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On the eve of Super Netball's eighth season, the league has been sent into a spin with the introduction of an 11th player rule that allows teams to sign an athlete on a full-time six-month contract outside of the salary cap.
Incoming side, the Melbourne Mavericks, have already got a spotlight on them this year, as the brand-new shiny addition competing in Collingwood's place, and the loophole they've found to sign an experienced Jamaican shooter as their 11th player has amplified that further.
There's of course a lot more to talk about at such an exciting time, where all possibilities are still on the table for each team. Who are the favourites? Which players should you keep your eye on? And where do the opposition captains realistically think the Mavericks will place in their inaugural year?
We've got you covered with our Super Netball quick hits for 2024.
Keep an eye out for a fresh lot of talking points every Monday afternoon as we wrap each round.
1. Is it fair that the Mavericks have signed Jok?
Let's start with the biggest news in the league right now, as fans try to get their head around how an experienced Jamaican shooter like Shimona Jok (née Nelson) can be eligible to sign as an 11th player.
The parameters around this new rule state the player:
1. Must be contracted for 2024 as a nominated athlete
2. Must be eligible to represent Australia in accordance with World Netball regulations
3. Must be aged 26 or younger OR has not taken to the court in more than five Super Netball or trans-Tasman Championship matches
The first requirement is an easy tick. Jok also turns 26 in December, so she meets the third requirement, despite having played more than 70 Super Netball matches during her time with the Adelaide Thunderbirds and Collingwood Magpies since moving to Australia in 2018.
It's the second requirement where things get tricky. Jok made her debut for Jamaica in 2017 and over the past two years has stood on the podium with the Sunshine Girls at both the Commonwealth Games (silver) and Netball World Cup (bronze). Jok also represented Jamaica on two recent international tours to New Zealand in 2022 and England in 2023.
So how could she possibly be eligible to play for Australia?
Loading...Well, World Netball regulations seem to hinge entirely on what happens at the World Cup, disregarding other caps when considering if a player can switch allegiances and play for another country. Although Jok received a medal at the major tournament, she was listed in the wider squad as a reserve and did not actually take the court.
Jok has also been granted residency in Australia for work, so by the letter of the law, those two factors give her the green light.
The news comes at a desperate time for the Mavericks, after the side lost two of their full-time contracted stars in the pre-season: Sasha Glasgow (compound leg fracture) and Lauren Moore (ACL). The news of Jok's signing alongside 23-year-old South African Roelene Struetker as Glasgow's replacement has therefore been much needed for a club that have already faced so much turmoil.
But the whole situation does seem a bit ridiculous — some would even go as far to argue it goes against the spirit for which the rule was introduced.
As the criteria gives the impression that the number 11 spot is supposed to be for an emerging local player and the Firebirds (Ali Miller), Vixens (Emily Andrew), Thunderbirds (Tyler Orr) and Fever (Ruth Aryang) have all treated it as such, signing young Australian talent on the fringe of their squads.
2. Some teams opt out of number 11 player
Not every team has been keen to sign an 11th player though, with some teams so far opting out entirely. Super Netball clubs have until round three to submit a number 11 player for approval by the league, but the Lightning, Giants and Swifts have not yet taken up the offer.
The latter two are owned by Netball NSW and are thought to have ruled out the idea entirely, so it could be a directive from their member organisation. What most wouldn't know is that it hasn't been a clear-cut decision for any club.
Their feedback has been that the new rule wasn't mentioned until quite late in the piece, after an already long, drawn-out pay dispute last year that forced teams to scramble right before Christmas in order to sign their contracted 10.
It was just another thing to think about and the clubs have also had to find the money to pay for this extra player themselves, so for a side like the Swifts who committed to seven training partners this year, it probably felt like a stretch.
These 11th players won't automatically get a seat on the bench on game-day as there can still only be 10 named for each match. They would have to get the nod ahead of one of the full-time contracted players, so it will be interesting to see if we even see one of the 11th players on court this year and if so, how each team rotates the rest of their team tactically to fit them in.
3. Who is the team to beat and why?
ABC Sport caught up with each of the Super Netball captains at the launch day in Sydney a few weeks ago, where they were asked which team was their biggest threat to a premiership this season.
The Lightning were the most common answer, as the big winners of the signing period, luring two of the best players in the world in Liz Watson and Courtney Bruce to the Sunshine Coast to link up with Aussie Diamonds teammates Steph Fretwell and Cara Koenen.
Only Thunderbirds captain Hannah Petty mentioned the NSW Swifts, who she thinks will be "tough to beat again this year," after the team in red took out the minor premiership in 2023 and finished runners-up to the Thunderbirds in the grand final by a single goal. The Swifts declared themselves as one of the genuine favourites for this year when they won the Team Girls Cup a few days after Petty gave her prediction.
Hannah Petty – Swifts and Lightning
Kim Ravaillion – Lightning and Mavericks
Paige Hadley – Lightning
Jess Anstiss – Lightning
Jo Harten – Lightning
Steph Fretwell – Thunderbirds
Kate Moloney – Lightning
Amy Parmenter – Lightning
4. Where will the 'best dressed' Mavericks realistically finish?
While every captain agreed that the Mavericks have got the best kit this season, loving the pastel blue and pinks on their dress, they found it hard to give a prediction on where they'd place in their inaugural year.
Even Fretwell, who acknowledged she knows exactly what it's like to be part of a start-up club that finds success in its first couple of years, was hesitant.
In the end, most players predicted they would finish middle of the table after pushing other teams for a finals spot before eventually missing out.
Hadley from the Swifts and Firebird Ravaillion were the only two that thought the Mavs might genuinely make the top four. But that was before they lost Moore at the Team Girls Cup.
5. Young guns to look out for
With so many international superstars in Super Netball, alongside our very best Australian talent, you could truly list almost every one of the 80 full-time athletes as a player to watch.
But if we zone in on this season's 'rising star' contenders – awarded annually to a player who plays at least five games in their first year in the league – there are a few obvious names to recommend.
At the pre-season Team Girls Cup, several of these players got a chance to put their best foot forward and introduce themselves to fans.
Up the shooting end, West Coast Fever 20-year-old Olivia Wilkinson entertained the crowd with 72 per cent accuracy and five massive super shots, while Thunderbirds newcomer Lauren Frew showcased a mature style of play beyond her 23 years.
The Mavericks latest signing, Streutker, is another one that is ready to challenge herself after shining on international debut last year for the Proteas.
Midcourters Zara Walters (Vixens) and Ava Black (Lightning) also caught our eye for their hard work in the engine room of the court, as did Giants defender Erin O'Brien with her long and rangey limbs.
6. Mixed reception to rule changes
Beyond the 11th player, which is only a thing in Super Netball, the governing body World Netball also revised some of its rules on January 1.
The controversial change to the short pass made in 2020 has been fixed, expanding the required space between teammates for a pass from just a hand to now allowing enough room for an opposing player to be able to contest the ball for an intercept.
Most have welcomed this adaption, but Anstiss and Harten were still puzzled by the ruling on it, which they felt without a definitive measurement could swing wildly in its interpretation.
"It's interesting, because in a few of our pre-season games it's been called a bit differently, so it'll be a learning curve I think this year," Anstiss said.
It's also a bit of a worry that Harten believes she's, "never really been sure what constitutes a short pass," given she's spent close to 20 years playing at the top level in England, New Zealand and Australia. Something to think about for the officials.
Other rule revisions you'll see during the games this year include a player no longer needing to wait for the opposition to get back on court to take a throw-in, goals now counting if they have left the shooter's hand before the buzzer goes, and the removal of cautions.
Umpires will now have more licence to crack down on 'dangerous play' and have been encouraged to give players detailed feedback before escalating to a warning, suspension of play for two minutes and then a send-off for the rest of the match.