By Matt Fotia
The annual Australian Netball Awards are just around the corner and there are plenty of questions to be answered.
Will Shamera Sterling-Humphrey make it two SSN Player of the Year titles in a row, or will a new winner emerge?
Plus, with Courtney Bruce missing a fair chunk of netball the Liz Ellis Diamond is up for grabs. Will Liz Watson re-claim Australian netball’s top gong, or will a new champion be crowned?
Get your head around all the permutations with our Netball Awards Form Guide.
SUNCORP SUPER NETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The SSN POTY race is like most worldwide MVP awards, with a panel of independent judges submitting 3-2-1 votes after each match, and the field for this year’s honour is jampacked.
Here’s are a handful of genuine contenders.
JHANIELE FOWLER-NEMBHARD
It wouldn’t be an SSN article without at least one mention of this netball great. Fowler-Nembhard won five straight POTY’s before her Jamaican teammate Shamera Sterling-Humphrey pinched it off her last season.
Fowler-Nembhard was at her consistent best in 2024, finishing the home and away season ranked first for goals scored (813) and had the best shooting percentage in the competition, outside of Firebirds goaler Ali Miller who shot four goals at 100%.
The Fever champion broadened her horizons a little this season converting 20 super shots and grabbed 42 offensive rebounds to remind the SSN defenders she’s still the boss around here.
The Fever finished the year with 11 wins and with only Aryang and Teague-Neeld pinching votes, Fowler-Nembhard should be around the mark once again in 2024.
SHAMERA STERLING-HUMPHREY
Sterling-Humphrey could be set to start her own SSN POTY dynasty.
The Thunderbirds champion was the number one ranked player for defensive rebounds (36), gains (108), deflections (96) and interceptions (44) this season, helping drive the Thunderbirds to a minor premiership and back-to-back flags.
She started the season red hot as well, banking 21 gains in the opening two rounds.
No one would come away disgruntled if the fan favourite made it back-to-back POTY titles in 2024.
Can Shamera Sterling-Humphrey make it back to back titles?LATANYA WILSON
Just for a change of pace our next contender is also a Jamaican super star.
Wilson took another huge leap in 2024, pushing her case to become the competition’s biggest X-Factor player, causing chaos in both the wing defence and goal defence bibs.
Ranked second behind Sterling-Humphrey for deflections, gains and interceptions, Wilson was rarely beaten this season and was a key factor in Adelaide retaining the SSN crown.
She will have to pinch a lot of votes from her more senior teammate in Sterling-Humphrey but don’t dismiss Wilson’s claims.
GEORGIE HORJUS
Another Thunderbird to consider.
Horjus had a breakout season, owning her new role as the number one attacking threat for her hometown club.
Switching between wing attack and goal attack, Horjus displayed her all round skills, ranking 2nd for pickups (28), 5th for centre pass receives (248) and second phase receives (152).
While she finished 7th for total feeds (392) her brilliance was the conversion of those chances into goals, with Horjus ranked 3rd for both feeds with an attempt (280) and goal assists (230).
Given the credentials of her Sunshine Girl teammates mentioned above, it is a tough ask for Horjus to take the crown, but she has had a stellar season.
KIERA AUSTIN
The complete goal attack, Austin had another amazing season in Vixens colours combining well with new shooting partner Sophie Garbin as the Vixens challenged for the Premiership.
Austin features on all parts of the stats sheet, lauded for her defensive efforts, just as much as she is celebrated for her prowess in attack, nabbing 11 intercepts, 22 deflections and 18 gains to go with her 192 assists, 55 super shots and 348 total points in 2024.
The former GIANT had some big three vote performances in 2024, none more so than her round nine performance against the Mavericks, where she shot 100% from super shot range, had 21 assists, 4 deflections and 2 gains as the Vixens romped to victory.
KATE MOLONEY
Moloney took her game to the next level in 2024 leading her Vixens side to within inches of a famous Grand Final victory.
Impressively Moloney stepped up her attacking output this season in lieu of Liz Watson who moved north to join the Lightning. The Vixen’s leader finished the home and away season with 431 feeds and 200 assists, all while maintaining her relentless work rate, leading the league in pickups (31).
The all-energy mid courter had some huge individual performances, pushing past the 100 Nissan Net Point mark on six occasions this season. Interestingly, the Vixens won five of those six games.
Combine Moloney’s increased offensive output with her enormous on court presence and you could have a POTY contender staring you right in the face.
Kate Moloney stepped up in 2024 for the Vixens.LIZ WATSON
New home, same Liz.
642 feeds, 365 assists and 371 centre pass receives. Watson was at her extremely consistent best in 2024, topping a handful of charts in her first season as a Lightning player.
As is her want, Watson had some huge individual games and failed to go past the 40-feed mark on just three occasions this season.
The fact the Lightning won just six home and away games in 2024 will make it hard for the Diamonds skipper to add another trophy to her cabinet though.
LIZ ELLIS DIAMOND
The highest individual honour in Australian Netball, the Liz Ellis Diamond considers a player’s performance both for the Diamonds and in the Suncorp Super Netball League.
Here’s who we think might be in the mix.
JAMIE-LEE PRICE
Price was one of the Diamonds best performers during their shock Constellation Cup loss to New Zealand, playing the most minutes by an Australian during the four-match series, and has entrenched herself as the Diamonds first choice wing defence.
While the GIANTS disappointing season would make it hard for Price to poll enough votes to challenge for the SSN POTY, her numbers don’t do her chances of taking out the Liz Ellis Diamond any harm.
Price ranked 3rd for total feeds this season and was 5th for both goal assists and total Nissan Net Points. She led her young GIANTS side with great consistency, going without at least one intercept, deflection or gain just once in 2024.
Jamie-Lee Price was a consistent performer for the Diamonds in 2024.SUNDAY ARYANG
Aryang finished the Spring is strong fashion, producing an eye-catching performance at John Cain Arena in the Diamonds only win of the Con Cup, backing up her impressive performances against the England Roses.
She played 158 of a possible 180 minutes against the Roses and finished the series with seven gains after playing limited minutes in January’s Nations Cup.
On the Fever front, Aryang stepped up as a leader for the green machine following Courtney Bruce’s departure.
She ranked 4th for intercepts and 9th for gains despite being used in wing defence a lot by Dan Ryan and remained one of the Fever’s most threatening players.
LIZ WATSON
Even though Liz wasn’t quite herself this international season, she was still prolific.
She was crucial to Australia’s Nations Cup win earlier in the year and led the way for feeds during the home test matches.
Add in her exceptional SSN numbers and her chances of adding another Liz Ellis Diamond to her ever-growing CV are looking pretty good.
KIERA AUSTIN
We’ve already been through Austin’s impressive output as a Vixen in 2024, but her time in the Diamonds dress was just as impressive.
She shared the goal attack bib with Sophie Dwyer in the UK to start the year but was the obvious first choice for the home test matches against England and for the Constellation Cup.
She dominated against the Roses and finished the Con Cup in strong fashion. Don’t be surprised if she takes out the Liz Ellis Diamond.
SOPHIE GARBIN
There’s no doubt Garbin had an impressive 2024.
She stood tall in the Nations Cup to start the year with 31 goals from 32 attempts in the final against England before hitting the ground running with her new domestic side the Vixens, finishing the home and away season ranked third for total points.
She thrived in partnership with Kiera Austin and carried that form into the Diamonds series with England where she emerged as the first-choice Australian goal shooter going forward and should certainly be in the discussion.
