By Matt Fotia
The Suncorp Super Netball League has long been regarded as the world’s best netball league.
And the world’s best netball league has always been home to the world’s best netball players, with stars from Jamaica, England, South Africa and the rest of the world making their mark on netball in this country.
But who are the SSN’s best ever imports?
Here’s part one of our top ten SSN overseas talents.
JHANIELE FOWLER-NEMBHARD
It doesn’t get any more obvious than this.
Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard has been an ever-present force in Australasian netball since 2013, first appearing for the Southern Steel in the ANZ Championship.
Despite now being synonymous with the West Coast Fever, whom she joined in 2018, Fowler-Nembhard almost became a Thunderbird way back in 2011.
The goal shooter had impressed the Thunderbirds hierarchy at the 2011 Netball World Cup in Singapore and penned a two-year deal with the Adelaide side, but the deal fell through when fellow Jamaican Carla Borrego was not given Australian Citizenship as planned.
The Thunderbirds loss has become the Fever’s gain of course.
Fowler-Nembhard has taken all before her on Australian shores, winning five consecutive SSN Player of the Year awards from 2018 to 2022, claiming seven SSN leading scorer titles, six Stacey Marinkovich Medals for Fever MVP and one SSN premiership in 2022.
Known for her incredible on court presence and unrelenting scoring power, Fowler-Nembhard can single-handedly swing a game for the Fever and has done so consistently for the past seven seasons, regularly pushing past the 60-goal mark, and in recent times adding some super shot prowess to her already incredible game.
Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard has claims to be the best ever SSN import.HELEN HOUSBY
When you think about the NSW Swifts in the SSN era, you think about Helen Housby.
The Carlisle product signed with the Swifts in 2017, joining the SSN after a successful four-year stint with English club the Manchester Thunder, which included one Netball Super League title.
Potent in both goaling positions and oozing with raw passion and grit, Housby is made for the big moments and has stood tall for the Swifts more often than not.
She was a key cog in their 2019 and 2021 premiership winning sides and has notched more than 100 games and 2,000 goals for the Swifts since her arrival on Australian shores.
Blessed with natural swagger, Housby has owned the super shot more than any other player since its introduction, regularly draining long range efforts before letting out an awe-inspiring roar.
The Roses star is coming off back-to-back Swifts MVP’s and will be a major part in their quest for redemption in 2025.
Helen Housby is the Swifts.
LAURA LANGMAN
Regarded as one of, if not the, best ever midcourters to play the game, Laura Langman was a must have for this particular list.
A tireless running machine, Langman had been a part of the New Zealand netball system for more than a decade when she signed for the NSW Swifts ahead of the 2016 ANZ Championships season.
Langman made headlines in 2017 when she decided to join the Sunshine Coast Lightning and the SSN, making her ineligible for Silver Ferns selection in the process.
The furore didn’t deter Langman on court.
A born winner, she helped lead the Lightning to the 2017 premiership and was named as the SSN Team of the Year centre.
Ever reliable on court, Langman took a break from the game in 2018 before returning to the Lightning in 2019 before retiring from the sport.
Loved worldwide, Langman will always be remembered for her ability to change a game, incredible netball smarts and her endless running capacity.
ROMELDA AIKEN-GEORGE
Romelda’s still got it.
It’s outrageous to think Aiken-George, who was named the 2024 Grand Final MVP, has been playing netball in Australia since 2008.
She joined the Firebirds aged 20 after some strong showings at the 2007 World Cup and went on to play an important role in the Firebirds dream run from 2011 to 2016, where they made five Grand Finals, winning three.
Aiken-George has dominated the SSN for almost two decades.Aiken-George made history in the Firebirds 2016 triumph, finishing the game with and incredible 63 goals as the Queensland side made it back-to-back ANZ Championship titles.
The Jamaican star remained with the Firebirds for the SSN era but was delisted by the club in 2022.
Undeterred, Aiken-George has since played in consecutive SSN Grand Finals, the first in 2023 for the Swifts, before leading the Thunderbirds to their 2024 title, winning another Grand Final MVP accolade in the process, more than 15 years after her Australian netball debut.
Standing at 196cm, Aiken-George has the ability to reach any ball, possesses incredible balance, strength and control, has re-defined the word reliable and brings an infectious energy to every game she plays.
MWAI KUMWENDA
Mwai Kumwenda’s relationship with Victorian netball is a long one.
The Malawi star first started plying her trade on Australian soil in 2011, when she played for the Peninsula Waves in the Victorian Netball League, having been scouted at the 2009 World Youth Cup.
Her exciting performances in the VNL caught the eye of the Kiwi side the Mainland Tactix, who signed Kumwenda as a replacement player for the injured Jo Harten.
Not only did she make history as the first African player to play in the Trans-Tasman competition, but she also went on to finish the 2014 season as the Tactix top scorer.
Kumwenda stayed with the Tactix until 2017, returning to Melbourne to sign with the Vixens in the SSN.
Her speed, flair and ruthless accuracy was well suited to the league. Kumwenda shot more than 500 goals in both the 2017 and 2018 seasons before injury curtailed her 2019 campaign.
Determined to return better than ever, Kumwenda starred for the Vixens in their 2020 premiership season, going past the 400-goal mark before nailing 47 goals from 50 attempts to win the Grand Final MVP in their two-goal win against the Fever.
Kumwenda stood up for the Vixens whenever they needed her.She had a career best season on the goals front in 2022 when she went past 600 for the season, before backing it up with another prolific campaign in 2023, when she soared past the 500-goal marker.
Despite not being contracted for the 2025 SSN season, Kumwenda is not lost to Victorian netball, signing with Kangaroo Flats.
With more than 100 national league appearances and 3000 SSN goals to her name, she’ll be more than a scary Saturday proposition for the goalkeepers in the Bendigo FNL.
