Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 19, 2026

Giants Netball

Giants Netball are an Australian professional netball team based in Greater Western Sydney, New South Wales. Since 2017 they have played in Super Netball. The team was formed in 2016 as a joint venture between Netball New South Wales and Greater Western Sydney Giants.

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GIANTS Netball
Founded2016
Based inGreater Western Sydney
RegionsNew South Wales
Home venueKen Rosewall Arena
Head coachNerida Stewart
Asst coachJen Wright
CaptainWhitney Souness
LeagueSuper Netball
2025 placing6th
Websitewww.giantsnetball.com.au

Uniform

GWS Giants departments

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 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).123

History

New franchise

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 Super Netball. The founding members of 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.4567 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 2016.378

Julie Fitzgerald era

In August 2016, Julie Fitzgerald was announced as the inaugural head coach of Netball New South Wales's new franchise.9101112 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.1516171819

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.2021 In 2021, Fitzgerald guided Giants to a both a second minor premiership and a second grand final.222324 However, in the grand final they lost out to New South Wales Swifts.25262728

Regular season statistics
Season Position Won Drawn Lost
2017151629 3rd 10 0 4
20182021 1st 10 1 3
20193031 5th 7 1 6
20203233 6th 5 2 7
202134 1st 9 0 5
202235 3rd 8 0 6
2023 6th 5 0 9
2024 8th 3 0 11
2025 6th 5 0 9

  Runners Up

Grand finals

Season Winners Score Runners up Venue Attendance
2017171819 Sunshine Coast Lightning 65–48 Giants Netball Brisbane Entertainment Centre 8,999
202125262728 New South Wales Swifts 63–59 Giants Netball Nissan Arena 3,650

Home venues

As of 2021, Giants have played all of their home games at Ken Rosewall Arena2. Giants have previously played home games at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre, Qudos Bank Arena and the International Convention Centre in Sydney and the AIS Arena in Canberra.363738

Players and Coaches

2026 squad

2026 Giants Netball roster
Players Coaching staff
Nat. Name Position(s) DoB Height
New Zealand Whitney Souness (c) WA, C (1995-10-12) 12 October 1995 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Australia Casey Adamson C, WD (1997-11-25) 25 November 1997 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Australia Lucy Austina Injured GS, GA (2001-12-20) 20 December 2001 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in)
Australia Sophie Dwyer GA, GS (2001-12-05) 5 December 2001 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Australia Matisse Letherbarrow GS, GA (2002-01-07) 7 January 2002 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Australia Erin O'Brien GK, GD (2003-07-08) 8 July 2003 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in)
Australia Amy Sligar (vc) WD, C (2002-03-13) 13 March 2002 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Australia Dakota Thomasb (TRP) GD, GK, WD (2001-01-27) 27 January 2001 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Australia Skye Thompsonc (TRP) GS, GA (2007-01-27) 27 January 2007 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Jamaica Jodi-Ann Ward GD, WD (1994-09-01) 1 September 1994 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
New Zealand Jane Watsond Injured GK, GD (1990-03-07) 7 March 1990 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Australia Hope White WA, C (2006-10-19) 19 October 2006 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Head coach
  • Australia Nerida Stewart
Assistant coaches
  • Australia Jen Wright


Notes
  • (c) – Captain
  • (cc) – Co-captain
  • (vc) – Vice-captain
  • Injured or on maternity leave – Injury / maternity leave
  • (TRP) – Temporary Replacement Player
Player profiles: Team website Last updated: 28 April 2026
  1. Injured, out for the season with foot fracture
  2. Temporary replacement for injured Jane Watson
  3. Season-long permanent replacement for injured Lucy Austin
  4. Injured, out with a torn left medial collateral ligament (MCL) and a medium-grade right calf strain

Club Captains

Captains Years
Kimberlee Green1439 2016–2019
Jo Harten40 2020–2023 (sole captain)
2024-2025 (co-captain)
Jamie-Lee Price41 2024-2025 (co-captain)
Whitney Souness 2026-

Club Head Coaches

Coach Years
Julie Fitzgerald1215203024 2016–2025
Nerida Stewart42 2026-present

Internationals

 Australia

 England

 New Zealand

 Jamaica

Club Award winners

HCF Most Valuable Player
Season Player
20171516 Serena Guthrie
20182021 Jo Harten
201930 Jo Harten
202032 Kiera Austin
20214344 Jo Harten
202245 Jo Harten
202346 Jamie-Lee Price
202447 Jamie-Lee Price
202548 Jamie-Lee Price
Players' Player award
Season Player
20171516 Rebecca Bulley
20182021 Jo Harten
201930 Samantha Poolman
202032 Kiera Austin
20214344 April Brandley
202245 Jo Harten
Amy Parmenter
202346 Jamie-Lee Price
202447 Amy Sligar
202548 Erin O'Brien
Members' Player of the Year
Season Player
20171516 Jo Harten
Samantha Poolman
20182021 Jo Harten
201930 Amy Parmenter
202032 Amy Parmenter
20214344 Sophie Dwyer
202245 Jo Harten
202346 Jamie-Lee Price
202447 Jamie-Lee Price
202548 Amy Sligar

Competition Award winners

SSN Rookie of the Year
Player Season
Amy Parmenter 201949
Sophie Dwyer 202150
SSN Team of the Year
Player Season Position
Serena Guthrie 2017 Reserve
Rebecca Bulley 2017 Reserve
Serena Guthrie 2018 C
Jo Harten 2018 Reserve
Kimberlee Green 2018 Reserve
Kiera Austin 2020 GA
Jo Harten 2021 GA
Maddie Hay 2021 WA
Jamie-Lee Price 2021 Reserve
Amy Parmenter 2022 WD
Jo Harten 2022 Reserve
Jamie-Lee Price 2023 C
Amy Sligar 2025 WD

GIANTS Netball Reserves

The reserve team of GIANTS Netball is known as the GIANTS Reserves, and previously played as the Canberra GIANTS and GIANTS Academy. This team currently plays in the Super Netball Reserves competition, which began in 2024, after rebranding from the Australian Netball Championships and prior to that, the Australian Netball League. 5152

Premierships

References

References

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  2. "GIANTS Netball". supernetball.com.au. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  3. "GIANTS Netball Joins the Family". www.gwsgiants.com.au. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  4. "Eight team Australian national league to begin in 2017". www.abc.net.au. 11 May 2016.
  5. "New netball League a breakthrough for women's sport". www.abc.net.au. 16 May 2016.
  6. "Netball Australia confirms new eight-team division and bumper broadcasting deal". www.abc.net.au. 19 May 2016.
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  9. "Julie Fitzgerald leaves Waikato-BOP Magic to head up new franchise in Sydney". stuff.co.nz. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
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External links