Latest news with #AmyParmenter
News.com.au
a day ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Melbourne Mavericks lock in captain Amy Parmenter for season 2026
Melbourne Mavericks captain Amy Parmenter declared it was a 'no-brainer' to recommit to the fledgling franchise for next season after pouring her 'heart and soul' into Super Netball's youngest club over the past two years. Fresh from arguably the team's best win since joining the league with their upset victory over early title favourites New South Wales Swifts, Parmenter has been confirmed as the second player to be locked in for the Mavericks for season 2026. The star wing defence and inaugural Mavericks' captain said there was still 'lots more work to be done' as the newcomers strive to become a Super Netball power. 'I have put my heart and soul into the last two years building this club, so I'm definitely not going anywhere and I'm excited to see where we can go next year,' Parmenter said. 'It was a very easy decision. I feel like I have been here from day dot and seen the club and the culture grow and I feel like I've been a big part of that. 'I'm really proud of where we have got to and there is lots more work to be done. So, it was a no-brainer for me.' Parmenter joins Kim Brown as the second Maverick signed on for the club's third season in Super Netball after the defender's extension was announced in late January. The midcourt ace, who sits in the top-five in the league for intercepts, has played a key role in helping establish the new club's culture off court, while setting the standard on it with her tenacity and fierce attack on the ball. Parmenter admitted the job of building the club from scratch had been harder than she had anticipated, but she had relished her leadership role. 'It has been a real learning curve for me,' Parmenter, 27, said. 'I probably underestimated what goes into creating a netball team. I think you can just tick the boxes, or you can really dig in and do it properly and I think that's what we've done, we've really done the hard work and asked all the hard questions at the very start. 'It's been something that I have found really challenging, but also really enjoyable and I also love being able to influence the club in ways that are true to me. 'I am really passionate about seeing the girls thrive on and off the court and that's something that I have tried to stick to throughout the last two years. 'Hopefully they feel like I have done that …. (I've got) much more growing to do as a leader and I'm excited for what's ahead.' The Mavs' first two seasons have been heavily impacted by injuries; last year missing goal attack Sasha Glasgow (fractured leg) and defender Lauren Parkinson (ACL), who is still yet to make her Mavericks debut. England international Eleanor Cardwell has also not played a Super Netball match yet this year after undergoing knee surgery on the eve of the season. But the sixth-placed Mavs pulled off one of their biggest wins to date last round when they toppled the second-placed Swifts 68-64 at John Cain Arena. While not mathematically out of contention for the finals, the Mavs need other results to fall their way if they were to have any chance of sneaking in. 'We just want to go out there and disrupt some people's runs to finals – that is the goal,' Parmenter said. 'We have been a bit unlucky with a few players out and having the likes of El Cardwell out for the majority of the season is a big loss. Just that leadership and experience on court, it's something that's probably been a bit of a setback for us. 'But there have been some really good moments and I think we do often surprise people, I think it's just getting over the line. 'We've definitely been able to stay in it with all the teams this season at one point or another. I think we have done 50 minutes of really good work and it is just either the first five minutes or the last five minutes that have let us down. 'We're not miles and miles off and I think that is something to be really proud of that we are definitely in it and I think there is lots of good stuff, lots of growth ahead.' The Mavericks' coaching situation also remains in the air with head coach Tracey Neville out of contract at the end of the year, although she indicated after the win over the Swifts those talks were 'progressing really well'. Parmenter hoped to see the team's coaching panel back again in 2026. 'I think Tracey is awesome,' Parmenter said. 'There are obviously a few moving parts .… she has got her life in the UK and her little one as well, so that is always a tricky thing to navigate. So I think we will see how it plays out. 'But I think the combination of Tracey and Richo (assistant coach Nicole Richardson) is a really great one and I have learnt so much from both of them over the last two years. 'So, I really hope they can hang around.'
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Molly Jovic leads Mavericks in Super Netball team of the week for Round 12
The Melbourne Mavericks stunning upset over title challengers New South Wales Swifts has propelled three players into Code Sports' team of the week. Led by a standout midcourt performance from centre Molly Jovic, the Mavericks launched into wild post-match celebratory scenes on court after downing the Swifts 68-64. Up against Swifts' star Paige Hadley, Jovic had 32 goal assists and 44 feeds to deliver the ball beautifully to Mavericks' goal shooter Shimona Jok in a player of the match effort. Mavericks' star goal shooter Shimona Jok is back in the team of the week. Picture: Getty Images While there were some strong performances from the league's other leading goal shooters, including Fever's Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard and Thunderbirds' Romelda Aiken-George, Jok's volume and accuracy with 61 goals from 63 attempts got her the nod at GS this week. Mavericks' captain Amy Parmenter also slots into the team of the week at wing defence for her game against the Swifts, in which she had four deflections and one intercept, although Giants' Amy Sligar was another strong candidate here. Alice Teague-Neeld, with 26 goal assists and 40 feeds, delivered a polished performance at wing attack for the Fever, who sit top of the ladder after their win over the Sunshine Coast Lightning. Molly Jovic was in sensational touch for the Mavericks. Picture: Getty Images Young gun Georgie Horjus starred in the Adelaide Thunderbirds' win over Melbourne Vixens, providing plenty of drive and spark at goal attack. Jamaican star Latanya Wilson was equally important in the win for the T-Birds, finishing with six deflections, five gains and one intercept to get the spot at goal defence as the defending champions pushed back into the top four. There could have been a few candidates for GK, but we're going to give it to a veteran who has continued to surprise everyone since her shock call-up from retirement. At age 40, Casey Kopua played another key role in the Giants' win over the Firebirds, finishing with three deflections, helping the team to its third win from in its past four games since she joined the team. PREMIUM NETBALL COVERAGE READ: Netball hurtling towards fresh pay war after ominous player survey READ: The murky truth behind Swifts great's Super Netball exile READ: Harten bares her soul: Tears, regrets and the 'Yoda of netball' LISA ALEXANDER: Super Netball stars who should command six figures Check out Rebecca Wilson's Super Netball team of the week below, and use our team picker tool to select your team of the week for Round 12. Originally published as Magic Molly Jovic leads Mavs trio in CODE Sports' Super Netball team of the week for round 12
News.com.au
17-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Super Netball, round 6 news, scores: Jok stars in Mavericks' win over Firebirds
In a Super Netball match that featured a good old fashioned shootout, the Melbourne Mavericks banked just their second win of the season, by seven points against the Queensland Firebirds. Both teams featured towering shooters and defenders working overtime to make a dent in their volumes. It was the Mavericks who had the best of the deal, with a pumped up Shimona Jok rock solid under the post with perfect stats of 61/61 in an MVP performance. Goal keeper Liv Lewis was also having her best game of the season showing incredible athleticism to force four blocked shots against opponent Mary Cholhok. Despite giving away a 17 centimetre height difference, Lewis' aerial display restricted passes into Cholhok and her confidence to go to the post. Her volume of just 33/44, despite a supportive cameo from Emily Moore, just wasn't enough to threaten Mavericks on the scoreboard. After watching from the sidelines last week with an ankle injury, Mavericks captain Amy Parmenter made a spectacular return to the game. Her physicality forced numerous errors by the Firebirds as she finished with two gains and four deflections. A heavy head collision between Firebird Ruby Bakewell-Doran and Maverick Sasha Glasgow in the third quarter saw them both leave the court. Both were forced to temporarily leave the court under the league's concussion protocols, with Bakewell-Doran visibly distressed on the sidelines. Earlier this week, Firebirds goal attack Tippah Dwan decided to step away from the game to continue rehabbing her knee. Dwan's departure presents a prime opportunity for Emily Moore to show why she deserves a full 60-minutes which, coach Kiri Wills said is something she would like to see from Moore. While she didn't quite hit those minutes today, her contribution of 17/22 is heading in the right direction. Samoan goal attack Abigail Latu-Meafou has been filling the vacant goal attack role for the Firebirds over the last two rounds. Latu-Meafou's connection with Cholhok is on point and her efforts at post also helped the Firebirds make a comeback attempt, however her nine from ten including four supershots were not enough. MISSING MAVS Today's match marks 20 outings for the Melbourne Mavericks. Yet since their inception 18 months ago, the team has not once taken the court with their full 10 contracted athletes. In 2024 Sasha Glasgow and Lauren Parkinson (nee Moore) missed the full season. So far in 2025 Parkinson is yet to make her Mavericks debut, and English international Eleanor Cardwell is unlikely to return to play until Round 12, as she rehabs from knee surgery. WILL THEY SWAP DWAN FOR A DIAMOND? Mere hours before the news dropped that Dwan was taking a break, former Firebird and Diamond's goal attack Gretel Bueta posted a netball training session to social media. The Liz Ellis Diamond winner hasn't played netball in well over two years, after having stepped away to expand her family with husband Nico. And while it could be a great coincidence and pure speculation that she is making a return to the game, the timing could be the saving grace for the Firebirds.
ABC News
12-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Super Netball Round-Up: Mavericks 'murdered' by silly errors, Firebirds captain's show of solidarity and Swifts win ugly
The real contenders and pretenders of Super Netball are starting to emerge after five rounds. The Adelaide Thunderbirds beat the Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane 62-53, to see the hosts stoop to three straight losses. Despite changes to their roster, the Firebirds are still failing to connect with a tall goal shooter. West Coast Fever jumped into the top four for the first time this season, as they handed the Melbourne Mavericks their heaviest defeat, 78-61. It was a difficult watch for Mavericks coach Tracey Neville, who delivered some tough love to her players. Sunshine Coast Lightning defeated the Giants 74-56, as Cara Koenen slotted her 3000th career goal. Some may have put this down to Giants co-captain Jo Harten being absent for parental reasons, but she hasn't been a consistent force up front this year anyway. Lastly, the NSW Swifts were challenged by the Melbourne Vixens in the first instalment of the 2025 Sargeant-McKinnis Cup. At home, the Swifts prevailed 59-51 in what ended up being the closest game of round five. If you missed it, don't worry — we'll get you up to speed with our Super Netball Round-Up. The frustration boiled over for coach Tracey Neville, as she sat slumped, head in her hands, throughout the Mavericks loss to the Fever. Captain Amy Parmenter was ruled out last-minute when an irritated ankle she'd had a cortisol injection for earlier in the week didn't feel right to play. No-one stood up in her absence. The side lacked leadership and a steady head to direct play as one mistake led to another, like a domino effect. By the first break, they were down 22-14, and although Neville delivered some tough love in the huddles to try and inspire a fightback, they couldn't get any traction on the scoreboard. "Our unforced errors absolutely murdered us," Neville said afterwards. "Where we lost the ball was offensive contacts, held ball, footwork, it was just silly mistakes. "Those technical skills and our ability to finish off a game weren't good enough. "Maybe you do get found out a little bit, we are a new franchise, and we've got a new interchange every week, so you're always building relationships … but that doesn't take away your technical skills, that comes on the individual." Once again, the Mavericks haven't had their full-time, contracted 10 players available to start the season. Lauren Parkinson and Eleanor Cardwell are injured, while Sasha Glasgow is only four games back from a serious leg break that ruled her out in their inaugural year. But some of their issues are around game plan and intent. They need to work on their clock awareness instead of going through the motions towards the end of a quarter. The Mavericks are so focused on feeding shooter Shimona Jok that they continue to miss opportunities throughout the super shot periods to claw back the score. The offensive contacts racked up because they were pushing off the bodies of their opponents to get free instead of doing the prelims required. Both Olivia Lewis and Kim Brown previously played for Fever and have had plenty of experience training against Jamaican target Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard. Yet, neither had a single gain in the opening 30 minutes. They've lost four from five now, with games against the Firebirds and Thunderbirds left to come in this first half of the season. It's time for the Mavericks to decide if they truly want to be top-four contenders and, if so, who is going to provide the much-needed spark? As the Firebirds co-captain, Ruby Bakewell-Doran is in an awkward position. She's been at the club since 2019 through several controversies: The team has been through four different coaches in five seasons. They haven't played finals since 2018, so it hasn't been an easy ride. But Bakewell-Doran's enthusiasm in her new leadership role demonstrates her love for the Firebirds. She's also been their best performing player on court this season. Her decision to publicly support Kamo last week was therefore a pretty brave show of solidarity. It came at a time when the club had denied any wrongdoing and incoming coach Kiri Wills had had a crack at the media for continuing to report the issue. Underneath Kamo's video released via social media — where she explained her love of the game, that key witnesses hadn't been interviewed during the investigation and that she'd lost faith in Netball Australia — fellow defender Bakewell-Doran's comment was short and sweet. "Beautifully said Rem. So incredibly proud of your strength," she said. On Fox Netball show Pivot, Bakewell-Doran was asked why she felt compelled to publicly support her ex-teammate. "The majority of our team weren't present for anything that happened, so for them it's been business as usual, and I've been trying to keep that up while supporting my friend," she said. "We've been playing netball for many years together, so I wanted to have her back and support her, all while getting my club and team ready for a game. "Two things can be true — there were things that needed to be changed, and have been changed, and that Remi is a really good friend of mine; we experienced a lot together in those last two years. "I am here to lead my team and am really proud of the work we have done in the off-season. "We do have a lot of work to continue doing. For us, it is just being really positive and learning from what has happened and moving forward." Bakewell-Doran brought up her 50th Super Netball cap this weekend and that did get a little lost because of this story. The way she has handled herself is impressive, all while trying to put herself back in the mix for Diamonds selection after dropping off the national contracted list last year. They may be the only team left undefeated, but the Swifts have developed a bad habit, conceding the first quarter of a match for the last three rounds. Facing old foes, the Vixens, in a grinding battle that was all about defence, they started slowly and gave away possession in the midcourt. The signing of 1.93m New Zealand shooter Grace Nweke has given them a licence to test how far and high they can fire the ball into their circle. What's gone missing, however, is the discipline we've become accustomed to in their attack. Perhaps the pendulum needs to swing back a bit so that they can find a happy medium? In this match they struggled on the second phase of the centre pass. The team tried three different wing attacks before settling on the best combination, with Paige Hadley donning the WA bib and Allie Smith at centre. The lead changed four times in the opening half before this duo was locked in and then Swifts led the rest of the game. English import Helen Housby was caught in a tough tussle with Vixens goal defence Jo Weston. Although the goal attack managed three vital super shots, she only converted six regular goals. Housby's work in previous weeks to drive into the circle, create space, help with the shooting load and keep the defenders guessing has been one of the keys to the Swifts' success. For two teams that usually deliver such a clinical style of play, both were dragged into a really scrappy affair where they equalled each other's 23 turnovers. The Swifts will be thanking their lucky stars that goalkeeper Sarah Klau was able to win them so much ball back. The Player of the Match tallied nine gains, five intercepts, 13 deflections, two rebounds and three pick-ups . "Really proud of the girls to keep pushing, it wasn't pretty netball and I'm sure we'll learn lots from that," Klau said after the game. The Swifts haven't won all four quarters in any of their five victories. Still, they'll take confidence in the fact that they're still getting the results and can build on their form heading into the back-half of the season.
