The 5 best performances of 2024

By Matt Fotia 

This Suncorp Super Netball season, the competition gone to another level. 

Team, and individual player performance, is at an all-time high as the best players in the world come together each weekend to do battle. 

We’ve had great games, great moments and even greater individual performances from some of the game’s best and brightest.  

Here’s our top five individual performances of the 2024 season – so far. 

5. Kate Moloney – Round 7 – Melbourne Vixens v West Coast Fever 
114 NNP – 42 Feeds – 16 Assists – 2 Gains – 2 Intercepts 

Having played second fiddle for a number of years, Kate Moloney has gone to another level in 2024 and her performance against the Fever was a prime example. 

Coming off a rare home loss to the Sunshine Coast, the Vixens made the trip over to Perth to take on the Fever at RAC Arena. 

Down by three at quarter time Moloney took the game by the scruff of the neck recording 24 feeds, 11 assists, 2 gains, 2 intercepts and 72 NNP across the second and third quarters, which the Vixens won 40-26. 

Moloney, who had zero turnovers for the game, ran through three opponents in Kelsey Browne, Jordan Cransberg and Jess Anstiss, as Dan Ryan tried everything to nullify her influence.

4. Latanya Wilson – Round 7 – Adelaide Thunderbirds v NSW Swifts 
118.5 NNP – 8 Gains – 7 Deflections – 4 Intercepts 

The Thunderbirds have made a habit of putting on defensive masterclasses in 2024 and this one against the Swifts was up there with the best of them, with the 2023 premiers conceding just 20 goals after quarter time. 

Wilson played majority of the game in wing defence (a notoriously hard position to win NNP) and was at her electrifying best, particularly in the second half as she and her teammates kept the Swifts to just 13 goals for the half. 

The Jamaican international had 6 gains, 4 intercepts, 3 pickups, 3 deflections and 88.5 NNP in the second half and was perfect with ball in hand recorded zero turnovers. 

The Thunderbirds defence haven’t looked back since, yet to concede more than 50 goals since their win over the Swifts.

3. Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard – Round 10 – West Coast Fever v NSW Swifts 
150.5 NNP – 75 Goals – 3 Rebounds – 1 Deflection  

Wouldn’t be a top five Suncorp Super Netball list without Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard. 

The Fever star was at her all conquering best against the Swifts, missing just one shot (at the 1:26 min mark of the first quarter) for the entire game. Even when she missed, she grabbed the rebound away from Sarah Klau and immediately scored anyway. 

Fowler-Nembhard was so dominant her international teammate Shanice Beckford only needed to put up 9 shots (2 goals) for the game. 

Swifts coach Briony Akle tried both Klau and Teigan O’Shannassy, but nothing was going to stop Fowler-Nembhard. 

2. Molly Jovic – Round 4 – Melbourne Mavericks v Sunshine Coast Lightning  
144 NNP – 36 Feeds – 25 Assists – 6 Pickups 

A month into their debut season and the Mavericks were off the pace.  

They were yet to come within seven goals in their opening three games and centre Molly Jovic had been quiet against the Fever in Round 3. 

In response Jovic more than doubled her offensive output against the Lightning. She had a huge first quarter with 12 feeds, 8 assists, 3 pickups and 48 NNP to help set the tone before holding form to driver her side home to an historic win. 

Trailing by four with less than a minute remaining the Mavericks nailed two Super Shots via Gabby Sinclair and got the winner through Shimona Jok with just four seconds left on the clock. 

Jovic was an integral part of that last minute flurry, assisting the final two scores and a running a series of razor sharp one-twos from the final centre pass to set up the deciding goal. 

She finished that frantic final quarter with 9 feeds and 8 assists to help jump start the Mavericks season. 

1. Kiera Austin – Round 9 – Melbourne Vixens v Melbourne Mavericks 
129 NNP – 16 Goals – 7 Super Shots – 21 Assists – 4 Deflections 
 

It’s long been known that Kiera Austin is one of the most defensively active goal attacks going around, but her game against the Mavericks was next level.  

The World Cup winning Diamond put up numbers that would’ve pleased a mid-courter or defender, all whilst posing her usual threat in the goal circle. 

Austin often came off the line to receive the centre pass, unleashed a bullet pass to either an unmarked Sophie Garbin or the likes of Kate Moloney or Hannah Mundy, before performing her trademark drive into the circle at breakneck speed. 

With the game in the balance at half time, Austin exploded in the third quarter, shooting at 100% (3 goals, 2 Super Shots), providing 8 feeds (7 assists), grabbing two gains and an intercept – totalling in 47.5 NNP in the process. 

She gave Mavericks goal defence Kim Jenner headaches all game, with the former Fever and Firebird defender giving away 21 contacts in a desperate attempt to quell Austin’s influence. 

Austin would’ve sailed part the 140 Nissan Net Point mark as well if she wasn’t taken off to allow young Lily Graham onto the court to shoot her first Super Netball goal. 

A complete performance, from a complete player. 

HONOURABLE MENTIONS 

Whittling this down to five wasn’t an easy task. 

So rather than leave a pile of wonderful individual efforts on the cutting room floor, we thought we’d give out some honourable mentions who on another day could easily have made the top five. 

Liz Watson – Round 5 – Sunshine Coast Lightning v GIANTS Netball 
121.5 Nissan Net Points (NNP) – 66 Feeds – 36 Assists 

The Lightning’s Round 5 loss to the GIANTS is probably the most notable game of the season for a number of reasons – some good and some not so good.  

One of the goods was the performance of Diamonds captain and star Lightning recruit Liz Watson. Watson was everywhere in attack for the Lightning, racking up enormous offensive numbers.  

Sophie Garbin – Round 8 – Melbourne Vixens v GIANTS Netball 
119.5 NNP – 51 Goals – 10 Feeds – 8 Assists  

Sophie Garbin has been one of the signings of the season. 

The new Vixens shooter has gone to another level in combination with Kiera Austin and was at her scintillating best against the GIANTS. Garbin went past the 50-goal mark and grabbed two intercepts in a fantastic all-round performance. 

Emily Mannix – Round 6 – Melbourne Vixens v Sunshine Coast Lightning  
113 NNP – 10 Gains – 10 Deflections 

It’s been some 2024 for Emily Mannix, who was named as a Diamonds squad invitee off the back of some red-hot form for the Vixens, headlined by this outing in the Vixens only loss of the season. 

Anything above shoulder height has Mannix’s name written all over it as she did all she could to keep her sides unbeaten streak alive, claiming four intercepts to go with her double-digit gains and deflections. 

Ashleigh Ervin – Round 7 – Sunshine Coast Lightning v Queensland Firebirds 
109.5 NNP – 11 Gains – 9 Deflections 

With Courtney Bruce set for some time on the sidelines, Lightning coach Belinda Reynolds turned to Ash Ervin to fill the void. 

Long story short Ervin is in the Diamonds squad, and it’s no wonder with performances like the one against the Firebirds. 11 gains, 9 deflections, 4 intercepts and 4 rebounds. 

Georgie Horjus – Round 9 – Adelaide Thunderbirds v West Coast Fever 
97.5 NNP – 35 Feeds – 21 Assists  

Horjus is a genuine Swiss-army knife for the Thunderbirds in attack. 

Not only did she run the show creatively in wing attack, but she also bobbed up with five goals during a short stint in goal attack and grabbed four pick ups as the Thunderbirds sent a message to the rest of the competition. 

Donnell Wallam – Round 11 – Queensland Firebirds v West Coast Fever 
105.5 NNP – 57 Goals – 9 Super Shots 

The Firebirds came into their Round 11 game against the Fever rooted to the bottom of the table and with their third coach in as many weeks. 

Enter Donnell Wallam. 

The Diamonds shooter stood tall to guide her side to an emotionally charged third win of the season, scoring 66 of the Firebirds 78 points.