While the GIANTS fell just short of their ultimate aim in season 2022, the season was filled with plenty of promise as the GIANTS appeared in their fourth finals series in six years.
As we returned to what we thought was normality, the GIANTS opened their 2022 campaign securing bragging rights and grand final revenge over cross-town rivals the NSW Swifts.
The word normal went out the window soon after the opening round, with the GIANTS playing round two without six of their contracted squad members due to Covid with Chelsea Pitman, a training partner from West Coast Fever, temporarily joining the team.
After 296 days the GIANTS returned home to Ken Rosewall Arena in round four for a GIANT homecoming.
After some lingering Covid-disruptions and a slight form slump, the GIANTS went on to secure three huge wins including a one-point thriller over the West Coast Fever at home and a record-breaking win over the Lightning on the Sunshine Coast.
In the closest competition yet, every win and every goal were more crucial than ever, but the GIANTS took the challenge in their stride as they approached the second half of the season.
Round nine provided one of the most exciting and talked about games all year, as youngster Matisse Letherbarrow led the shooting circle, shooting nine Super Shots in a half of netball and sending the game into extra time.
With their season on the line, the GIANTS then headed on one of the longest road trips of the season.
First stop was Launceston, where a full-team performance and a game of two halves saw the GIANTS produce a 14-goal turnaround and deal the Magpies their first-ever loss in Tasmania.
Flying far west to Perth, it was a tough game against the Fever, as the eventual premiers were just too strong on home soil.
Finding themselves in another must-win situation to keep their chances of finals alive, the GIANTS went on to win their remaining three regular season games, including a Super Shot shoot out against the Firebirds in round 13, thanks to none other than Jo Harten.
Appearing in their fourth finals campaign in six years, the GIANTS were excited by the opportunity to host the minor semi-final against the Magpies at home at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney Olympic Park.
It was the GIANTS who continued their dominance in the thrilling head-to-head battle, proceeding through to the Preliminary Final.
The Preliminary Final loss proved a learning curve for this young team and will continue to build and shape the resilience and drive for this team for the years to come.
In 2022 the GIANTS continued to drive awareness of the next generation of New South Wales talent, fielding a squad list with nine out of the 10 players from the Netball NSW pathway - a vision that is well supported by the work and development within the GIANTS Netball Academy.
The young homegrown talent continued to shine and develop in the elite environment as we saw Tilly McDonell graduate to a starting seven position and match it with some of the best shooters in the world. Matisse Letherbarrow showed what she was capable of every time she got the chance, while Amy Parmenter continued to make her mark as the best wing defence in the competition.
As Jo Harten said: “The future is big and bright at this club and there is success in the not so distant future”.
2022 Roster:
April Brandley, Sophie Dwyer, Jo Harten MBE (Captain), Maddie Hay, Matisse Letherbarrow, Tily McDonell, Lauren Moore, Amy Parmenter, Jamie-Lee Price, Amy Sligar
Training Partners: Eliza Burton, Jemma Donoghue, Charli Fidler, Ang Frektic, Clare Iongi, Erin O’Brien, Millie Roach, Nat Sligar
Team Staff:
Head Coach: Julie Fitzgerald
Assistant Coach: Jenny O’Keeffe
Operations Manager: Denny Peacock
Physiotherapist: Gemma Vale
Strength and Conditioning: Tom Reddin
Performance Analyst: Kerryn Bruce
Team Doctor: Sophie Armstrong
High Performance Consultant: Tom Patrick
Dietician: Mel Jurgens
2022 Awards Winners
HCF Most Valuable Player: Jo Harten
Players’ Player of the Year: Jo Harten & Amy Parmenter
Members’ Player of the Year: Jo Harten
Club Person of the Year: Kerryn Bruce
Marj Groves AM Scholarship: Emily Moore
2022 Results
|
Round |
Fixture (Home v Away) |
W-L-D |
|
1 |
NSW Swifts 55 def by GIANT Netball 57 |
1-0-0 |
|
2 |
Adelaide Thunderbirds 56 def GIANTS. Netball 43 |
1-1-0 |
|
3 |
Melbourne Vixens 64 def GIANTS Netball 52 |
1-2-0 |
|
4 |
GIANTS Netball 59 def by Queensland Firebirds 72 |
1-3-0 |
|
5 |
GIANTS Netball 76 def Collingwood Magpies 61 |
2-3-0 |
|
6 |
GIANTS Netball 74 def West Coast Fever 73 |
3-3-0 |
|
7 |
Sunshine Coast Lightning 54 def by GIANTS Netball 82 |
4-3-0 |
|
8 |
GIANTS Netball 43 def by NSW Swifts 52 |
4-4-0 |
|
9 |
GIANTS Netball 63 def by Melbourne Vixens 66 |
4-5-0 |
|
10 |
Collingwood Magpies 60 def by GIANTS Netball 69 |
5-5-0 |
|
11 |
West Coast Fever 86 def GIANTS Netball 77 |
5-6-0 |
|
12 |
GIANTS Netball 59 def Adelaide Thunderbirds 50 |
6-6-0 |
|
13 |
Queensland Firebirds 72 def by GIANTS Netball 73 |
7-6-0 |
|
14 |
GIANTS Netball 68 def Sunshine Coast Lightning 65 |
8-6-0 |
|
SF |
GIANTS Netball 55 def Collingwood Magpies 48 |
9-6-0 |
|
PF |
Melbourne Vixens 55 def GIANTS Netball 54 |
9-7-0 |
2022 Suncorp Super Netball Placings
| Team Name | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | % | PTS | |
| 1 | Melbourne Vixens | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 865 | 824 | 104.9 | 48 |
| 2 | West Coast Fever | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 1011 | 925 | 109.3 | 40 |
| 3 | GIANTS Netball | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 895 | 886 | 101 | 32 |
| 4 | Collingwood Magpies | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 880 | 902 | 97.56 | 24 |
| 5 | NSW Swifts | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 816 | 838 | 97.37 | 24 |
| 6 | Queensland Firebirds | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 932 | 928 | 100.4 | 20 |
| 7 | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 724 | 747 | 96.9 | 20 |
| 8 | Sunshine Coast Lightning | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 865 | 938 | 92 | 16 |