The sliding door moment for ‘awestruck’ Diamonds bolter

Source : ABC NEWS

With two rounds left of the regular season, there are still eight teams in the running for the Super Netball premiership. Even if the chances for two of them are quite slim.

Round 12 continued the First Nations celebrations of National Reconciliation Week. Beginning on the Sunshine Coast, the Lightning kept their campaign alive with a whopping 20-goal victory, 74-54. This also sealed the Giants’ fate as wooden spooners.

The Melbourne Mavericks proved they’ve got what it takes to be serious contenders by securing a 60-57 win over the West Coast Fever. It was the first time they’d beaten them since joining the competition in 2024 and they did it in front of a record home and away crowd for the league.

The 13,847 sell-out at Perth Arena supersedes the attendance at the NSW Swifts and Giants double header in round two at Sydney SuperDome by an extra 447 people.

Speaking of the Swifts, their players dug deep in response to the news that longstanding coach Briony Akle will need to reapply for her job. Up by 17 in the second quarter, they held off a late challenge by the Queensland Firebirds at Ken Rosewall Arena, 68-62.

Lastly, the top two clash between the Adelaide Thunderbirds and Melbourne Vixens was tipped to be an absolute ripper but ended up being an absolute flop. Won by the Thunderbirds on their home turf, 61-42, it could very well determine the minor premiership.

Off the court, Diamonds selection is a hot topic after Netball Australia named the 18 players in the national squad for 2026/27. 

Goal shooter and proud Noongar woman Donnell Wallam has returned to the fold after being demoted to invitee status last year, while defender Jessie Grenvold is a bolter that has earned a call-up in her first year on a full-time contract.

If you missed it, don’t worry — we’ll get you up to speed with our Super Netball round-up.

Grenvold bolts into Aussie squad

2026 has been a sliding doors moment for the Mavericks defenders.

After leaving Queensland for a colder climate, Tara Hinchliffe had been playing so well. She took Liv Lewis’s spot after the goal keeper made a cross-code switch to AFLW and was relishing the opportunity to reunite with former teammate Kim Brown.

Then in round three, disaster struck. Hinchliffe was hit with her third ACL injury.

Before scans confirmed Hinchliffe would be out for the season, third-choice defender Jessie Grenvold was averaging just 18 minutes of court time. Now, she would have to make the step up from impact player to starting GK.

In nine rounds since, Grenvold has averaged 52 minutes per game. She sits second in the league for intercepts and is a key reason the Mavericks are on the verge of making finals.

Despite being in the early stages of her career, Grenvold’s form became too hard for the Australian selectors to ignore. Now she’s the newest face in the 2026/27 Diamonds squad.

Would this have happened if Lewis had stuck with netball? Or if Hinchliffe had avoided injury?

Another layer is that Charlotte Sexton has been selected as a Diamonds invitee. Sexton is in her debut season after being named as Hinchliffe’s permanent injury replacement.

In an alternate universe she would’ve never even been a contender.

But back to Grenvold, whose selection is a reward for an extremely risky move back in 2023.

The South Australian was 20 then and had spent the year with the premiership-winning Thunderbirds as a training partner. 

The decision to move interstate and join a brand-new team was a big ask. But without it, she wouldn’t have worked so closely with Nicole Richardson, who doubles as the Mavericks and Diamonds assistant.

So where was Grenvold when she received the call from Diamonds head coach Stacey Marinkovich? Last Tuesday, Grenvold was hosting The Mavs Way podcast when her phone buzzed multiple times, eventually returning the call from the car.

“It’s been a bit of a crazy year, when all this noise started about a potential Diamonds selection I was just like ‘no’,” Grenvold told ABC Sport, “It wasn’t even a realm of possibility in my mind, I didn’t allow myself to dream that dream.”

“Then when Stacey said congratulations, you’ve been selected, my head was about to explode and I was struggling to process the conversation … I had to clarify if she meant invitee and when she said I was in the actual squad I freaked out all over again.

“I was having a moment, I knew this call was something I was going to remember for the rest of my life … I would’ve just never seen this for myself.”

Awestruck, Grenvold phoned her parents to tell them on the down low, before she reached out to Richardson to express her gratitude for all of her guidance and support.

“My Dad is one of my biggest supporters but he’s a realist, it was so funny, he was so proud but reminded me not to get too distracted from the upcoming game against the Fever.

“He’s a level head that keeps me grounded, meanwhile Mum absolutely lost it, she was freaking out … you know how Mums are though, they think you’re the best, so she was excited.

“I called Richo very quickly as well, I had checked with Stacey if she knew, so I was very keen to thank her for everything she has done for me over the past few years.”

Akle to fight for Swifts role

Briony Akle has had a long and storied tenure as Swifts head coach, but this could be her last year in charge after Netball NSW announced it will advertise her position for 2027 onwards.

Super Netball is nearing the end of its tenth season and in a month, every player is off contract due to the expiration of the CPA. So, the decision has been framed as one that has been influenced by the end of the competition cycle more than the team’s win-loss record.

In the same announcement we found out Akle would reapply.

This has happened in netball before — most notably across the ditch in April 2024. Back then, New Zealand head coach Noeline Taurua managed to keep hold of her job. Maybe she can share some advice with Akle, who is also her assistant at the Silver Ferns.

“Being head coach of the Swifts is a privilege, not a right,” Akle said, “I both welcome and am excited by the opportunity to present that vision through the process.

“Success of the Swifts over many generations has been driven by standards … I expect this of my players, and I am ready to do likewise.”

A former Swifts player, Akle took over as coach in 2018. In her nine years at the helm, the side has never finished lower than sixth; clinching two premierships and reaching three grand finals. But it hasn’t all been rosy.

The Swifts have had a tough year. They had their worst-ever start to a season, losing by 20 goals in Adelaide. There have been several injuries for big-name players, while their game plan has copped criticism for failing to deliver in defence and being wasteful in attack.

Nonetheless, Akle handles every challenge with grace. She is highly respected and will no doubt be snapped up by another club if unsuccessful.

The team face an uphill battle to make the finals and must beat the Thunderbirds — the same team who handed them that heavy defeat in round one.

It appears the players are still very much on her side though. Both the Player of the Match Tayla Fraser and the Swifts longest-serving athlete Paige Hadley told the media they “loved” being coached by Akle on Sunday.

“We know it’s a process Netball NSW wants to go through, but our support is fully backing Briony, she’s an absolute legend of the club, has been here for nine years and will hopefully be here for a few more,” Hadley said.

The member organisation hasn’t got long to appoint someone in the role. They intend to do so before the player contracting window opens after the Super Netball grand final on July 4.