A lot has happened in the months since the last pass was thrown in the Super Netball grand final in July: a dramatic player movement period, a uniform controversy for the national team and a history-making semi-final loss at the Commonwealth Games.
Now fans can begin the countdown to the new season, which begins on April 10 next year when the Vixens and the Mavericks meet in the opener, after Super Netball revealed the fixture for 2027.
Australian stars Jo Weston and Sophie Dwyer were right in the middle of the netball controversy over the off-season, part of the Diamonds team that failed to make the gold medal match at the Commonwealth Games for the first time.
They were also part of what Weston describes as a “sticky situation” – and what became known in some circles as “Dressgate”.
One of the enduring memories of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games will be the social-media-fuelled outrage over the Diamonds’ dresses appearing to be ill-fitting and riding up during games.
The players weren’t as perturbed about it as many fans, but when new apparel partner Asics came in, the company asked Weston and teammate Jamie-Lee Price to help design the dresses.
“It was such a fun collaboration, especially with Jamie who’s such a fashionista,” Weston said.
“That was a sticky situation and everyone was talking about it, but as an athlete, you were there to represent your country, and Valour [the Games uniform supplier] had done such an amazing job with the uniform, so you are not wanting to be like ‘oh, it doesn’t quite fit as expected’.
“But, if people are talking about netball, then I’m not opposed to that.”
Price took to Instagram recently to playfully “test” the dress in her room to avoid what she called “Dressgate 2.0”. While in Glasgow, Price had made a similar video showing “the dress that was getting more attention than the netball”.
Weston is currently on holiday in a remote Mexican mountain village after choosing to have a proper off-season break.
It means she wasn’t there for the Diamonds’ Constellation Cup campaign opener against New Zealand on Sunday, which Australia lost.
Dwyer, however, was.
“We didn’t buy into the [dress] stuff too much, and I think the girls made all the TikToks and funny dances to get some more eyeballs on netball,” Dwyer, who is sponsored by Asics, said.
“The Asics dress is amazing and I know Jamie has done a little tester and jumped around and all that.”
A new season
Weston has remained at the Vixens, but will be part of a very different team to the one which lost last year’s grand final to the Adelaide Thunderbirds.
The Vixens have turned over half their roster, and they have snared some boom recruits, led by New Zealand internationals Carys Stythe, Amelia Walmsley and Mila Reuelu-Buchanan.
It’s a stark reminder of the controversy that dominated the Super Netball off-season when star Kiwi players moved to Australia en masse due to a financial crisis that left New Zealand’s ANZ Premiership facing an uncertain future following a $3.7 million loss and the lack of a broadcaster.
A rescue plan for the league was later announced, but by then many of the Silver Ferns had been picked up by Super Netball clubs, sometimes at the expense of local players.
Weston said it was good that the Vixens had refreshed, but acknowledged the scale would be a surprise to some.
“People probably didn’t predict how big the change-up would be, with 50 per cent of our team being new,” Weston said.
“It’s an interesting position for me and Kate Moloney, our captain, who have been in the team for a long time, as there is a bit of the unknown until we start training together, but I think it will give us a dimension we might not have had over the previous years. Hopefully, it puts us back in the grand final in 2027.”
Weston admitted it was difficult to see much-loved teammates, including Emily Mannix (retired), Rudi Ellis (NSW Swifts) and Kate Eddy (Melbourne Mavericks), move on.
“There is always going to be change, but some of it was disappointing for me as I’ve played with these girls for a long period of time, and we’ve formed great partnerships on court and amazing friendships off it,” Weston said.
“We will always hold on to those memories, and wish them the best, but it’s going to be weird seeing them in opposition colours next year. Big changes for us.”
Weston noted that Super Netball has featured foreign stars from Jamaica, England, New Zealand, South Africa and even smaller nations, such as Malawi, for years.
“I’m curious to see how it unfolds in the future and whether [NZ players] keep coming, or things will move on. I feel like the latter has always been the case,” Weston said.
“I’m always going to advocate for Australian athletes who are ready to take the step up. I think international athletes make our competition so much more dynamic and offer us an international audience too – it’s about finding the right balance.”
Nine, owner of this masthead, returns as Super Netball’s broadcaster in 2027. It will show the season-opening game between the Vixens and Mavericks live on its main channel to celebrate the start of a five-year deal, under which all Super Netball games will be streamed live and free on 9Now.
A new era
Another big change this season is the rebranding of the Giants, who are now the Sydney Sirens.
Dwyer, a Sydney-raised shooter, spent seven years with the Giants, and is bracing for not only the change of team colours and identity, but many other differences now the team has new owners in Craig Hutchison’s Sports Entertainment Group.
She is certain the rivalry between the Sirens and mainstay NSW Swifts will be fiery from the get-go. The two clubs meet for the first time in round six (May 16) at Ken Rosewall Arena.
Dwyer was in the thick of the semi-final action in Glasgow and had the heartbreak of missing a shot after the siren that could have forced the game into overtime.
“You probably saw on the broadcast there was a lot of tears,” Dwyer said.
“But for me, it did come down to remembering that the Commonwealth Games experience wasn’t just one shot – there was a lot of games and good moments throughout.
“I have high expectations of myself, and it was really disappointing that shot didn’t go in, but I had to remember there was more to my game and my experience than just that shot.”
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