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Founded | 2016 | |
---|---|---|
Based in | Greater Western Sydney | |
Regions | New South Wales | |
Home venue | Ken Rosewall Arena | |
Head coach | Julie Fitzgerald | |
Captain | Joanne Harten & Jamie-Lee Price | |
League | Suncorp Super Netball | |
2023 placing | 6th | |
Website | www | |
|
GWS Giants departments | ||
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Australian rules football (men's) |
Australian rules football (women's) |
Netball (women's) |
Giants Netball (stylised as GIANTS Netball) are an Australian professional netball team based in Greater Western Sydney, New South Wales. Since 2017 they have played in Suncorp Super Netball. The team was formed in 2016 as a joint venture between Netball New South Wales and Greater Western Sydney Giants. Giants have played in two grand finals (2017, 2021) and have won two minor premierships (2018, 2021).[1][2][3]
In May 2016, Netball Australia and Netball New Zealand announced that the ANZ Championship would be discontinued after the 2016 season. In Australia it was replaced by Suncorp Super Netball. The founding members of Suncorp Super Netball included the five former Australian ANZ Championship teams – Adelaide Thunderbirds, Melbourne Vixens, New South Wales Swifts, Queensland Firebirds and West Coast Fever; plus three brand new franchises: Collingwood Magpies, Sunshine Coast Lightning and Giants Netball.[4][5][6][7] Giants were formed as a joint venture or "strategic alliance" between Netball New South Wales and Greater Western Sydney Giants and were officially launched in September 2016.[3][7][8]
In August 2016, Julie Fitzgerald was announced as the inaugural head coach of Netball New South Wales's new franchise.[9][10][11][12] Two veteran New South Wales Swifts players, Kimberlee Green and Susan Pettitt, subsequently switched to the Giants.[13] Green was named the inaugural Giants captain.[14] Giants went onto finish the 2017 season as runners-up after losing 65–48 to Sunshine Coast Lightning in the grand final.[15][16][17][18][19]
In 2018, Fitzgerald guided Giants to the minor premiership. However, in the final series they lost out to both West Coast Fever and Sunshine Coast Lightning.[20][21] In 2021, Fitzgerald guided Giants to a both a second minor premiership and a second grand final.[22][23][24] However, in the grand final they lost out to New South Wales Swifts.[25][26][27][28]
Season | Position | Won | Drawn | Lost |
---|---|---|---|---|
2017[15][16][29] | 3rd | 10 | 0 | 4 |
2018[20][21] | 1st | 10 | 1 | 3 |
2019[30][31] | 5th | 7 | 1 | 6 |
2020[32][33] | 6th | 5 | 2 | 7 |
2021[34] | 1st | 9 | 0 | 5 |
2022[35] | 3rd | 8 | 0 | 6 |
2023 | 6th | 5 | 0 | 9 |
Grand finalists
Minor Premierships
Minor Premierships and Grand finalists
Season | Winners | Score | Runners Up | Venue | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017[17][18][19] | Sunshine Coast Lightning | 65–48 | Giants Netball | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | 8,999 |
2021[25][26][27][28] | New South Wales Swifts | 63–59 | Giants Netball | Nissan Arena | 3,650 |
Giants made their Suncorp Super Netball on 18 February 2017 against New South Wales Swifts at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre. Between 2017 and 2019, Giants played their home matches at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre, Qudos Bank Arena and the AIS Arena.[36][37][38]
In 2020, together with Swifts, Giants were due to start to playing their home games at the Ken Rosewall Arena.[39] However these plans were put on hold until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[40][41][42]
Giants Netball 2025 playing roster | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nat | Name | Position(s) | DoB | Height | Notes |
ENG | Jo Harten | GS/GA | 21/03/1989 | 1.83 m (6.0 ft) | Head Coach: Julie Fitzgerald |
AUS | Matisse Letherbarrow | GS/GA | 07/01/2002 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Assistant Coach: |
AUS | Sophie Dwyer | GA/GS | 05/12/2001 | 1.83 m (6.0 ft) | -(C)= Captain |
NZL | Gina Crampton | WA/C | 07/12/1991 | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | -(CC)= Co-Captain |
AUS | Maddie Hay (IN) | WA/C/WD | 11/04/1995 | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | -(VC)= Vice-Captain |
AUS | Jamie-Lee Price | C/WD | 10/01/1996 | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | -(TP)=Training Partner |
AUS | Amy Sligar | C/WD/WA | 13/03/2002 | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | -(RP)= Replacement Player |
JAM | Jodi-Ann Ward | GD/WD/GK | 01/09/1994 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | -(IN)= Injury |
AUS | Erin O'Brien | GD/GK | 03/01/2005 | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | -(MAT)= Maternity Leave |
AUS | Matilda McDonnell | GK/GD | 22/06/2000 | 1.84 m (6.0 ft) |
|
Years | |
---|---|
2016–2019 | Kimberlee Green[14][43] |
2019–2023 | Joanne Harten[44][45][46] |
2024– | Joanne Harten & Jamie-Lee Price |
Season | Player |
---|---|
2019[47] | Amy Parmenter |
2021[48] | Sophie Dwyer |
Season | Players |
---|---|
2017[29] | Reserves: Serena Guthrie, Rebecca Bulley |
2018[49] | C: Serena Guthrie, Reserves: Joanne Harten, Kimberlee Green |
2020[50] | GA: Kiera Austin |
2021[48] | GA: Joanne Harten, WA: Maddie Hay, Reserve: Jamie-Lee Price |
2022 | WD: Amy Parmenter, Reserve: Joanne Harten |
Season | Player |
---|---|
2017[15][16] | Serena Guthrie |
2018[20][21] | Joanne Harten |
2019[30] | Joanne Harten |
2020[32] | Kiera Austin |
2021[51][52] | Joanne Harten |
Source:[53]
Season | Player |
---|---|
2017[15][16] | Rebecca Bulley |
2018[20][21] | Joanne Harten |
2019[30] | Samantha Poolman |
2020[32] | Kiera Austin |
2021[51][52] | April Brandley |
Source:[54]
Season | Player |
---|---|
2017[15][16] | Joanne Harten Samantha Poolman |
2018[20][21] | Joanne Harten |
2019[30] | Amy Parmenter |
2020[32] | Amy Parmenter |
2021[51][52] | Sophie Dwyer |
Source:[55]
Coach | Years |
---|---|
Julie Fitzgerald[12][15][20][30][24] | 2016– |
Giants Netball Academy are the reserve team of Giants Netball. They originally played as Canberra Giants.[56][57]