WITH a number of netball leagues across the world being suspended due to COVID-19, the Draft Central team is making a case for the top 25 players under 25-years-old across the netball world. The top three countdown begins with talented England Roses defender, Fran Williams. With so much talent at our disposal, this countdown is purely opinion-based, taking into consideration recent form, individual potential and future development.

At only 22-years-old, Williams has made a name for herself on the world stage with her work rate and ability to switch up her game at the drop of a hat. Standing behind Geva Mentor and Layla Guscoth in the England Roses, Williams is well and truly learning off the best and has the ability to put that into practice upon hitting the court with her impressive timing, speed and tenacity. While not the tallest defender of the pack at 183cm, her lanky frame and quick feet see her find plenty of turnover ball, following Guscoth’s footsteps in goal defence to be the silent but deadly defender type that she is quickly becoming, while she has plenty of Mentor’s traits in the mix too. 

While Williams may not yet have a starting spot for the Roses sewn up, she has proved since her debut in 2018 that she is ready and willing to step up if given an opportunity regardless of the toughness of her competition, unfazed by the international stage and with plenty of room to continue to grow there is real potential for Williams to become a threatening mainstay in the Roses when the time comes, thanks to her ability to pressurise the contest, hands over pressure and consistency on court.

The speedy defender has the versatility and speed under her belt to rotate through any of the defensive positions, and while she looks most at home in goal defence her ability to move out to wing defence or drop back into goal keeper makes her a crucial and handy inclusion for any side, with her flexibility a useful asset in the case of injury. While she is not the flashiest player on the court, her ability to constantly apply pressure on the player and the ball handler makes her a tough opponent while her timing to go for the intercept or deflect the netball is impressive.

With only the 13 caps to her name, Williams has well and truly made the most of her opportunities on court and holds a starting spot for Wasps Netball in the Vitality Netball Superleague.

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Top 25 so far:

25. Latanya Wilson (Jamaica)
24. Summer Artman (England)
23. Sophie Drakeford-Lewis (England)
22. Matilda Garrett (Australia)
21. Razia Quashie (England)
20. Sophie Garbin (Australia)
19. Imogen Allison (England)
18. Kelly Jury (New Zealand)
17. Tara Hinchliffe (Australia)
16. Aliyah Dunn (New Zealand)
15. Whitney Souness (New Zealand)
14. Amy Parmenter (Australia)
13. Cara Koenen (Australia)
12. Kate Eddy (Australia)
11. Kiera Austin (Australia)
10. Grace Nweke (New Zealand)
9. Kadie-Ann Dehaney (Jamaica)
8. Ine-Mari Venter (South Africa)
7. Kimiora Poi (New Zealand)
6. George Fisher (England)
5. Kim Jenner (Australia)
4. Maia Wilson (New Zealand)
3. Fran Williams (England)