Yesterday, our Super Netball experts from across the community gave us their predictions for who would be named the Rising Star at the 2021 Australian Netball Awards.
Now it's time for them to turn their attention to one of the biggest awards of the night and see if they can predict the starting 7 for the 2021 Team of the Year.
Cath Cox, Diamond #119 @CathCoxy
GK: Sarah Klau, GD: Sunday Aryang, WD: Amy Parmenter, C: Kim Ravaillion, WA: Maddie Hay,
GA: Helen Housby, GS: Jhaniele Fowler
“I mean you can’t not have Fowler in the goals – she’s Fowler. To pair you’d have to go Helen Housby, and in the wing attack it must be Hay for the exact same reason she’s up there as my Player of the Year (coming tomorrow). Kim Ravaillion in the middle - she was fantastic this season - a super fit mum in the league, and brought a consistent competitive drive week in and out, especially in her ability to direct the team.
Parmenter and Aryang have so much more we can look forward to and the opportunities they’ve had this year, they’ve been amazing and rewarded in the Diamonds squad. Sarah Klau in goal keeper because her and the team must be doing something right to get through and win another grand final - she’s just a beast of an athlete!”
Erin Delahunty, Freelance Journalist @della79
GK: Courtney Bruce, GD: Maddy Turner, WD: Amy Parmenter, C: Kim Ravaillion, WA: Maddie Hay,
GA: Gretel Bueta, GS: Jhaniele Fowler
“With West Coast Fever bookends and a purple heart, my Team of the Year has a distinctly Australian flavour, with shooter Jhaniele Fowler the only import.
Ferocious in the contest and feared by opponents, West Coast Fever captain Courtney Bruce was the best keeper this season, topping the pops for the number of deflections, defensive rebounds and gains. She also finished second for the most intercepts in a controversy-plagued season for her side, often turning games in the second half with her ‘refuse-to-die’ attitude.
It’s not often a specialist wing defence helps guide their side to a grand final with individual brilliance, but that’s pretty much what not-so-giant Giant Amy Parmenter did in 2021, earning her a Diamonds call-up. Parmy pulled in 31 often game-defining intercepts, mixing it with circle defenders with that volume. She also had 71 deflections; the fifth-most in the league and streets ahead of big-name defenders such as Kim Jenner, Jo Weston and Maddy Turner.”
Tommy Casha, Podcast Host: Behind the Bib @tommycasha
GK: Shamera Sterling, GD: Sunday Aryang, WD: Amy Parmenter, C: Kim Ravaillion, WA: Kelsey Browne, GA: Sophie Dwyer, GS: Sam Wallace
“Shamera’s ability to disrupt the majority of goalers shooting routine’s is elite, however Courtney Bruce a very close second.
Amy is someone I would love to play with. Not the tallest or fastest, but she’s always in the contest and her fierce determination is evident. Love it!
And of course, blink and you’ll miss her - Kelsey’s speed and agility puts so much pressure on opposition defensive structures. Kelsey’s creativity with ball in hand is first class.”
Jenny Sinclair, Managing Editor: Netball Scoop @summerhill1003
GK: Shamera Sterling, GD: Jodi-Ann Ward, WD: Amy Parmenter, C: Maddy Proud, WA: Verity Charles, GA: Gretel Bueta, GS: Jhaniele Fowler
“Some exceptional performances across the season made this a difficult team to pick, particularly through the midcourt.
Gretel Bueta took a while to work into the season following her return to court after pregnancy, but her exceptional work rate through court, and presence in the circle made her exceptionally valuable to the Firebirds.
Verity Charles is the key to Fever's success - and massively underrated by fans, but not by other teams. Despite being regularly double teamed throughout the season, particularly on centre pass, she posted some huge numbers. Charles has added to her game, finding a variety of ways to feed the shooting circle in addition to the high ball into Fowler, and works tirelessly in defence.
Centre was a hotly contested position, but I eventually selected Proud over Hadley, Price and Ravaillion. Despite missing several games and being rotated off court, her numbers were extremely good, she was creative in feeding the circle and a steadying presence on court.
Jodi-Ann Ward is my other surprise packet - it's the first time in years that Karla Pretorius hasn't automatically assumed the position of goal defence. April Brandley and Sunday Aryang all had stellar seasons, but Ward's ability to hunt the ball and come up with timely possessions was a game-changer for the Magpies.”
Joshua Wells, Editor: The Netball Post @joshuawells93
GK: Courtney Bruce, GD: Jodi-Ann Ward, WD: Amy Parmenter, C: Kim Ravaillion, WA: Maddie Hay,
GA: Helen Housby, GS: Jhaniele Fowler
“Picking the team of the year was very, very hard. By position, there were so many outstanding candidates across the board.
I have picked Magpies’ defender Jodi-Ann Ward in defence. Her rise to stardom coincided with the Magpies’ tilt at finals. She was third best for deflections, behind Thunderbird Shamera Sterling and Fever’s Courtney Bruce, and fourth for intercepts behind Sterling, Bruce and Swift Sarah Klau.
I also have gone with Giants’ wing defence Amy Parmenter for her impact on every game she played. She’s grown over the last few seasons and this year managed to record 71 deflections – the best of any wing ding in the league. She finished behind a club of circle defenders – Parmy truly roamed and dominated along the transverse.”
Brittany Carter, Journalist: ABC Sport @_BrittanyCarter
GK: Courtney Bruce, GD: Jodi-Ann Ward, WD: Amy Parmenter, C: Paige Hadley, WA: Maddie Hay,
GA: Sophie Dwyer, GS: Sam Wallace
“I’ve picked my team based on a mixture of stats and who I believe was best in each position for the year, not on their potential connections. The wing-defence position was a particularly hard pick because I was torn between Ash Brazill and Amy Parmenter, but Amy played a full game of wing defence almost every game this season and won a lot of ball back with key intercepts. She was also high on the list for total deflections, so to be up there competing with the circle defenders for those stats is impressive.
“I thought hard about the GA role too and although my first instance was to consider Sophie Dwyer who was a stand out, I thought maybe I should double check that pick against the stats. Most of us focused on Dwyer's high super shot tally this year, but she was also one of the highest goal attacks on the list for regular goals. In the majority of the Giants games she split the shooting load evenly with Jo Harten, while most of the other goal attacks focused on feeding into their GS. Knowing this, I believe she deserves to be there purely based on her workload!”
