Picking this year’s Suncorp Super Netball Player of the Year award is going to be tough.
We’ve had three shooters score over 600-goals, two defenders put up over 60-interceptions, a goal attack shoot almost 400-goals at 96% accuracy and a wing attack rack up an outrageous 430-goal assists. Let’s spare a moment for the team tasked with making that decision…
Although we could sit here all day naming players who could be named MVP, here’s six that we think could really mount a serious case.
Karla Pretorius – Sunshine Coast Lightning
Since joining the Sunshine Coast Lightning in 2017, Karla Pretorius has been the best goal defence, if not defender in general, in the league. And the 2019 season was arguably her best campaign yet.
Together with fellow South African international Phumza Maweni playing behind her at goal keeper, the Sunshine Coast had the second lowest goals against total and Pretorius was able to reel in 63-interceptions during the regular season.
Could Pretorius be the second defender to be named league MVP after Geva Mentor’s win in 2017?
Liz Watson – Melbourne Vixens
Vixens young gun Liz Watson backed up her huge 2018 season, which saw her named in her second Suncorp Super Netball Team of the Year, awarded a second straight Sharelle McMahon Medal and named the Liz Ellis Diamond, with another monster season.
Her 430-assists and 573-feeds both led the league by over than 100 and only the Lightning’s Laura Scherian could top her 375-centre pass receives.
Those outrageous numbers are surely enough to secure her first league MVP…. Right?
Jhaniele Fowler – West Coast Fever
The reigning league MVP was at it again in 2019, following up her gigantic 2018 performance, where she scored a mind blowing 783-goals in 16 games, with yet another impressive season.
Check out these stats: 709-goals from 753-attempts at 94% accuracy (league high), an average of 51-goals per game (league high), 44-rebounds and 1112 Nissan Net Points.
Say what you will about Jhaniele Fowler’s play style, those are some MVP level stats. Could she go back-to-back?
Ash Brazill – Collingwood Magpies
I think most people would agree that the move to switch Ash Brazill from wing defence to centre in the late stages of the season immediately transformed the Magpies into a legitimate Grand Final contender.
Whether she’s shutting down some of the most devastating wing attacks in the league or feeding the ball into her shooters at the centre position, few players control the flow of a game better than Brazill.
Is she this year’s darkhorse?
Shamera Sterling – Adelaide Thunderbirds
Question – Which first year player led the league in defensive rebounds with 35, deflections with 120, deflections resulting in gains with 23, interceptions with 68 and Nissan Net Points with 1,282?
Answer – Shamera Sterling.
She’s the most exciting player in the league. Is she the 2019 MVP as well?
Gretel Tippett – Queensland Firebirds
While injuries and sub-par performances held the Firebirds to just one win in the 2019 season, there was one constant for the Queensland fans to cheer for at Nissan Arena – Gretel Tippett.
Tippett’s athleticism and height has always made her a handful for opposition defenders to shut down, but she took her game to a whole new level in 2019. Her improved shooting accuracy, creative passing and ability to rack up centre pass receives has turned her into the best goal attack in the league.
Were her 394-goals at 96% accuracy, 130-goal assists and 325-centre pass receives enough to overcome her team’s worst performance in over a decade?
