Kiwi influx set to flip Super Netball season on its head

The eight Super Netball teams have now locked in their 10 contracted players for 2027 (with some also announcing training partners), and many coaches have opted to shake up teams for the next season.

Interestingly, there will be an influx of New Zealand players joining the Super Netball competition after the New Zealand competition hit financial trouble and is now being privatised.

This could give the Silver Ferns an edge in the World Cup starting on August 25 next year, as they will have had the benefit of playing in the Super Netball competition for a season, with and against teams featuring every Diamonds player.

However, this has meant fewer places for local talent on team lists.

The 2026 champions, the Adelaide Thunderbirds, and the Melbourne Mavericks, who made the finals for the first time in 2026, have made very few changes, with only two new players each. While the Mavericks will be looking to go further into the finals in 2027, the Thunderbirds will be chasing back to back titles.

The minor changes in their line-up for 2027, off the back of a season in which they lost only one match, will give them a psychological edge over other teams.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Melbourne Vixens and NSW Swifts have both turned over half of their 2026 squads. After their grand final loss, the Vixens have retained many current and recent Diamonds, including the shooting duo of Sophie Garbin and Keira Austin.

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Controversially for a club which has historically prioritised local talent, three of their new players are joining from New Zealand, and have all been Silver Ferns.

The NSW Swifts also have a new coaching team with former assistant coach, Dylan Nexhip, and specialist coach, Jo Harten, stepping up to head coach and assistant coach. They have recruited from a range of clubs, including Mary Cholhok joining from the Queensland Firebirds to provide a strong goal shooter, and 21-year-old mid-courter Lucy Voyvodic joining from the Thunderbirds, where she was the 11th player in 2026.

Adelaide has been a great source of talent for the Swifts, with Maddy Proud and Sarah Klau both moving to the Swifts from Adelaide, so the new coaching team may be hoping that Voyvodic develops into a player with the same longevity and calibre as Proud and Klau.

New team, the Sydney Sirens, have retained many of the 2026 Giants, and have added Grace Newke and Teigan O’Shannassy from the Swifts, providing strength to the squad at both ends of the court, as well as Molly Jovic from the Mavericks and Claire O’Brien who is part of the NZ migration to Super Netball.

Goal shooter Lucy Austin, injured for much of the 2026 season, was not given a contract, but has been picked up by the Mavericks as a training partner so she retains a way to get back into the competition and the Diamonds squad in 2027.

West Coast Fever, Queensland Firebirds and Sunshine Coast Lightning have all looked across the Tasman as part of their 2027 team changes, picking up one player each from New Zealand.

The Fever has star shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard back from maternity leave, as well as the return of Shanice Beckford, giving the Fever a strong combination in their goal circle with both likely to be in the Jamaican team for the World Cup.

Cara Koenen has made the move from the Lightning to the Firebirds, no doubt hoping for more time in the goal shooter position than she might have at the Lightning, given Donnell Wallam’s claim to that role. Both will be vying for inclusion in the Diamonds’ World Cup squad.

It is shaping up to be an interesting year where we see if the changes which have been made pay off, or whether maintaining consistency wins through. Over the course of the season, the fortunes of any team can change dramatically if contracted players are injured or otherwise become unavailable.

Based on the team lists as they stand currently, the Thunderbirds look like the team to beat in 2027.