GIANTS Netball have travelled to Queensland with a squad of 13 for the first phase of the 2020 Suncorp Super Netball Season.
Following the announcement earlier today that former Diamond and Magpie April Brandley has joined the GIANTS, young training partners Claire O’Brien, Sophie Dwyer and Matisse Letherbarrow round out the squad of 13.
READ MORE: Orange is the New Black & White for Super Mum April Brandley.
Suncorp Super Netball announced on Tuesday this week that the number of players permitted to play in each match would be raised from 10 to 12.
With that, one member of the GIANTS squad will sit on the secondary bench each game.
GIANTS Assistant Coach and Academy Manager, Jenny O’Keeffe, said it is a fantastic opportunity for the younger players.
“They all have a huge amount of potential and I’m sure they’ll soak up any opportunity they get,” she said.
“Even just being around this environment will be a great learning curve for them and will help set them up for success in their netball careers.”
Claire O’Brien has 13 elite caps to her name, having joined the GIANTS from the NSW Swifts’ program.
“She is an instinctive, dynamic playmaker with an ability to penetrate opposition defence and to dictate play,” O’Keeffe said.
“Her timing, placement and choice of pass are all features of her game, along with a work horse attitude both on and off the court.”
The 23-year-old attacking midcourter came through the representative ranks alongside fellow GIANTS players Amy Parmenter and Kiera Austin and was also a member of the last Youth Wold Cup Team that participated in Botswana in 2017.
Dwyer (19) and Letherbarrow (18), are fresh from the NSW pathway with their core experience from the Deakin University Australian Netball League.
Despite their age and inexperience at the elite level, both are more than capable of sinking the newly-introduced super shot that will feature this season.
“Sophie is a smart player who is quite intuitive on court,” said O’Keeffe.
“Her mobility and agility make her extremely unpredictable to opposition defenders.
“She shoots with confidence and accuracy from all areas of the goal circle.
“Definitely watch this space.”
With not all teams yet to confirm their extended squads, Matisse Letherbarrow - at just 18 years of age - may very well be the youngest player in Suncorp Super Netball for 2020.
“Shooting accuracy and high volume are definitely strengths of her game,” O’Keeffe said.
“We very much looking forward to watching her develop further as she trains and plays with Jo Harten, Caitlin Bassett and Kiera Austin.”
With the format of the 2020 season including short turn-arounds and rolling substitutions, these variations in the game will increase the chances of these young GIANTS scoring some court time.
GIANTS squad based in Queensland:
Kiera Austin
Caitlin Bassett
April Brandley (Training Partner)
Sophie Dwyer (Training Partner)
Jo Harten
Maddie Hay
Matisse Letherbarrow (Training Partner)
Kristiana Manu’a
Matilda McDonell
Claire O’Brien (Training Partner)
Amy Parmenter
Sam Poolman
Jamie-Lee Price
