Two big winners as puzzling move puts Diamond in spotlight — SSN Signing Period Report Card

The final squads are in for Super Netball season 2026, and there were some big moves made and plenty of surprises.

But which team fared best?

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We take a look with our club-by-club off-season report card:

ADELAIDE THUNDERBIRDS

IN: Elmere van der Berg (Manchester Thunder), Sophie Casey (promoted), Kate Heffernan (Southern Steel)

Arguably the most impressive recruiters of this Super Netball off-season, the Adelaide Thunderbirds managed to bolster their squad – despite two big retirements and a massive exit from a rising star. When Lucy Austin turned her back on a new deal only days after Romelda Aiken-George retired, there were plenty of questions over Adelaide’s attack end. But they’ve gone out and done what plenty of others wished they could do – signed rising talent Elmere van der Berg who is already likened to Aussie great Gretel Bueta and comes heavily endorsed by master coach Norma Plummer. The Thunderbirds will regain the world’s best defender in Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, after she missed most of 2025 through her pregnancy. Silver Fern Kate Heffernan takes on the defensive midcourt position made vacant by retired skipper Hannah Petty, while young South Australian Sophie Casey has been named for her first full-time deal as the club managed to balance their import vs. local talent ratio. Casey will add flexibility to a side that already has the likes of Tayla Williams and Georgie Horjus through the middle. Should van der Berg fire, the Thunderbirds loom as the most damaging opponent in 2026.

GRADE: A+

GIANTS NETBALL

IN: Lucy Austin (Thunderbirds), Casey Adamson (VNL), Jane Watson (Tactix), Whitney Souness (Pulse)

OUT: Jo Harten (retired), Jamie-Lee Price (Mavericks), Gina Crampton (released), Maddy Hay (released)

The Giants could have fallen in a heap after losing the last of their inaugural players (Jo Harten who retired and Jamie-Lee Price who departed with a year still to run on her contract to reunite with her AFL partner in Melbourne). With superstar replacement Casey Kopua confirming she wasn’t coming back, the Giants had a lot of work to do – and no coach to do it with. But in the three-week signing period, the club got to work and built an impressive squad. Silver Fern Jane Watson will lead the young defensive end, carrying on the good work Kopua started with rising Aussie Erin O’Brien, while Jodi-Ann Ward continues her recovery from an ACL. Whitney Souness’ arrival FINALLY addresses the Giants biggest issue of the past two seasons – the lack of stability at WA. And court-starved two-time premiership winner Lucy Austin arrives to fill the big shoes of Harten. While that attack end line up could be a sore point for the Giants – given Austin has barely played in the past two seasons and Matisse Letherbarrow has rarely been used at goal attack, there’s youth and promise there, and sometimes that’s all it takes. If Sophie Dwyer can return to her best, the Giants can finally climb out of the bottom half of the table.

GRADE: B

MELBOURNE MAVERICKS

IN: Reilley Batcheldor (Lightning), Jamie-Lee Price (Giants), Tara Hinchliffe (Lightning), Jessie Grenvold (promoted from 11th player), Uneeq Palavi (promoted from training partner/TRP), Sacha McDonald (promoted from Reserves)

OUT: Eleanor Cardwell (Manchester Thunder), Liv Lewis (AFLW), Sasha Glasgow (Fever), Tayla Fraser (Swifts), Lauren Parkinson, Maisie Nankivell

The biggest movers of the Super Netball off-contract period – the Melbourne Mavericks retained only FOUR players from their 2025 team that failed to reach finals. That alone is an insane stat given the club is also still searching for a coach. The signing frenzy makes the Mavs one of the hardest teams to read going into 2026 – but that’s also exciting for fans. Jamie-Lee Price will reunite with former Giants teammate and Mavs skipper Amy Parmenter in a daunting midcourt. Uneeq Palavi has done enough to finally earn a well-deserved first Super Netball deal, as has defender Jessie Grenvold. The Reilley Batcheldor move is a big one for the young Queenslander who has been left starved of court time at the Lightning. Batcheldor has shown enough as both a goal shooter and goal attack to belong in this league – but will her talents be put to best use by the Mavs? Batcheldor hasn’t fed to the likes of a Shimona Jok before so partnership will need to build from scratch – the same applies for Batcheldor-Palavi. Tara Hinchliffe is a great pick up – but the Mavs still look undersized defensively without that 190cm-plus player who can take on the biggest goalers in the league. It was an issue with the Kim Brown-Liv Lewis partnership, and appears to be an issue again. Props for promoting to the final squad Sacha McDonald at a time where rivals are targeting internationals. But their depth in wing attack is set to be tested with McDonald and Molly Jovic appearing their likely options.

GRADE: B-

MELBOURNE VIXENS

IN: –

OUT: –

Why mess with success? The reigning premiers will be the only unchanged Super Netball squad heading into 2026 – and remain the only squad without an international. It’s a massive call to make when the import signatures were flying around, but the Vixens have stayed true to Aussie talent. Emily Mannix has confirmed she will return from maternity leave, leaving young Maggie Caris – who was Mannix’s permanent replacement player for 2025 – to slide out of the contracted team. The fact the Vixens were able to retain all 10 players is a remarkable feat given rivals are always circling where there’s success. Despite the loss of coach Simone McKinnis, the squad has committed to playing together for another season – giving the team the best chance to go back-to-back in 2026.

GRADE: A-

NSW SWIFTS

IN: Tayla Fraser (Mavericks), Grace Whyte (promoted from 11th player)

OUT: Sophie Fawns (Manchester Thunder), Verity Simmons, Allie Smith

*Paige Hadley will be on maternity leave in 2026

There’s some big questions surrounding the NSW Swifts – and none bigger than what is their Plan B in attack? By late season, their Grace Nweke-Helen Housby combo looked tired – and now they’ve lost long-bomb specialist Sophie Fawns. That’s a lot of pressure to go onto young Grace Whyte who nabbed her first full-time contract this off-season. But we have seen a WA/GA specialist being the difference (think two-time premiership winner and reigning Super Netball MVP Georgie Horjus) – the question is … is Whyte capable of reaching that mark, and quickly? Defensively the Swifts have done well to hang onto their core four of Sarah Klau, Maddy Turner, Teigan O’Shannassy and Sharni Lambden. That quartet, when fit, have proved formidable. But through the midcourt, the Swifts appear vulnerable in 2026 with Paige Hadley to head on maternity leave and Maddy Proud returning from hers. With no professional netball under her belt in 2025, how Proud returns will be crucial to the Swifts charge, given they’ve farewelled both Verity Simmons (Proud’s replacement last season) and Allie Smith. Tayla Fraser returns to the club after two seasons at the Mavericks where she failed to cement a starting spot.

GRADE: C-

QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS

IN: Kelly Jackson (Pulse), Maddy Gordon (Pulse), Te Paea Selby Rickit (Tactix)

OUT: Ashlee Barnett, Hulita Veve, Tippah Dwan (all omitted)

The Queensland Firebirds and coach Kiri Wills have been arguably the most impressive head hunters this Super Netball off-season. They identified their weaknesses in a wooden spoon campaign – and went out and found solutions for next season. In 2025, the Firebirds fielded an inexperienced defensive end that conceded the second-most goals in Super Netball. Result? Securing the signature of arguably the second best goal keeper in the world in Silver Fern Kelly Jackson. And Jackson wasn’t the only Wills targeted – recruiting midcourter Maddy Gordon to shore up the centre and Te Paea Selby-Rickit in an attack end that lacked a Plan B. Already with Ugandan powerhouse Mary Cholhok at goal shooter, and England Rose Imogen Allison as the defensive midcourter, the Firebirds now have half their team taken up by imports. And yes, some critics will hate that stat – but Super Netball has no import cap, and as a result the Firebirds have gone out and recruited the best in the business, hoping it will pay off with just their second-ever Super Netball finals campaign – and their first since 2018. Do rising Aussie netballers fighting for a spot in Super Netball have to like it? No, but this competition markets itself as the best of the best – and that’s what the Firebirds have sold to their players. Now we wait to see if Wills can get this team to gel.

GRADE: A+

SUNSHINE COAST LIGHTNING

IN: Donnell Wallam (NZ), Karin Burger (NZ), Gabby Sinclair (UK)

OUT: Reilley Batcheldor (Mavericks), Tara Hinchliffe (Mavericks), Kristiana Manu’a (retired), Steph Fretwell (retired)

The Lightning were a puzzling club this off-season, with their attack end now placed firmly in the spotlight. The decision to recruit goal shooter Donnell Wallam, who was controversially dropped to training partner status at the Diamonds for the upcoming internationals, appeared to allow veteran Steph Wood to go round another season. But when Wood later announced her retirement – after initially saying she’d wait to see if a spot would be open – the Lightning appear limited in their goal attack options. New recruit Gabby Sinclair will have to shoulder a lot of pressure at her fifth club in five years, and we’ll likely see more of Cara Koenen out at goal attack as a result. But is this Koenen at GA move recommended by Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich ahead of a massive Commonwealth Games/Netball World Cup period? You’d hope so, otherwise it’s a wasted opportunity for Koenen to cement herself as Australia’s starting goal shooter, given Wallam won’t be played out at GA. The addition of Karin Burger sounds great on paper – but the Lightning were already defensively sound. Coach Belinda Reynolds will have the same headache of four doesn’t go into three – already with Ash Ervin, Courtney Bruce and Mahalia Cassidy as the back three after the departure of Tara Hinchliffe. It’ll be interesting to see where Burger is used, and whether her game style compliments the likes of Bruce.

GRADE: C-

WEST COAST FEVER

IN: Sasha Glasgow (Mavericks)

OUT: Shanice Beckford

The 2025 grand finalists knew where the change had to be made – despite recording the most dominant season in Super Netball history. The Fever needed someone to step up in supershot time, so the “really tough” call came to part ways with Jamaican international Shanice Beckford and return to a tried and trusted answer: Sasha Glasgow. The Fever’s only grand final MVP winner will return to the green dress after two seasons at the Melbourne Mavericks where an horrific injury has left many questioning if she can return to those performance highs. But Glasgow has the added motivation of a potential Commonwealth Games appearance in her sights. The decision to re-sign young Ruth Aryang as she makes her way back from the achilles injury that ruined her 2025 campaign is a big call, leaving midcourter Zoe Cransberg the likely 11th player for 2026. West Aussie defender Caitlyn Brown also missed out on a contract as Fran Williams and Kadie-Ann Dehaney both opted to stay.

GRADE: C