ANZ Premiership

Following a hugely successful 2023 campaign, where they won the Grand Final 74 – 56, Mystics will look much the same in the 2024 season, with nine of their 2023 squad returning.

Two international stars to look out for in this squad are Silver Ferns Phoenix Karaka and Grace Nweke.

Nweke finished the 2023 season as the league’s top goal scorer with 825 goals to her name and a shooting percentage of 92.3%, whilst at the other end of the court Karaka was just as impressive in 2023, making 65 deflections (putting her 3^rd in the league) and 23 defensive rebounds (putting her 2^nd by just one).

We can’t wait to see the defending champions back out in action!

Stars also had a very strong 2023 campaign, falling short in the Grand Final against Mystics and they too have kept their team much the same for 2024.

Fiji’s Kelera Nawai-Caucau, who was a stand out defender at the NWC2023 for the Pearls making 28 defelections and 20 interceptions, won’t be taking to court this season as she has just announced that she is pregnant with her second child. 

One international player that you will see take to court though is Silver Fern Maia Wilson, who will be back for her 8th season with Stars.

Wilson also put on a fantastic display at the NWC2023, as she was New Zealand’s top goal scorer in the competition with 208 goals. 

This season Magic welcome 5 new faces to strengthen their squad.

One of the new faces at Magic is that of Samoa international, Saviour Tui, who joins from Steel having score 302 goals for them last season. 

Tui will be joined in the shooting circle by the recognisable and returning face, of Silver Fern Ameliaranne Ekenasio.

Ekenasio, finished the 2023 season with 349 goals, and a goal percentage of 90.6% putting her 6^th in the leagues goal scoring charts.

At the NWC2023 Ekenasio had a similar goal scoring percentage of 91.4% scoring 96 goals for her country.

We can’t wait to see how that shooting partnership develops!

Pulse are not short of Silver Ferns going into the 2024 season, with Maddie Gordon, Kelly Jury and Whitney Souness amongst those on their roster.

Souness is one player that had an extremely successful 2023, both domestically for Pulse and at the NWC2023.

The Silver Fern was a real play maker for New Zealand at the NWC2023, receiving 98 centre passes, more than anyone else in her team, and giving 94 circle feeds.

The story was similar for Souness in the domestic season in 2023, when she received 471 centre pass receives, more than anyone else in the league.  

Pulse also welcome Tongan defender Kelea Longi to their line-up this season, who has been a training partner with both the Swifts and Giants in Australia’s Suncorp  Super Netball League for the past few seasons and was  vice-captain of the Tonga team at the NWC2023.

Silver Fern Jane Watson will be playing in her ninth season for Tactix this year.

The defender had a great 2023 season making 26 interceptions putting her 4^th in the league’s intercepts charts, as she teamed up with South African born fellow Silver Fern, Karin Burger, who topped the leagues intercept charts with 39 intercepts. Burger will also remain at Tactic this year.

Watson’s strong season continued at the NWC2023, where she contributed 21 deflections and 12 interceptions to her countries campaign.  

A new international face we are excited to see at Steel this season is that of South Africa SPAR Protea, Jeante Strydom.

This is Strydom’s first season in the ANZ, but she is no stranger to international netball having played for Bond Bull Sharks in Australia, and played in multiple international events for South Africa, notably the FAST5 Netball World Series 2022 in New Zealand and the NWC2023 in her home country.

At the NWC2023, Strydom made the most intercepts out of any of her team mates with 15 to her name, this put her 10^th in the events interception charts.