Patricia P

Full disclosure, we are both NSW Swifts supporters, so there may be a little bias towards them. 

Will Thunderbirds stay on top this year? Or will Mavericks maintain their position in 4th and be the premiers? SSN this year has been a pretty crazy ride, from team injuries to one team who remains winless (They’re a pretty giant team). We’re going to dive into each team’s season thus far and see who the top contender for the premiership this year is. In first place on the ladder, the Adelaide Thunderbirds. 

1. The Thunderbirds have had a great season with only one loss against the Vixens so far. Recruiting youngster Elmere Van Der Berg was definitely a great move from head coach Tania Obst. Meanwhile, at the defensive end, Shamera Sterling, Latanya Wilson, and Matilda Garrett are getting tips and intercepts like crazy, in fact Shamera is leading the whole competition with the number of deflections, 80! We can’t forget about Georgie Horjus and Kate Heffernan, what a role they play in this Adelaide side. In 2023 and 2024, the Thunderbirds won the premiership, can they do so again this year?
2. In second is the Vixens, with only 2 losses against the Thunderbirds and Lightning, they have equal strength across the court. Shooter Sophie Garbin and Kiera Austin have had a great season shooting many goals making their team fly up the leaderboard. Captain Kate Moloney pairs with Hannah Mundy and Kate Eddy to fly through the midcourt. In defence there is Jo Weston, Rudi Ellis, and Emily Mannix. With Vixens winning the Grand Final last year (2025), hopes are high for them to go back-to-back, but will they?
3. In third place is the West Coast Fever. Fever have had an interesting season with winning most of their games by a lot but also losing a few. The teams’ shooters Romelda Aiken-George (previously a Swifts player), Jhaniele Fowler Nembhard, Sasha Glasgow, and Olivia Wilkinson have each scored a number of goals, helping Fever move up the leaderboard. Captain Jess Anstiss leads the team in both attack and defence as she can play WD, C and WA.
4. In fourth is the Mavericks from Melbourne. The mavericks have won 6/11 of the games so far. Recruiting 30-year-old Jamie Lee Price was a definitely good decision from their coach Gerard Murphy as she has now gotten the greatest number of net points so far this year of 1087! Mid courter Maddie Hay has the most amount of centre pass receives, 270! Defender Jessie Grenvold has the most intercepts at 28. Despite this only being Jessie’s first year in SSN, she has already cemented her spot in the Diamonds squad. Amy Parmenter, who is the captain, has had an amazing season especially in Round 12 against the Fever. Overall, the Melbourne Mavericks have had a great season, and have they done enough to secure a spot in finals?
5. 5th place is the Lightning from the Sunshine coast. The Lightning have had a mixture of wins and losses this season, with GS Donnell Wallam scoring the 2nd the greatest number of goals attempted this year for her team, a whopping 663 points. Throughout Lightning there is 4 Diamonds players, and 1 New Zealand player, giving them a high chance of making it to finals. Will Lightning be able to get the points to move to 4th to qualify for semis? Only time can tell. 
6. The Swifts from NSW haven’t had the best season this year even though they have really strong players individually, together they haven’t been winning many games. Goal attack and wing attack Grace Whyte has been top of her game and has had the most amount of goal assists so far this season, a massive 266! Due to this Australian Diamonds head coach Stacey Marinkovich has named Grace as the shooter Invitee for the upcoming commonwealth games and Netball world cup. Her partner in crime, Grace Nweke who is a Silver Ferns player, has scored the most amount of goals in the league, 587. The swifts started off well with winning a few games but the last few games they have started to go downhill. So, will they be able to move up the leaderboard and qualify for semis?
7. Firebirds haven’t had the greatest season so far and despite having a good team on paper, on court they haven’t seemed to gel. In GS is Mary Cholhok, reigning from Uganda. Maddy Gordon came from New Zealand but unfortunately injured herself for about half the season. In defence Ruby Bakewell-Doran leads the team with guidance and determination. With 10 losses and 2 wins, it is impossible for them to make it to finals. So, can Firebirds close out the season with a couple of wins, or will they lose more games?
8. Giants have had all but a good season this year. With no wins this entire season, the Giants have had a really long season. Shooters Sophie Dwyer and Matisse Letherbarrow have been shooting super shot after super shot. Commentators including Cath Cox think that Amy Sligar will have a chance of a spot in the Australian Diamonds on their upcoming tournaments. The Giants just haven’t found a way to win, and will they? Can they finish the season with at least one win, or will they remain winless the whole season?