GIANTS Name Eleventh Player
The GIANTS are delighted to announce the signing of young gun Monika ‘Otai as the club’s inaugural eleventh player for the upcoming 2025 Suncorp Super Netball season.
Launched last year, the eleventh player is an initiative introduced by Netball Australia which offers SSN clubs the opportunity to sign an additional athlete who can be brought into the match day squad for tactical purposes, not just in the case of injury or illness.
An exciting young shooter who has come through both the GIANTS Academy and Netball New South Wales pathway, ‘Otai’s promotion to the club’s eleventh player comes after a strong 2024 showcasing her talent and promise as a first-time training partner.
Regarded as a star of the future, ‘Otai impressed in the role as a training partner last year after being elevated to the position following starring performances at underage national and international level.
The 19-year-old continues to cement herself as one of the brightest young stars in Australian netball, with the talented teenager a part of last year’s 21/U Australian squad which toured Fiji in preparation for the 2025 Netball World Youth Cup.
‘Otai’s potential was also recognised when she captained Australia to gold in the country’s debut at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Tobago in 2023.
‘Otai was originally selected as a GIANTS training partner for a second straight season in October before the club chose to elevate the exciting teenager to their eleventh player for the upcoming SSN campaign.
GIANTS head coach Julie Fitzgerald said ‘Otai’s promotion was well deserved.
“Mon has shown tremendous growth and development in her time as a training partner over the last year and it’s exciting to reward her hard work and talent with her first Super Netball contract,” she said.
“She is a very exciting young shooter with a lot of promise and it’s fantastic that we can use the eleventh player initiative to add her to our squad for the upcoming season.
“Mon has fit in seamlessly as a training partner and I know that this new role will only further enhance her development which is exciting for her and the club as we know she has a promising future ahead.
“Further adding to her talents on the court is that Mon is also a great young leader and having captained her country before we know she brings great maturity and leadership for such a young player.”
The GIANTS will continue to ramp up their pre-season preparation when they participate in the league’s official pre-season tournament, the Suncorp Team Girls Cup, in Adelaide next weekend.