THE squads lists for the 2024 Suncorp Super Netball Season have been confirmed, and fans can finally look forward to the season ahead.

However, some teams have made some signings that leave questions about the makeup of their starting sevens.

One of those is the Melbourne Vixens, specifically the shooting cohort of the Vixens.

Last season saw an obvious starting two shooters for the Vixens in Mwai Kumwenda and Kiera Austin, with Rahni Samason (when she was not injured) the obvious bench player who comes on for impact.

However with Samason off to the ANZ Premiership, the Vixens decided to bring in another Diamond in Sophie Garbin to fill that third slot.

However, this leaves Simone McKinnis and the rest of her coaching staff with quite a dilemma. They have three international level, top shooters in their team, but how do they give all three adequate game time and what is the best combination?

That is what this piece will analyse below.

Age

As much as it is a bit of a delicate subject at times, age is always a factor in these kinds of decisions.

Kumwenda is turning 35 this year, while both Garbin and Austin are both only turning 27. With the Vixens progressively finishing lower and lower since their 2020 flag, is it time to think ahead to the future a little and play Austin and Garbin more than Kumwenda?

Existing partnerships

Combinations are crucial in netball, and if a player has played alongside a particular teammate in a section of the court for a long time, it can go a long way to the team’s success.

On the one hand, Kumwenda and Austin have played together and been the starting shooting combination at the Vixens for a long time, but then there is also the factor that Garbin and Austin have had plenty of recent experience together as the shooting combination for the Diamonds.

Versatility

Versatility in positions a player is able to play is a somewhat underrated component of the success of any team, but if things are not going write on court, a team needs versatility to be able to change things up.

Although Austin may have played goal shooter in the past and Kumwenda goal attack in the past, neither of them have played those positions in a long time and these days generally just stick to goal attack and goal shooter respectively, while Austin also plays a bit of wing attack. Garbin on the other hand has recent experience in both shooter positions when you take into account her game time in both the SSN and at international level.

Austin’s ability to play wing attack may prove crucial, as with the recent departure of Liz Watson, Austin can provide that experienced head in that role while also allowing Kumwenda and Garbin to get court time.