AS the off-season continues, Draft Central will return to a weekly Compare the Pair series; delving into, and analysing two fan favourites from different competitions. Next we compare and contrast a couple of impressive young defenders, with both Sunday Aryang and Funmi Fadoju proving to be livewires in their own right.

Aryang is an undeniable star in the making, with the developing defender hustling for a starting position at the West Coast Fever and rarely relenting once she got it. Her ability to make something out of nothing is a testament to her workrate and willingness to put it all on the line out on court, rarely looking phased when coming up against some of the greatest goalers in the world. Aryang’s composure and smarts in the defensive end speak to her confidence to go out there and play her role despite not boasting a wealth of experience, while her speed off the mark allows her to not only spot the loose ball, but also take possession of it or tap it to the advantage of her teammates. Her smooth movement and evasive footwork are second to none, meaning she is rarely far away from the action and has little issue getting back into the goal circle to set up a defensive play when required. While still developing her voice out on court, Aryang has proved she is capable of holding down the defensive end off her own hand and continuously propels turnover ball back down the court with her great transitioning play.

Current England Roses Futures athlete Fadoju burst onto the Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) scene with London Pulse in early 2020 and has rarely looked back since. The developing defender can play across all three defensive positions and seems right at home in both wing and goal defence, using her speed, evasiveness and timing to wreak havoc in and around the goal circle. Fadoju is a real go-getter with her offensive mindset and willingness to contest the pass, able to read the play to continuously impact on the contest, and most importantly, do so cleanly. While her mid-range height of 176cm does not typically bode well in the goal circle, she has the aerial ability and read of the play to get the job done regardless. Fadoju is still only young, with the 2002-born product boasting a huge ceiling after showcasing her explosiveness throughout the 2021 VNSL season in particular. Fadoju’s go-go gadget arms come in handy time and time again as she works in overdrive to interrupt the flow of the opposition, with her intercepting ability allowing her to quickly win ball back and seamlessly transition to an attacking mindset.

What makes the duo so fascinating to compare and contrast is that they both boast similar traits but go about it in different ways. Something that Aryang and Fadoju have in common is their relatively quick pathway up the ranks; once their talent was unearthed, they both have found increasingly greater court time given their respective impact and explosiveness on court. Both Aryang and Fadoju often do their best work in the centre third, piling on the pressure by applying hands over pressure and then using their respective bursts of speed to chase down the loose ball and win possession back, with Fadoju’s greater court time in the wing role boding well for her development. While the duo have a number of similarities, one of the main differences between the two is their heights with Aryang standing about six centimetres taller than Fadoju, boding well for her circle work and rebounding, also using her extra wingspan to crate tips and deflections. Fadoju often uses her speed off the mark to have the same impact, making up the extra height with her excellent vertical leap and ability to spot the cross-court ball. Impressively, both are very clean in the way they go about their respective games, with Aryang in particular showcasing composure well above her years at SSN level. Their respective determination to push for main squad selection prove their intent and willingness to push their own game out on court, working in overdrive to creatively win ball back and create a spectacle in the back-line.

Picture credit: Jason McCawley/Getty Images