The GIANTS have named the four players that will round out the club’s extended squad for 2021 as Training Partners.
Clare Iongi, Matisse Letherbarrow, and Latika Tombs will all return, while the GIANTS also welcome Annie Miller as a Training Partner for the upcoming season.
Miller was a part of the GIANTS Netball Academy in 2020 and plays locally for Manly Warringah in the Netball NSW Premier League Competition.
The 19-year-old is a speedy attacking mid-courter, who is ready to take the next step in her netball career, having come through the Netball NSW Pathway.
GIANTS coach Julie Fitzgerald said she was excited to welcome the club’s training partners for 2021.
“It truly is an exciting time for both us and them. It’s their next step in attempt to pursue their dreams of being an elite netballer and, for us, it’s another step in shaping the future of our GIANTS Netball team,” she said.
“I’m really looking forward to watching Annie make the most of the opportunity in this elevated environment. She’s a very athletic and hard-working player who has always had a dominant presence on the court.
“We welcome back Clare, Matisse and Latika, all of whom continued to show a great amount of commitment and improvement given the year that they were dealt in 2020 and missing out on key events like the Australian Netball League and National Netball Championships.”
All four of the GIANTS’ 2021 training partners are in the current squad for the Australian 21U Squad set to compete at the delayed Netball World Youth Cup in 2021.
Clare Iongi
Clare Iongi made the most of her opportunity to train and learn alongside some of the best players in her foundation year as a GIANTS training partner in 2020. The 183cm circle defender is athletic in nature and, with the ability to anticipate the ball’s movement, manages to pick up plenty of ball before it enters the circle.
Matisse Letherbarrow
Matisse Letherbarrow is a long-range, accurate shooter, who is composed and disciplined under pressure. At just 18 years of age, Letherbarrow was one of three training partners who had the privilege of joining an extended 13-player squad in Queensland for the 2020 Suncorp Super Netball season. Relishing every opportunity and learning from her time with the GIANTS, Letherbarrow made her elite netball debut in round four of season 2020.
Annie Miller
Annie Miller has been a solid performer in her age group through her years in the Netball NSW Pathway. The WA/C enhances her game with both speed and endurance and is a dominant option on a centre pass. Miller features in the current 21U World Youth Cup Squad and has had previous national honours with both the 17U Australian Squad and Australian Schoolgirls Squad.
Latika Tombs
2021 will be Latika’s third season as a GIANTS training partner. Tombs is a strong and powerful midcourter, with the ability to play across all three positions – her versality a strength of her game. She has the ability to read space on the court well and is an accurate feed into the goal circle.
