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Young & incredibly talented, meet the new look NSW Swifts

NSW Institute of Sport

Newsroom

The NSW Swifts have unveiled their team for the 2017 National Netball League, putting together a roster headed by a trio of international talent who will lead a dynamic young squad into the future.

Beginning in February 2017, the National Netball League replaces the ANZ Championship. Earlier this week it was announced that Swifts players Caitlin Thwaites and Sharni Layton would depart the team to join the newly formed Collingwood Magpies team.

Earlier today Swifts stalwarts Kimberlee Green and Susan Pettit confirmed that they would also depart the Swifts. They will join new franchise Giants Netball for the 2017 season. Former long-serving Swifts coach Julie Fitzgerald will coach the Giants.

Despite the changes current Swifts Head Coach Rob Wright has brought together an exciting new generation of players that will be headlined by the Australian Diamonds Paige Hadley, English rising start Helen Housby and 2015/16 English Superleage ‘Player of the Season’ Sammy Wallace, who hails from Trinidad and Tobago.

They will be joined by a handful of players that have already been earmarked as having the potential to succeed internationally, including Abbey McCulloch, Amy Sommerville and Maddy Turner. All three were included in Netball Australia’s recent ‘Emerging Talent Camp’ at the Australian Institute of Sport in August.

Also thundering into Sydney to join the Swifts is a pair of former Adelaide Thunderbirds representatives in the form of Maddy Proud and Sarah Klau. The pair bring a combined 52 appearances from the ANZ Championship, while Proud was also the skipper of Australia’s Netball World Youth Cup silver medallist side in 2013.

Making their elite netball debuts in 2017 will be Emma Tickner and Claire O’Brien. Standing at 190cm tall, Tickner has had a long career representing her home state of Queensland, also playing for the Queensland Fusion in the Australian Netball League in previous years.
With plenty of change underfoot, and many questioning what the Swifts would look like following the departure of star players, Wright said the 2017 squad represents an exciting generation who will be continue a legacy of playing a fast, exciting and attractive brand of netball.
“The 2017 National Netball League represents a new chapter in Australian netball history, and I think this playing group perfectly articulates the new journey our Club is about to embark on,” Wright said.
“They’re a young, incredibly talented group who show a lot of potential. We’ve taken a real long-term view on building our 2017 roster and see these athletes as the perfect role models to do so. We have a rich history at NSW Swifts, and I’m excited to see what these players do to write their own chapter.”
Wright continued that he isn’t fazed by the major changes to the club, holding firm his belief that this is a team that can secure their own slice of Swifts history.
“I have unshakable belief in what the Club is creating for the long-term,” Wright stated.
“We’re not after a quick fix; this process will take time. But I truly believe these players are the group to lead us forward. They’re the future of international netball, and the future of this Club.
“For mine, it isn’t what happens to you for what you get remembered – it’s what happens afterward. We’re in a re-building phase and an exciting journey, and we can’t wait to share the adventures with our incredible Members and fans.”