Injured GIANTS shooter Kiera Austin's replacement has been confirmed, with 19-year-old Matisse Letherbarrow being upgraded to the playing squad as a permanent replacement player.
Austin injured her knee during round one with confirmation this week she’ll miss the entire 2021 season after requiring a knee reconstruction.
Letherbarrow has been a training partner at the club for two seasons and joined the GIANTS in the Queensland hub in 2020, making her Suncorp Super Netball debut in round four.
A long-rage, accurate shooter, Letherbarrow will join fellow young gun Sophie Dwyer and captain Jo Harten as the GIANTS’ dynamic shooting options for the 2021 season.
While incredibly disappointed to lose Austin, GIANTS coach Julie Fitzgerald is excited for Letherbarrow to get her opportunity to highlight the talent coming through the NSW pathways.
“While we’re obviously devastated for Kiera, it does give us another great opportunity to showcase the next generation of NSW athletes at the elite level.
“Matisse has come through the local pathway, alongside Sophie, and at only 19 actually has a lot of experience.
“She has played in the Australian Netball League since she was 16 years old and was selected in the U17 Australian Squad in both 2018 and 2019.
“We’re looking forward to seeing how Matisse continues her impressive development as a full-time member of our squad.”
The GIANTS take on the Collingwood Magpies in round two at 3pm on Saturday to open Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney Olympic Park.
