Interstate rivalries happen every week in Suncorp Super Netball, of course, but we thought it’d be interesting to pit New South Wales’ best players against their northern neighbours in a state v state battle.
We’ve picked New South Wales and Queensland teams based on players’ form over the first six rounds of the Super Netball season, with their state determined by the suburb in which they were born, rather than where they currently play, or where they grew up. Yes, this differs from the NRL’s State of Origin selection policy, which bases eligibility on where players first played representative rugby, but hey, we make the rules!
Without further ado, here are your Suncorp Super Netball State of Origin teams.
NEW SOUTH WALES
GS: Kristina Brice
Born: Baulkham Hills
Brice is yet to wrest the Giants’ goal shooter bib from Jo Harten, but the young tall has delivered almost every time she’s been called upon this season. With international shooters dominating the goal shooter position across six of the eight teams, there has been little opportunity for Aussie-born talls, but with 93 goals from 103 Brice’s star burns brighter by the week, and she’s been a game-changer in two of the Giants’ wins.
GA: Susan Pettitt
Born: Canberra
At 34 years old, Pettitt just keeps on keeping on. Her partnership with Jo Harten remains one of the most formidable in the league, and her 105 goals this season have been complemented by 42 goal assists. Pettitt’s versatility remains a major strength – she’s worn both the GA and GS bib already this season, and was swung into wing attack during the Giants’ 2017 finals run.
WA: Kim Green
Born: Sydney
There’s no shortage of competition for the NSW wing attack bib, with West Coast Fever’s Verity Charles and Commonwealth Games gold medal winner Chelsea Pitman both staking claims for it. But it’s hard to go past Kim Green, who’s comeback from an ACL injury has been nothing short of inspiring. The veteran is second only to Melbourne Vixen Liz Watson for goal assists, with 156 already this season, and her leadership in the Giants’ attack end is a major factor in why the team currently occupies second position on the ladder.
C: Paige Hadley
Born: Sydney
Grabbing the starting centre role ahead of Strathfield-born Australian Diamond Kim Ravaillion, Paige Hadley has spent time in all three midcourt positions in the first six rounds, and while the majority has been in wing attack, she’s traditionally been a centre and continues to be solid through the middle. The young Swifts have been a surprise packet so far in 2018, with their four wins already eclipsing their tally of three wins for the entire 2017 season, and Hadley has been a significant factor in that turnaround.
WD: Ash Brazill
Born: Campbelltown
What?! Ash Brazill over Diamonds vice-captain Gabi Simpson?? Before you tear strips off us, let’s consider a few things. Statistics aren’t everything, of course, but Brazill tops Simpson in intercepts (17 v 10), deflections (17 v 15) and centre pass receives (54 v 44). You could argue that Simpson’s shutdown work often prevents her opponent from being targeted for passes in the first place, but it’s hard to argue against Brazill’s pure impact for the Magpies. Consider that Brazill has more intercepts than her teammates and circle defenders Sharni Layton and April Brandley, and her body of work this season is pulled sharply into focus. Brazill has also lacked the kind of support that Simpson has enjoyed from Laura Geitz and Tara Hinchcliffe, and has often played a lone hand in a defence end that has conceded more goals than all teams other than the Adelaide Thunderbirds.
GD: April Brandley
Born: Nowra
It’s been a tough start to the season for Brandley, with the defender missing the Magpies’ Round 5 game against the Swifts with a concussion, and her team continuing to battle to click on court. There are surprisingly few options for New South Wales-born goal defences in Super Netball at the moment, but Brandley remains a key part of the Australian Diamonds squad and earns the call-up here.
GK: Sam Poolman
Born: Newcastle
After years of warming the bench at the Thunderbirds, Poolman has been a rock in defence since being picked up by the Giants. Her partnership with Bec Bulley continues to give opposition teams major headaches, with the Giants conceding the fewest number of goals of any team in the first six rounds. With 16 deflections and 10 intercepts, Poolman gets the nod at goal keeper.
QUEENSLAND
GS: Gretel Tippett
Born: Gold Coast
Again, the lack of Aussie-born goal shooters is a factor here, but at 192cm, Gretel Tippett certainly has the height to play at shooter for Queensland in State of Origin. The unpredictable star could be the team’s wildcard, too, and her form so far this season has been a critical cog in the Firebirds’ solid start. As a shooter she might have to put up a higher volume of shots than she’s accustomed to, but her 108 goals this season have come at almost 89% accuracy, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
GA: Steph Wood
Born: Townsville
Creative, quick and accurate, Steph Wood would be the starting goal attack in many people’s preferred Diamonds team, and her form in 2018 lends weight to that praise. While she only has 99 goals against her name, when you’ve got Caitlin Bassett under the post, goalscoring only tells part of the story. Her 114 goal assists is more than all bar four players in the entire competition, and she ranks behind only Madi Robinson for centre pass receives, with 129.
WA: Laura Scherian
Born: Gisborne
Technically she was born interstate, but Laura Scherian has been a Queenslander for a long time, so we’re reserving the right to bend the rules a little here. Scherian has also played almost exclusively in centre this season, with Kelsey Browne occupying wing attack, but with few other Queensland wing attacks out there, we’ll switch Scherian back to where she played much of her netball last season.
C: Mahalia Cassidy
Born: Redcliffe
Cassidy missed out on the Firebirds’ 2017 campaign after injuring her knee in the preseason, but she’s bounced back in style this year and has formed a formidable frontcourt combination with Caitlin Nevins and Gretel Tippett.
WD: Maddy McAuliffe
Born: Townsville
The biggest beneficiary of Laura Langman’s exit, McAulliffe has made the Lightning’s wing defence bib her own this season. Her 17 deflections rank her right up there alongside the best defensive midcourters in the competition, and remember, it’s McAuliffe and Laura Scherian who are doing a power of work out the front to allow Geva Mentor and Karla Pretorius to do what they do.
GD: Tara Hinchliffe
Born: Brisbane
A training partner last season, Hinchliffe is a star on the rise. Having only just turned 20, the Brisbane product has had a major impact for the Firebirds in her debut season, leading her team with 14 intercepts and sitting sixth in the league in that category. And you know she’s a big game player, with arguably her best performance of the season coming in the Firebirds’ big win over the seemingly unbeatable West Coast Fever, when she had five intercepts.
GK: Laura Geitz
Born: Ipswich
No surprises here. Geitz would almost certainly captain any Queensland State of Origin side, and her return to the court for the Firebirds this season has been the catalyst for their rapid improvement on 2017. The Diamonds veteran has had 25 deflections and 12 intercepts already this season, and was the lynchpin of the Firebirds’ Round 5 upset of the West Coast Fever, but most importantly it’s the leadership she brings to the team that solidifies her Origin claims.
