IT has been a big year of Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) that saw a host of new faces enter the league. While many may have been elevated training partners due to the extended bench there are a couple of players who made their long-awaited SSN debut with one boasting international experience. Draft Central has composed a countdown of the Top 15 SSN debutants for 2020, and the next in line at fourth is Collingwood speedster Molly Jovic.

Although it was a disappointing season for the Pies, only registering the one win, one positive to come out of the season was Jovic. Boasting a wealth of experience albeit not at SSN level, Jovic relied on her netball smarts to star in her 12 appearances. She brought that element of composure and while on the odd occasion she would throw the ball away, her work rate was unquestionable. A true workhorse through the centre, Jovic showed her hand in a number of positions able to pull on both the wing defence and wing attack bibs but did her most damage through the centre.

It is fair to say things did not go to plan for Collingwood with both Kelsey and Madi Browne getting a couple of games under their belts before being sidelined due to their recurring knee injuries. This therefore meant that Jovic really had to up the ante and lead the troops through the centre as a number of fresh faces such as Tyler Orr joined the fray. In her debut season, Jovic was as consistent as they come, laying everything out on the court and hustling hard to create turnover ball. She paired well with Kelly Altmann as the two combined around circle edge to balance the attacking third and provide options outside the circle to reset play.

With speed to burn, Jovic was never far from the contest, able to get hands to ball thanks to her closing speed and all round commitment. Her variety of passes was imperative to keeping the opposition defenders guessing as she worked in overdrive to bring the ball down the court and deliver into Shimona Nelson and Gabby Sinclair. She never looked out of place credit to her composed nature and ability to think her way through the defensive pressure and execute. Jovic hardly shied away from the physicality despite her lighter frame but nine times out of 10 used her nippy footwork to burst away from her opponent. A highly nimble and agile player, the 25-year-old was a persistent threat for the black and white toiling away to edge the ball down the court and create attacking forays given her exciting nature of play.

Her decision making and game smarts developed rapidly throughout the season, as did her confidence allowing her to release the ball from range into Nelson time and time again. A more defensive minded midcourter, given her tenacity to hunt down any loose ball and create defensive pressure with her three-foot marking Jovic collected 10 intercepts and 25 deflections. However that is not to say that she was not prominent in attack, notching up 114 goal assists thanks to her silky movement and pinpoint passes into the circle. With a constantly changing midcourt around her, Jovic displayed her adaptability and versatility to change up her game play to suit who she is playing alongside while her seamless transition through the midcourt positions was testament to her high calibre. Only in her first year there is still plenty to learn, but given the impressive season she had there is no denying that a bright future lays ahead for the up and coming midcourter who oozes speed and spatial awareness.