‘I flourished’: Nelson's netball lifeline

By Matt Fotia 

A year is a long time in netball. 

Just ask Shimona Nelson. 

At the conclusion of the 2023 Suncorp Super Netball season, the Jamaican shooter was confident she would find a home for 2024, despite the folding of her 2023 home, Collingwood. 

Days passed by.  

Then weeks. 

Then months.  

Eventually, all the available contracts were signed, and Nelson was left at the netball crossroads, without a club, training habitually, rather than purposefully.  

“It hurt, to know I wasn’t recognised enough to be given a contract,” Nelson said. 

“I had sleepless nights and was depressed to the point where I was wondering if I was even valued in this competition.  

“Did anyone see me as someone to be a part of their team? 

“I was going to the gym, but there wasn’t any motivation, I just wanted to stay in bed.” 

Fast forward to the present day and Nelson is preparing to attack the pre-season with her Melbourne Mavericks teammates, fresh off winning the club’s inaugural MVP and a new contract. 

“It shows you take what you learn from a bad experience and blossom it into something new,” Nelson explained. 

“I went to the Mavericks and thought to myself, I still get to be in a professional environment, I still get to tick over, I still get to build relationships, I still get to know people, I still get to add to them, and they get to add to me.” 

“Every single day I got in the Mavericks environment, I flourished.” 

Nelson can vividly remember the day she and her Collingwood teammates were told their team would cease to exist. 

The Magpies had been struggling on court, but even the most pessimistic of the players was blindsided by the actions of the famous Victorian sporting club. 

“It was crazy when it happened,” she said.  

“I remember vividly, we were in a team meeting doing some analysis and the CEO came in and sat us down. 

“They weren’t very direct in what they were saying, but when someone asked the question of what was happening, and they told us they wouldn’t be continuing the netball program. 

“We all shat ourselves.” 

The Magpies had to play out a fair chunk of the season, with nothing but personal pride and their own career interests to play for. 

Incredibly the side managed to finish the season with two wins from their last three games, defeating eventual premiers the Adelaide Thunderbirds in Round 12 and finishing their Super Netball story with a win over the finals bound West Coast Fever in Round 14. 

Nelson said the side found motivation from their own personal relationships. 

“We tried to be there for each other,” Nelson said. 

“It was a big pill to swallow, knowing we had to finish the season off, but we did it for each other. 

“We stuck together, we did what we needed to do, we showed up at training, we still kept being positive, we kept being kind to each other and kept looking out for each other.” 

Sometimes life can kick you while your down. 

Still reeling from Collingwood’s decision to hand back its SSN licence, Nelson was then named as reserve in Jamacia world cup squad. 

The kicker?  

She found out on social media. 

“I found out I was a reserve for the World Cup over social media and got told I didn’t seem committed enough,” Nelson stated. 

“Personally, it was very difficult. 

“I took it with a grain of salt and spoke to Latanya (Wilson) who convinced me to come to South Africa and pointed out to me that this was an opportunity to go, ‘how else can I build on Shimona Nelson?’. 

“What else can I bring out and show people?” 

Nelson has shown people a lot during her short career. 

A talented basketballer in her youth, Nelson turned down a handful of opportunities at US colleges to focus on netball, with the latter providing her more immediate earning power, especially given the rules surrounding paying college athletes at the time. 

Instead, the 195cm goaler landed on Australian shores, joining the Adelaide Thunderbirds as a replacement player for Cathrine Tuivaiti. 

She hit the ground running, shooting 37 goals on SSN debut and finished the season with 418 goals under the tutelage of current West Coast Fever coach Dan Ryan. 

Nelson credits Ryan for instilling her with a sense of belief. 

“I have to give Dan a lot of credit. He saw a lot of potential in me and really pushed me every chance he got at training.” Nelson explained. 

“It was amazing to know somebody really believed I could be good at this. 

“After every single week Dan, I would sit and talk about what my goals were for the next game, and I still have the notebook, as a reminder of where I came from and where I am now.” 

Ryan and the Thunderbirds parted ways at the end of the 2018 season, but the Adelaide club offered Nelson a one-year deal. Still in Nelson's corner, Ryan encouraged her to see what else was out there. 

After some searching, Nelson and her management found a two-year deal at Collingwood. 

“I took the opportunity to come to Melbourne and I’ve been here ever since,” Nelson said. 

“I’ve been here for seven years now, and it speaks volumes.” 

Nelson has been one of the competition’s most consistent shooters since her arrival. 

The Jamaican has finished in the top three for goals scored on multiple occasions, but for one reason or another Nelson has rarely been in the netball headlines for her performances on court, despite her longevity and consistency. 

Nelson says people won’t be able to ignore her on court performances for much longer. 

“I don’t know to be honest, it all just comes down to who people like and I feel like I’m not on that spectrum for people,” she said. 

“I’ve been here for seven years and the amount of recognition new players get opposed to me, it hurts. 

“But you know what, there’s going to come a time where they’re not going to be able to brush over my name and I feel like I’ve worked to get into a space where I’m just focused on what I can control. 

“Every single year I’m building, every single year it’s a different Shimona, every single year it’s a different style of play.” 

Back to the netball crossroads. 

With all the SSN contracts signed, Nelson's options were limited. 

Encouraged by her husband, the former Magpie reached out to her netball network to seek some guidance and keep an ear to the ground. 

Soon she was training with VNL side the City West Falcons under the tutelage of respected coach Marg Lind, who, along with the rest of the Falcons squad, managed to reinvigorate Nelson's passion for the game. 

“My husband helped me see who I had in my corner, and I had Kate (Upton), Richo (Nicole Richardson) and Marg,” Nelson explained. 

“I didn’t have a contract, but what could I control?  

“I could control me. 

“I reached out to them (City West), I started to feed off their energy and it got me out of where I was.” 

On the eve of the 2024 season, Nelson was back in the SSN system after being named the Mavericks 11th player and felt right at home alongside her new teammates. 

“I’ve had the experience of what it feels like to have genuine connections, and I feel at the Mavericks, even though it took a little while because we were all learning about each other and seeing where we fit in,” Nelson stated. 

“Most of the girls are from interstate, so they had to settle outside of training, but we were able to find out feet together. 

“Once everyone got on court, worked together and started to realise how much we could challenge and push each other, we started to build genuine connections.” 

After a year of uncertainty, on and off the court, Nelson is confident we will continue to see her star rise. 

“100%. I’m going to keep putting in the work and building those relationships,” Nelson said. 

“I love a good relationship, because they can get you over the line no matter what.”