IT has been an action packed first year of Netball Draft Central filled with plenty of excitement and growth. The team here at Draft Central have worked exceptionally hard throughout the year to produce high quality content and cover a range of leagues across the world.
The 2019 netball calendar was full to the brim with the Netball World Cup the highlight of the year. The Silver Ferns broke their World Cup drought clenching victory over world number one Australia, while in the Suncorp Super Netball the Sunshine Coast Lightning looked to make history with a three-peat but fell short against a quality New South Wales Swift team.
We attended the Suncorp Super Netball, Australian Netball League (ANL) and M-League Premier Mixed and Men’s grand finals while we also covered the Victorian Netball League (VNL) throughout the year. We proved that we are not afraid to discuss all things netball related even diving into the intricacies of umpiring and look forward to consistently growing our name, repertoire and coverage with further coverage of the aforementioned league. In 2020 Netball Draft Central is aiming to cover the Queensland Sapphire Series in an endeavour to diversify our content and broaden our horizons.
Our coverage was not just restricted to Australia though, with the team covering the premier leagues in New Zealand and England such as the ANZ Premiership and Vitality Netball Super League (VNSL) respectively. Looking ahead to 2020 we are hoping to expand our international coverage and provide more in-depth wraps, reviews and articles along with a host more features.
We were lucky enough to interview fan favourite and cross-coder Ash Brazill, along with young guns Tara Hinchliffe and Jess Anstiss. We also managed to secure an interview with Silver Ferns and Lightning coach Noeline Taurua while Ameliaranne Ekenasio provided plenty of insight into her life both on the netball court and off-court. We also took our podcast to another level in 2019 and will be aiming to go even bigger and better next year.
In our first year, we also created two magazines one specified for the Netball World Cup and the other dedicated to SSSN. Both were filled with a wealth of content detailing player profiles, positions and team previews. Each magazine had player features retelling their journey to the top with the likes of injured Malawi and Melbourne Vixens shooter Mwai Kumwenda featuring in the World Cup magazine.
Sharp shooter taking advantage of opportunities
YOU would think being 5’10 would be tall. In general yes, but this day in the age of netball, that is seen as being on the shorter side, especially as a shooter. Nowadays you see 6 ‘5 shooters like Grace Nweke, Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard and Caitlin Bassett. Jess Tetley has figured out how to turn her […]
England draws first blood in the Horizon Series
ENGLAND has taken a 1-0 lead over Jamaica in the four match Horizon Series. After a nail biting finish to the first game 24 hours ago, England has claimed the first win of the series. After a tight first half, the Roses shifted into gear to win the match by eight-goals thanks to brilliant defence. […]
Horizon Series begins in a 49-all draw
A DRAW kicked off the Horizon Series between England and Jamaica thanks to clinical end-to-end transition from the Jamaicans. A 49-49 result summed up the calibre of both of these sides with several big time players shining throughout. A formidable defensive end for the Sunshine Girls was up against an ever so growing shooting combination […]
PREVIEW | 2024 Horizon Series
THE LAST international series between the big countries of world netball gets underway this weekend as England and Jamaica battle it out for the 2024 Horizon Series. The first two matches will be played in the AO Arena in Manchester, before the series heads to Kingston in Jamaica a week later for tests three and […]
Country star Lavis takes major leaps to get a taste of SSN
TRAVELLING from Victoria-New South Wales border into Melbourne multiple times a week would take a toll on any person. Numerous hours in the car, training for two hours, then having to drive back. It’s an endless cycle. Mia Lavis has learnt to adapt to that being from the country town of Howlong, but she appreciates […]
2025 Suncorp Super Netball fixture revealed
STARTING on April 5 2025, the Suncorp Super Netball fixture was announced with big matchups and a split round included in the 14-round season, which will end on July 13. Opening the new season, the Adelaide Thunderbirds will play the Melbourne Vixens in a Grand Final rematch, while First Nations Round will be played in […]
Fast5 Netball: Australia takes home the double against the Kiwis
THIS year’s Fast5 competition was a fruitful one for the Australian men’s and women’s teams, taking home the gold after two days play in Christchurch. The Australian Women won their third consecutive campaign after claiming the title, whereas the New Zealand Men missed out on the treble this year after the Aussies turned the tables […]
PREVIEW | Fast 5 World Series
THE INTERNATIONAL netball season heads for a more of a light hearted turn this weekend with the annual Fast 5 World Series taking place across the ditch in New Zealand. For the next two days, six women’s teams and three mens teams from around the world will descend on Christchurch for a very different version […]
Charlotte Sexton’s dreams are becoming a reality
“I WANT to make Suncorp Super Netball, not sure how many years I’m off doing that, but hopefully a training partner role is the next step.” Little did Charlotte Sexton know, that statement would soon become a reality. Sexton was announced as one of the five training partners with the Melbourne Vixens for the 2025 […]
