GIANTS co-captain Jo Harten feels she’s better placed than she has been in years to help lead the GIANTS to the ultimate success in the upcoming Suncorp Super Netball season.
One of the most acclaimed players in the competition, Harten enters her eighth year as a GIANT with newfound rejuvenation and focus following her decision to retire from international duty last year.
After a career featuring four World Cups, four Commonwealth Games and 117 caps with the English Roses, Harten stepped away from international duty last April and admits the decision has her ready to attack the upcoming Suncorp Super Netball season with renewed vigour.
“My body is feeling really good for the first time in a long time so I’m just excited to get going,” Harten said.
“Part of the reason I retired from international netball was that I still love the game and I think I still have a lot to give the GIANTS in that domestic space.
“It’s been nice to just have a proper pre-season for the first time in my 15–16-year career…everything certainly becomes a bit more important in GIANTS land.”
Helping keep her refreshed, the 35-year-old star goalie will enter the 2024 campaign with a new partner in crime to help shoulder the load, with star midcourter Jamie-Lee Price joining her as a co-captain for the upcoming season.
Harten says the tweak in leadership provides nothing but positives for the GIANTS as they look to return to finals for the first time since their 2022 preliminary final appearance.
“There’s now two minds in the brains trust in terms of the on-court leadership which I think is really exciting for us.
“I put my heart and soul into being a leader of the club and I think sometimes I let it take over me and so I think having someone to share that responsibly with is a really good step.
“I just want to get back to playing my best netball and I’m hoping our new setup helps that.
“Having Jamie by my side and me by her side is really exciting and she really stood up for us last year so I think I can help her out in sharing the load this year.”
The emergence of young gun Sophie Dwyer also looks set to play a role in Harten’s bid to return to her best following an injury-riddled 2023, with the veteran expecting big things from the 22-year-old as the pair join forces with Matisse Letherbarrow to form a formidable attack.
“It’s really exciting to see how Sophie has approached the pre-season in 2024, “Harten said.
“The way she came back from Diamonds duties you could tell she’s taken a big step up in not just her on-court performance but her leadership qualities and skills as well.
“I think myself, Soph and Matisse understand that the buck stops with us in that shooting circle so we’ve been doing a lot of work in the pre-season to really finish off the team’s good play.
“I’m excited to see what Soph can do this year. She’s kind of stepping out of that youngster bracket and into being an experienced younger player so it’s a really exciting time for her.
“But also, I think she needs to be nurtured still. You don’t want to throw too much weight on her shoulders. She’s only 22 and she’s still got so much to learn so my responsibility is to make her look as good as she can without feeling like the pressure of the world is on her shoulders.”
While she admits the upcoming season is full of unknowns as all eight sides vie for netball supremacy, Harten is bold in her convictions that the GIANTS will be a must-watch this season.
“It’ll be a rollercoaster, “she said of the GIANTS’ upcoming campaign.
“It’ll be exciting and people will be queuing up to jump on the ride - and it’s definitely going to be a ride.
“There’ll be some ups and downs but most people leave rollercoasters with a smile on their face and I’m hoping that’s what we are going to be doing.”
The GIANTS open their 2024 Suncorp Super Netball campaign against the West Coast Fever on Saturday at 5pm at home at Ken Rosewall Arena.
