GWS Netball scoring big in Super Netball
with Matt “ Duck Man ” Austin
Many young girls have gone down to the local netball courts and had a go at the game . The Australian Sports Commission collected data between July 2022 and June 2023 and 1,017,000 people registered to play netball in Australia . That is a massive chunk of the population and saw the numbers increase from June 2022 from 964,100 which was an increase of 5.5 per cent .
A lot of this growth in netball here has been on the back of the Suncorp Super Netball series , which in Netball Australia ’ s
Matisse Letherbarrow about to shoot . Credit : Giants Netball .
statement , is the leading women ’ s sporting league on the planet , with televised audiences of over eight million people watching their matches last year .
It ’ s huge in western Sydney , and every Saturday as you drive past courts in the metro and surrounding areas you will see them overflowing with people .
GWS Giants netball are one of eight clubs competing in this series and have talented players from all over the Sydney metropolitan area playing for the club .
These include 22-year-old Goal Attack and Goal Shooter , Sophie Dwyer , who has played 53 matches in Super Netball from Ryde Eastwood . Baulkham Hills Netball Association ’ s very own superstar , 21-year- old Goal Shooter and Goal Attack , Matisse Letherbarrow , who is 188cm tall and had played 19 matches prior to this season ; Matisse is proving to be one of the rising stars of the team .
Goal Defender and Goal Keeper Matilda McDonnell , affectionately known as Tilly and from the local
Hawkesbury Netball Association . Tilly has also played 55 Super Netball games now for the Giants and has been the starting Goal Keeper since last season .
There is also young Hills District Netball Association ’ s 18-year-old rising star , Erin O ’ Brien coming through as a Goal Keeper and Goal Defence . Erin has four Super Netball caps to her name .
With so much young local homegrown talent added to a roster boasting experienced campaigners like English International Jo Harten , who picked up a Commonwealth gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and has a string of other personal achievements .
The squad have experienced Wing Attack and Centre Chelsea Pitman , Jamie- Lee Price and Sam Winders from New Zealand who both play Wing Defence and Centre , and Jamaican Star Jodi-Ann Ward who provides a strong presence at Goal Defence , Wing Defence and Goal Keeper for the Giants .
The Giants did get off to a tough start this Super Netball with a tough loss at home in round 1 to West Coast Fever , a close loss away to QLD Firebirds , followed
Jo Harten lining up a shot . Credit : Giants Netball .
by losses to Melbourne Vixens and Adelaide Thunderbirds . They picked up their first win of the season in round 5 with an 86 – 80 win over the Sunshine Coast Lightning .
It was the win that they needed to spark the season and lead them into the second half which sees games on the road to Melbourne Mavericks and Melbourne Vixens , followed by two games at home vs QLD Firebirds and Adelaide Thunderbirds .
If the Giants can get on a roll and pick up some valuable wins over the next month , they can set themselves up for a run into the finals and showcase the skills of the local talent and experienced campaigners who represent Giants Netball in the broader western Sydney community .
Western Sydney Two Blues on fire in 2024
with Matt “ Duck Man ” Austin
There are many people who are rugby union fans and lovers . A good number love the Wallabies despite their short comings and others still love the NSW Waratahs in Super Rugby and Super W . Some dyed in the wool rugby supporters also love Shute Shield rugby , in particular the Western Sydney Two Blues .
Yes , the Two Blues were indeed the Parramatta Two Blues rugby club who won three Sydney Rugby premierships in the 101-year history of the Shute Shield competition . Coincidentally , these were in the same time period that the Parramatta Eels last tasted success with wins in 1977 and 1985 and 1986 .
It has been slim pickings for a long
Two Blues win the Rod Phelps Cup , 2024 . Credit : Two Blues Rugby .
time for the Two Blues , but a change in club philosophy , along with a competition restructure back in 2022 , has seen them reshape the way they play . They have also changed their branding and public image to engage with the broader public .
Competition rules that required premier rugby clubs to employ a fulltime general manager and head coach helped turn around the fortunes of the Two Blues . This has lifted the spirits of their parochial fans and the supporters club , the Two Blues Stalwarts , who back the club through thick and thin and ride the waves of the good and the bad .
The appointment of former Super Rugby , Aviva Premiership , and international rugby player Sailosi Tagicakibau in September 2021 was a key turning point for the club . Having a figure with international experience playing helped shape and mould the club going forward .
In 2023 the Two Blues finished the Shute Shield season in seventh place on 54 points , narrowly missing the finals and 6 th place by two points . They had their best finish in years with nine wins and a very solid 18 bonus points . You get these through scoring four tries in a game and losing a game by less than seven points .
This year , seven games into the 18-game season the Two Blues are already in seventh position and have claimed the impressive scalps of Gordon in round 1 at Eric Tweedale Stadium 22 – 19 , West Harbour 52 – 26 in round 2 , Southern Districts 31 – 26 in round 3 at Forshaw Rugby Park at Sylvania , and the scalp of 1 of the Premiership favourites for the year Norths 29 -28 in round 6 .
They have a huge month coming up with games against Eastwood at home , competition heavyweights Randwick at Coogee Oval , Warringah at home on Saturday 15 th June , which is also the annual back to Parra Day for all the old boys and girls to come and tell their stories and relive the glory days of the club ( and there have been plenty ), followed by round 11 at Sydney Uni against a Uni team who have struggled to find cohesion in the 2024 season .
The Two Blues have been led around the paddock well by hooker David Meki who played for North Harbour in the NPC in NZ , Reece and Rillroy Suesue have been strong additions to the side with their
Rillroy Suesue kicking downfield . Credit : Rugby News .
brilliant kicking and passing game at 10 or fly half for Reece , and scrum half or 9 for Rillroy , former NZ U20s player Nikola Vikena on the wing and Christian Papa at fullback .
There is plenty of talent on the park for 2024 , and Sailosi Tagicakibau has been able to bring the team together and help them reach their potential in his third season as head coach .
It ’ s a big job and there ’ s still plenty of work to do with 11 rounds remaining of the Shute Shield premier rugby competition .
But there is an air of excitement around Eric Tweedale Stadium that success is just around the corner for the Two Blues and their die-hard fans .
24 ISSUE 108 // JUNE 2024 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HILLS INDEPENDENT