Matisse Letherbarrow had every reason to return to GIANTS HQ feeling less than prepared for another pre-season, her sixth in the orange and charcoal.
Enjoying some rare, off-season downtime, with no Fast5 commitments this year, Letherbarrow went into the spring break excited to spend time with her partner Jack and ready their home to welcome a new member, puppy Flick.
“I've had a very big off-season,” Letherbarrow says.
"These past couple of months have probably been some of the most special times in my life.
“I haven't really had much of an off-season the past couple of years being in-and-out of Fast5 and things like that. This year was kind of the first year where I got kind of a bit of an extended break.”
The dog, and a trip to the Whitsundays had been in the plans for months, but it was a surprise engagement while the couple were away that caught her off-guard and made the 2025 break one she’ll never forget.
"Getting engaged was so special,” she says.
“My partner, Jack, did such an incredible job and the holiday that we went on, was next level, just to be able to spend that time together.
"It was super fun. We'd already obviously planned to get the dog, when we got home from that holiday.
"So, I just thought that the dog was on the cards, but a ring was too! Our dog Flick is definitely keeping us busy and we love her, but the ring takes the cake!”
Letherbarrow re-entered GIANTS HQ at the start of October, refreshed and ready for a different looking pre-season under new head coach Nerida Stewart and with a bevy of new faces in the squad.
“I’ve come back feeling really good and each week that goes on another person comes in and gets added to the bunch, which has been really exciting,” Letherbarrow says.
“I think everyone's in really good shape. It's definitely very difficult and exhausting.
“But apart from that it's been really exciting with new faces and a new feel.
“For a lot of us, Ned [Stewart] was our first state coach when we were younger, she coached Soph [Sophie Dwyer], Sligy [Amy Sliger], Ez [Erin O’Brien] as well, so I think we're used to her style.
“She’s been so involved and it’s been really cool, we've been doing extra netball sessions before we start more full-time on court and just everything that she's doing has been really exciting and creative - and her netball brain - and how she's already getting us ready to get on court has been really, really incredible.
“She's at every one of our sessions, watching us slog it away on the field and in the gym and just been watching us and encouraging us.
“I think it's just been really special because a lot of us do have that connection with her and to see her already flourish in the head coach role and how supported she is here and how she is with us has bought a fresh feel.”
Letherbarrow herself also takes on a renewed role in 2026, following GIANTS stalwart Jo Harten’s retirement at the end of the 2025 Suncorp Super Netball season.
She features in a new-look line-up of goalers, with Lucy Austin joining the team from the Thunderbirds in the off-season to partner with Letherbarrow and Sophie Dwyer in the goal circle.
“I think I've learnt a lot these past couple of years and I've obviously learnt from the best these as well, but I think it's going to be really, really exciting with all the new people in our team,” she says.
"I’m going into my sixth pre-season, and I think I'm considered one of the oldies now with being one of the people that's being there the longest now, which is very crazy.
“Lucy is incredible and so is Soph, so I think it's going be really cool.
“I think we're going to have a versatile circle. We all bring something so different, but it's also been pretty cool with the connections that we have.
“Soph has played with Luce, in the Diamonds space and in underage camps for Aussies, and I've been really similar. I've done some underage camps with Lucy and I've also been lucky enough to play with her at Fast5, so I think it's really special that we've obviously already all got the connection there.
“Everyone brings such a different thing to the GIANTS and to our game. It's going to be really cool for all of us to be able to showcase that.”
In her first pre-season as head coach, Stewart has placed a particular emphasis on tailoring the groups sessions to expedite the team’s connection and relationship building.
“Our training is completely tailored to really smashing out those connections and getting to know each other as quickly as possible,” Leatherbarrow says.
“Especially us shooters, obviously having already played together, I think it's just exciting that we've already got that foundation. We get to just grow and build on that and I know it's going to be the exact same for the rest of the team as well.”
As a senior player in the team, Leatherbarrow has taken it upon herself to ensure every new player who walks in immediate feels part of the club’s wider family.
“It's been really cool these past couple of weeks, being able to show all the new girls around and show them what the club is about, I'm excited to show off what it means to be a GIANT and what a great club it is,” Leatherbarrow says.
It's something she takes immense pride in and has helped her to quickly tap into a renewed energy as she prepares to take on her seventh Super Netball season as a GIANT.
“I think I'm ready to unlock a new part of my game, push myself, leave no stone unturned.
