In a major coup for the sport, newly appointed Netball Australia board member Liz Ellis has also been elected as Chair. Ellis has wide ranging experience from the grass roots to the elite, with experience also in governance and management. While Ellis has said that she’s not to be viewed as a one person saviour for netball’s recent woes, there’s little doubt that her expertise and passion will provide a much needed breath of fresh air.
17 players across seven clubs have so far missed at least one game due to soft tissue injuries in the past five rounds, raising questions about what role the shortened pre-season could have had. Clubs had two to three months less training due to the Collective Player Agreement stand-off, which may have impacted their strength and conditioning phase and led to the unprecedented injury rate.
Eleanor Cardwell is one of 17 players who’ve missed at least one game this season through injury. Image Joshua Collins
Jamie-Lee Price received the first send off of the season, under recent changes to World Netball rules. Price went to the bench for two minutes, following a late challenge to Allie Smith where Price took out her landing space. While the umpire was quick to send Price to the bench, it wasn’t the worst hit we’ve seen dished out this season.
Jamie-Lee Price became the first player from SSN to be sent off under the new World Netball rules for dangerous play. Image: May Bailey/Clusterpix Sports Photography
We love to see it! With eight Jamaicans in the league, 6 of them went head to head in an incredibly athletic Fever v Thunderbirds match. The rivalry was immense on court, but shortly after the game finished, the six joined forces in a dance that entertained the crowd. After the match, they were all heading to Fowler-Nembhard’s home to share a traditional meal.
