams competing at these ANCs, there are some familiar faces in this Southern Force side for fans of the Suncorp Super Netball competition.

Headlining the Force’s side for these Championships are Matilda Garrett and Lucy Austin, who will both be members of the Thunderbirds’ main squad for 2023.

Austin will be looking to repay the faith in the Thunderbirds coaches at these Championships ahead of her first full contract season in 2023, while Garrett will be looking to use these Championships to show why she should get more game time in 2023 then she did in 2022.

The three other Thunderbirds’ training partners (alongside the recently elevated Austin) from 2022 Tyler Orr, Chelsea Blackman and Molly Watson will also all feature at these Championships.

In a sign of the callibre of the players in this Force squad, two thirds of the squad played for the two clubs that contested the Premier League Grand Final this season. This includes five members of the winning Matrix side – Austin, Orr, Georgia Dent, Sophie Casey and 2021 Premier League Rookie of the Year Lauren Frew, and three members of runners up Contax – Blackman, Watson and Jessie Grenvold.

The remaining members of the Force squad are midcourter Paris Sinclair, and goalers Poppy Gilfillan-Silk and Jacoba Clough.

Southern Force 2022 ANC Team

Lucy Austin, Lauren Frew, Poppy Gilfillan-Silk, Jacoba Clough, Paris Sinclair, Georgia Dent, Tyler Orr, Sophie Casey, Chelsea Blackman, Molly Watson, Matilda Garrett, Jessie Grenvold

Southern Force’s Fixture

Monday August 22 – Bye
Tuesday August 23 – Vic Fury
Wednesday August 24 – Giants Academy
Thursday August 25 – Sunshine Coast Lightning
Friday August 26 – Tasmania