The players set to shape finals

By Sophie Taylor and Matt Fotia 

Finals series are defined by big moments and big players.  

Across history, successful sides have had players who stand up when those big moments come along. 

They make it their mission to push not only themselves but their teammates towards ultimate glory. 

Here are four players we think will own those moments this time around. 
 

LATANYA WILSON 

Seeing her name on a team sheet should send shivers down the spine of an opposition team. 

Ball-winner. 

Elusive. 

Just a few words which describe Wilson on a netball court. 

The 24-year-old is one of the best players in the league credit to her work rate and winning attitude. 

And while the Thunderbirds were a little bit out of sorts when Shamera Sterling-Humphrey stepped away from the game with pregnancy earlier this season, Wilson was well and truly able to step up. 

Widely touted the best defender in the league, Wilson has been a shining light for the Thunderbirds throughout a tumultuous season. 

Her explosiveness is second to none, able to read the play with ease to have a high impact on the contest. 

Wilson notched up a whopping 95 deflections and 40 intercepts during the home and away season.  

That’s 6.7 deflections and 2.8 intercepts per match. 

The next closest for either stat was Sarah Klau (68 and 23, respectively). 

Scary stuff. 

While her combination with Sterling-Humphrey has always been a highlight, it has been refreshing and exciting to see her connection with Matilda Garrett hit a new level this year. 

Where Sterling-Humphrey’s ball-winning ability unsettled teams and allowed Wilson to find turnover ball, Garrett’s lock-down game and consistency has enabled Wilson to build on that even more. 

Which shouldn’t even be possible. 

And if one thing is for sure, it’s that Wilson is a big game player.  

So buckle up. 

JHANIELE FOWLER-NEMBHARD 

Everyone knows her name. And for a good reason. 

Even with two less games to her name this season than other players on this list, Fowler-Nembhard has sent a dangerous reminder of why she is the best goal shooter in the world. 

She overcame personal tragedy to make her netball return in Round 3 and did not skip a beat on her way to another outstanding year for the Fever. 

Notably, the side has not lost a match since she returned to the court. 

And with 724 goals to her name, leading the league for an eighth-straight season, Fowler-Nembhard is the player the opposition will need to stop. 

What makes Fowler-Nembhard so dangerous is the way she goes about her game: clean and composed. 

She is the Fever’s calming presence when the going gets tough, but also their electric excitement machine when her confidence is up. 

And her confidence is always up. 

Impressively, her accuracy is also always up. 

She shot at 97 per cent for the season, up from her 96 per cent accuracy in 2024. 

From taking charge during one-point time to shooting from range to produce the buzzer beater of dreams, her consistency and relentlessness make her the perfect player for finals netball. 

She is a force to be reckoned with and will make finals hell for all involved. 

KATE MOLONEY 

If the Melbourne Vixens are to pull off an unlikely premiership in 2025, it will be due in no small part to the leadership of captain Kate Moloney. 

Moloney, who has been with the Vixens since 2013, is arguably the best captain in the competition. Her passion for the game, and her club is unrivalled, her on-court presence is second to none and her general will to win is something to be marvelled at. 

A Vixens icon, Moloney combines these leadership qualities with a gluttony of big game experience, having featured in four national league grand finals as well as representing her country on the biggest of stages at the Netball World Cup and Commonwealth Games. 

Moloney is much more than an on-court general of course. In 2025 she has been at the peak of her powers, playing a key role in the Vixens second half surge up the ladder. 

A picture of consistency she leads the competition for pick-ups, is fourth in the league for second phase receives, sits in the top 10 (ninth) for feeds into the circle and barely misses a minute on court. 

Some players are best known for their X-Factor. Their ability to turn a game on its head at a moment’s notice. 

But not Kate Moloney. She changes a game bit-by-bit, moment-by-moment. 

She won’t stop running until the bitter end and that’s exactly what her side needs if they’re to complete the ultimate netball fairytale. 

HELEN HOUSBY 

It says a lot about how good of a netballer Helen Housby is that the general public and media alike have been slightly underwhelmed with her output in 2025. 

Her standards have reached such heights; we now expect perfection from one of the finest goalers of this generation. 

Rest assured there isn’t a defender left in the finals race who isn’t threatened by the presence of Helen Housby this post-season. 

Yes, Housby’s one-point game has diminished this season as the Swifts have changed their game plan to best utilise Grace Nweke, but the England spearhead has still been one of the most influential players in the competition this season, despite her modified role. 

She sits third in the competition for assists with 271, fourth for feeds with an attempt (292), fifth for centre pass receives (258) and seventh for net points (1059), all while retaining her status as the undisputed super shot queen, having netted 60 two pointers in 2025. 

Housby loves the big occasion more than any other player in the sport. 

The swagger. 

The hair whip. 

The far-away stare. 

She was made for centre stage. 

In 2023 Housby went to another level in the finals, all but dragging the Swifts over the line in one of the more thrilling finals campaigns in recent memory. 

In 2025 she’ll be hellbent on going one better.