THE 2022 Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) season is almost upon us, so it is time to take a look at each of the contenders for the upcoming campaign and what 2022 might have in store for them. For our final preview, we take a look at Collingwood, who finished sixth in 2021.

Season 2021

Ladder: 6th
Win-loss: 6-8
Percentage: 94%

Although 2021 was an improvement on 2020, it still resulted in yet another season without finals action for the Magpies.

They were bolstered by the return of Ash Brazill from her long-term knee injury, and the likes of Kelsey Browne and Shimona Nelson had stellar seasons, but inconsistency in executing their game plan really hurt the Magpies in the end.

It has been a few years now since the Magpies made finals, so that will certainly be something they are aiming for in 2022.

Looking ahead to the upcoming season, one thing the Magpies do have going for them is the consistency in their squad.

With the cohesion of the team really blossoming in 2021, the fact that there are only two changes to the roster from last means the Magpies can only continue to grow stronger.

Kalifa McCollin and Mel Bragg are the two players who have departed the Pies, and in their place comes Maggie Lind and Sophie Garbin.

Garbin will be familiar to SSN fans already as she played with the NSW Swifts last season. She is a reliable and very accurate shooter.

Lind, on the other hand, is new to SSN level. She is a speedy and attacking midcourter who was a training partner last season.

The Team Girls Cup was certainly a mixed bag for the Magpies. They lost to Adelaide on the opening night by 15 goals, and were pretty comprehensively beaten. Then on day two, they beat the GIANTS by 10 but then lost to the Fever by 10 goals. This meant they faced the Firebirds on finals day, and in a tight affair they lost by a mere two goals.

One thing that stood out from that game in particular was the work rate of Molly Jovic and Kelsey Browne. They played in their respective positions (C and WA) all game, not coming off for a break once and just kept running all game. It’s this kind of endurance that will hold the Magpies in good stead this coming season.

So after a few years of missing the finals, can the Magpies finally make that next step up and make the finals? They have the talent, leadership and experience to do it, but only time will tell.

First up the Magpies travel to Adelaide on Saturday to face the Thunderbirds. Match starts at 4:30pm local time. Now they already have one out for the match, with coach Nicole Richardson having to miss the game because of Covid protocols.

2022 SQUAD

ATTACK:

Shimona Nelson
Gabrielle Sinclair
Sophie Garbin

MIDCOURT:

Kelsey Browne
Ash Brazill
Molly Jovic
Maggie Lind

DEFENCE:

Geva Mentor
Jodi-Ann Ward
Jacqui Newton