EXPLAINER | Pocket Podcast: Fantasy Netball Draft – Bench 5

WITH netball done and dusted for the 2020 calendar year, the team at Centre Pass has decided to create a Netball Fantasy Draft that includes a series of mini-podcasts delving into the reasoning behind player selections. Following suit with the extended benches in Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) and given the high calibre of players to choose from, each person will have a 12-player roster and one position will be discussed per episode. The final piece of the puzzle is revealed in this episode with the twelfth player announced.

The Centre Pass Podcast has reached the final player for each team with a player from each third of the court chosen. Quashie and Austin play at opposite ends of the court but are still up and coming players with bright futures ahead of them while, Moloney is a seasoned campaigner at SSN level.

Picks

1st Sophie – Kate Moloney
2nd Taylah – Razia Quashie
3rd Jarrad – Kiera Austin

Kate Moloney
The Melbourne Vixens centre is a fan favourite and for good reason given her never say die attitude and commitment to the cause. She is one of those players that constantly gives her all and is a reliable source of energy no matter what stage of the game. Moloney is never far from the contest, using her physical nature to get under the skin of opponents while she is incredibly crafty with ball in hand, able to thread the needle time and time again. She can play both an attacking and defensive brand of netball such is her smooth movement across the court and high netball IQ. Moloney can read the play effortlessly and is a force to be reckoned with around circle edge given her spatial awareness and skillset. She has lightning quick hands and is able to inspire her team within a blink of an eye.

SSN 2020 stats:
207 assists, 11 intercepts, 26 deflections

Razia Quashie
Still somewhat of an up and coming defender, Quashie is the type of player that can make something out of nothing. A strong bodied defender, the Saracens Mavericks goal keeper is an excitement machine with her tenacious intent and firepower to reel in high loopy passes or hold her space to push the goaler out of their comfort zone. She is quick on her feet and has the capacity to shut down an opposition shooter within a blink of an eye thanks to her smothering style of play and physicality. Her lean over the shot is another prominent feature of her game, able to get in the head of her opponents and cause a ruckus. Quashie is not afraid to go out hunting for the cross court ball and is more than capable of bodying up against any goaler.

VNSL 2020 stats:
15 intercepts, five deflections, three rebounds

Kiera Austin
Highly versatile shooting option, Austin makes the transition from goal attack to goal shooter to wing attack look easy. There is no denying that she has innate sense of timing and can pop out at the right time, such is her netballing nous. Austin can play both that supplementary goaler role or take the full brunt of the shooting. She is a smooth mover that oozes patience and a sense of composure with ball in hand, not often rushed. Still relatively young, the GIANTS goal attack knows how to light up the court with her long range shooting and is not afraid to engage in a bit of niggle under the post. She is classy with ball in hand, able to penetrate through the defence and has a good understanding of when to use her change of direction to open up the court.

SSN 2020 stats:

252 goals, 154 goal assists, 15 rebounds

Each player chosen brings a unique and different element to each team they have been selected for. Quashie plays a similar role to Geva Mentor so can easily switch into that role but also has the capacity to swing out onto goal defence if need be to create an all-England backline of Jade Clarke, Quashie and Mentor. Moloney adds that punch and quick 1-2 around circle edge for Sophie’s team to pair with a couple of familiar names in Madi Browne and Serena Guthrie. For Jarrad, the pickup of Austin gives further versatility in not only the goal circle to play alongside either Jhaniele Fowler or Helen Housby but so too the attacking third given her tendencies to push out to wing attack.

To catch up on the rest of the selections, tune into our other episodes:

Centre
Goal shooter
Wing attack
Wing defence
Goal attack
Goal defence
Goal keeper
Centre Pass Podcast Bench 1
Centre Pass Podcast Bench 2
Centre Pass Podcast Bench 3
Centre Pass Podcast Bench 4

Click here to listen: Centre Pass Podcast Bench 5

With all of the players now released let’s cast an eye over how each team shapes up.

Jarrad’s team

Sophie’s team

 

Taylah’s team

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