The Collingwood Magpies 2022 squad has been locked in, with eight of the ten 2021 squad members re-signing for the up-coming season.
The news comes after the club announced that former NSW Swifts shooter Sophie Garbin and former Magpies training partner Maggie Lind had signed contracts to play for the side.
Geva Mentor, Ash Brazill, Kelsey Browne, Jodi-Ann Ward, Shimona Nelson and Molly Jovic have today all penned two-year contracts which will see them remain Magpies until the end of 2023. Gabrielle Sinclair and Jacqui Newton have both signed one-year deals.
In her third season as captain, Mentor joined the prestigious 200 games club and featured in all but one game in 2021. The Magpies’ dual best and fairest winner will gear up for her 15th season in Australian netball next year.
Following a year on the sidelines with a knee injury, Brazill returned in 2021 playing all but one match and registering 54 turnovers.
Mentor, an English Rose and Brazill, an Australian Diamond, are currently training with their respective squad ahead of October’s international series in Perth.
As the Pies’ 2021 best and fairest, Ward finished in the league’s top five for interceptions (34), deflections (83) and gains (71), contributing to her selection on the Nissan Net Points Team of the Year (718 points).
Returning from a knee injury, Browne was a consistent contributor to Collingwood’s midcourt in 2021 recording the third most centre pass receives in the league (267) which saw her awarded the club’s runner-up best and fairest alongside Jamaican shooter, Shimona Nelson.
2021 was Nelson’s breakout season with the 22-year-old scoring the second most goals in the league (614) at 94 percent efficiency.
Jovic continued to impress with 265 feeds and 167 assists which saw her round out the Pies’ top five in the best and fairest count.
As the Pies’ go-to goal-attack, Sinclair recorded 28 super shots this season as well as 245 feeds.
Newton, who joined the club this season, contributed 21 deflections across nine appearances in the Pies’ defensive end and had a breakout game in round two with six rebounds and deflections respectively.
The long term commitment of Mentor, Brazill, Ward, Browne, Nelson, Jovic and Garbin reflects that of Collingwood head coach Nicole Richardson who has also recently extended her contract with the club for another two seasons.
“We are delighted to have finalised our squad for 2022,” said Collingwood head coach Nicole Richardson.
“Each player has played a key role in establishing a solid foundation for this club and their signatures today not only provide great stability, but also demonstrates their commitment and belief in our program.
“With multiple players committing for two years, we are pleased to secure the future of our club and they will all play crucial roles in ensuring we are best positioned to achieve success in 2022 and beyond.”
To make way for the incoming Garbin and Lind, Collingwood has informed defensive midcourter Melissa Bragg and goaler Kalifa McCollin that they will not be offered contracts for the 2022 season.
Bragg first signed with the Pies as a training partner in 2018 and made her Super Netball debut in round five that same year. Elevated to the club’s senior list in 2020, she made 27 appearances in the black and white. The 26-ye
Joining the Pies in 2021, McCollin made her debut in round one and was called upon on seven occasion this season shooting a total of 31 goals.
“We would like to thank both Mel and Kalifa for their contributions to our program,” Richardson said.
“We’ve been lucky to have Mel with us for the last four years and even though we’ve had a short time with Kalifa, they’ve both been valuable members of our team and we wish them all the best for the future.”
