THERE were plenty of star players throughout the World Cup with key contributors from all the countries. But it was World Champions New Zealand that featured the highest in our Team of the Tournament, credit to their star power while South Africa and Zimbabwe also had a couple of nominations.

GK: Jane Watson (New Zealand)

The talented defender made the most of her opportunities in the goal circle winning plenty of ball and gaining possession for the Silver Ferns. Her long arm span and quick feet enabled her to get to contests throughout the third. She was a real backbone in the New Zealand defence propelling the ball back down the court and clogging up the space to get hands to ball time and time again. Credit to her impressive vision and timing she amassed 21 intercepts, 26 deflections and 12 rebounds showcasing her sheer athleticism and dominance in the defensive third.

GD: Karla Pretorius (South Africa)

Arguably one of the worlds’ best goal defences did not disappoint picking up Player of the Tournament honours for her efforts in the goal circle for the SPAR Proteas. Pretorius made her opponent pay with every opportunity picking up errant passes and cutting off cross court balls. While her aerial skills are impressive getting up high to create a contest in the air her speed off the mark is equally as skilful getting hands to ball from just about anywhere across the court. Her pressure over the shot and ability to play a varying role of defence makes her exciting to watch, both coming off the body and applying good physical pressure. She finished the tournament with 20 intercepts, 23 deflections and six rebounds to her name.

WD: Jade Clarke (England)

Jade Clarke consistently stood up in defence for the Roses competing hard and applying strong hands over pressure to block the vision of her opponent. She did the one percenters well covering her opponents drives and dodges while also clogging up space to cause headaches for her opposition. Her work in transition was just as impressive pushing hard in the middle third to bring the ball down court along with re-offering on the transverse line to provide good back up play. Clarke showcased her versatility switching into centre when needed using her defensive mindset to make a difference finishing with three intercepts and 18 deflections.

C: Laura Langman (New Zealand)

The veteran Silver Fern centre simply outclassed her opponents with her gut running, exceptional vision and timing. Her physical nature and hunt for the ball was undeniable winning the ball each time the game was on the line and treasuring possession. Her tenacity was unquestionable while her ability to switch between attack and defence was second to none getting hands to ball and tussling hard to secure prime position on the circle edge to feed into the shooters. Langman used her pace and precision to slice through opposition defence time and time again racking up an impressive 130 goal assists from 197 feeds. She also picked up seven deflections and five intercepts.

WA: Bongi Msomi (South Africa)

The South African captain had a blistering campaign with her speed on show throughout the tournament. Msomi found good space in the attacking third using her cuts and drives to exploit her opponents while her attack on the ball was impressive. Her quick hands around the circle edge and dynamic movement made her hard to stop amassing 113 goal assists and 93 centre pass receives earning a Draft Central Team of the Tournament nomination for her hard work and consistency throughout the World Cup.

GA: Ameliaranne Ekenasio (New Zealand)

Ekenasio was in a league of her own showcasing her composure and ability to stand up in clutch moments for the Silver Ferns multiple times throughout the World Cup. The goal attack used the space exceptionally well to open up the court and create attacking thrusts time and time again. Her accuracy to post was impressive while her well weighted passes and vision into the circle was second to none. She did a wealth of work across the court to bring the ball down and be an imposing threat in the goal circle with her well timed drives and ability to turn and shoot from anywhere in the circle on full display. Ekenasio capitalised on her opportunities under the post with 162 goals from 183 attempts at 89 per cent as well as 120 centre pass receives and 42 goal assists.

GS: Jhaniele Fowler (Jamaica)

The Jamaican shooting sensation continued her hot form under the post using her height and strength to her full advantage. Fowler was simply unstoppable scoring with ease and commanding the ball in the goal circle each time she took the court for the Sunshine Girls. Her clever footwork, aerial skills and ability to read the flight of the ball was impressive along with her strength to outmuscle opponents who tussled to win the ball off her. She only missed a mere 10 goals throughout the tournament slotting 304 of her 314 attempts at 97 per cent.

BENCH: Joice Takaidza (Zimbabwe), Felisitus Kwangwa (Zimbabwe), Liz Watson (Australia)

Zimbabwe starred in their first World Cup providing plenty of excitement with their unique style of netball while the Diamonds also impressed but were overawed by other nations given their development. Joice Takaidza was a shining light for the Gems with her accuracy to post and strong holds under the post making her a viable option throughout the game for Zimbabwe. She was not afraid to turn and shoot from anywhere in the circle using her fancy footwork to claim good scoring position nailing 198 goals for the tournament. Teammate, Felisitus Kwangwa made her impact felt up the other end getting hands to ball and applying strong hands over pressure every time the ball came down the court. She racked up 18 intercepts and a whopping 44 deflections. For the Diamonds, Liz Watson was a clear standout for Australia leading the way both in attack and defence. Her strength around the top of the circle and clean hands is second to none while her speed through the midcourt created havoc for her opponents amassing a tournament high 190 goal assists.