WITH netball done and dusted for the 2020 calendar year, the team at Centre Pass have 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. With the attacking third and midcourt all but filled, the next episode focuses on goal defence.

The starting seven is really starting to take shape with five of the seven positions filled and goal defence the first defensive circle position to be selected. This episode had an international flavour with each player boasting a wealth of experience for their respected nation and renowned for their ball winning ways. The selections were somewhat chosen based on the players’ ability to connect with the preselected midcourts from previous episodes, while also taking into account elements such as versatility and structure down back.

Picks:

1^st Taylah – Karla Pretorius
2^nd Jarrad – Jane Watson
3^rd Sophie – Katrina Rore

Karla Pretorius:

Holding the first pick, it was an easy selection for Taylah to choose the ever-reliable Karla Pretorius. The South African international arguably holds the mantle as one of, if not the best goal defence in the world with her ability to dazzle across the court with her quick movement and closing speed. She is never far from the ball, able to track it down with great ease and most importantly remains in play such is her cleanliness at the contest. Pretorius is a consistent player that has that element of x-factor, able to stand up when needed and take a huge intercept. Her skill to turn her body inside out and get hands to ball is unfathomable while her sheer netball nous also makes her incredibly hard to match up against. The defender can play both a space and man-on-man style credit to her array of talents and is well-recognised for her ability to shut down players within the blink of an eye.

2020 SSN stats:
43 intercepts, 21 rebounds, 70 deflections

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Jane Watson:

The New Zealand Silver Fern and Mainland Tactix captain, Watson is one of those players that can effectively ply her trade in goal keeper or goal defence which is what makes her such an exciting pick up. She is incredibly versatile, while her overall cleanliness allows her to be a menace and build pressure with her three-foot marking and smothering style of play. Strong on that defensive zone, she can also switch to a tighter one-on-one marking style credit to her adaptability and read of the play. Watson is not afraid to go out for a fly able to hunt the ball and pick passes off with great ease given her nifty footwork and spatial awareness to cleanly impact the contest. Watson employs strong hands over pressure, has impressive athleticism and is a real leader down back, able to dictate plays and create clever structures to clog up opposition attacks and provide opportunities to win ball back.

2020 ANZ Premiership stats:
20 intercepts, 15 rebounds, 72 deflections

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Katrina Rore

One of the most experienced campaigners in the business, Rore is a smooth mover that can rip a ball out of mid-air and dominate or play that dogged style of defence to run players into the ground. Rore is highly versatile able to move between goal defence, goal keeper and wing defence with her wingspan and silky footwork a couple of key attributes. Her lean over the shot is impressive, able to effectively block the vision of her opponent and cause doubt in their mind. Her ball tracking skills are equally as impressive, able to hunt the loose ball and gobble it up while her transitional work makes her a commanding figure through the midcourt given her willingness to release long bombs into the circle. Rore is constantly lurking around the action, using her zippy footwork to shut down the space and creating tips and deflections to mount pressure.

2020 ANZ Premiership stats:
10 intercepts, 16 rebounds, 28 deflections

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Each goal defence is well known for their A-list quality and most importantly their ability to mount pressure through their timely tips and intercepting skill. Both New Zealanders in Watson and Rore have the capacity to float back into goal keeper with the former more typically played in that lockdown role while Pretorius is more of a specialist goal defence. It is an integral role across the court as the goal defence often dictates the defensive pressure through the middle third and is key in pairing up with the goal keeper and wing defence to shut down the goalers and stifle their movement. This was at the forefront of the Centre Pass trios’ minds when selecting their players given their read of the play, transitional play and overall defensive court coverage.

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

Centre
Goal shooter
Wing attack
Wing defence
Goal attack

Click here to listen: Goal defence