THE Queensland Sapphires will come together for the first time to compete at this year’s Australian Netball Championships (ANC) at Traralgon, Victoria in August.
The new-look championships will feature a record 10 teams including Giants Academy, QBE Swifts Academy, Victorian Fury, Collingwood Magpies, Sunshine Coast Lightning, West Coast Fever Reserves, Southern Force, Tasmania and the Capital Darters.
“We are absolutely thrilled with the rising quality of competition of our HART Sapphire Series to select the best, most talented and competitive athletes to represent the Sapphires at this year’s Australian Netball Championships,” Netball Queensland Head of Elite Netball, Roselee Jencke, said.
The first exciting announcement from within Sapphires’ camp is the appointment of Queensland Firebirds specialist coach Katie Walker as head coach for the campaign.
“I’m incredibly honoured and thrilled to be appointed head coach of the Queensland Sapphires in 2022 and cannot wait to lead what will most certainly be a talented, fierce and determined group of athletes to the Australian Netball Championships in Traralgon in August,” Walker said.
“Watching our HART Sapphire and Ruby Series each week only highlights that selections won’t be easy but it’s a brilliant problem to have and I could not be more excited about the squad to be assembled at the end of this month. The ANC is such a wonderful opportunity for our impressive athletes to not only train and play beside the best in their own state but to also thrive in the challenge of playing against some of the best rising talent in the country.”
Walker described her appointment as a “privilege”.
“I cannot wait to bring the team together where we will not just continue building on their existing individual talent, but also drive team performance and culture so we can create success and achieve memorable things as a whole Queensland Sapphires group.”
Selectors will name a Queensland Sapphires squad of 20 at the end of this month, before announcing a final team of 12, plus training partners, at the conclusion of the HART Sapphire Series.
The Championships will be available to watch live, on-demand and free via Kayo Freebies, as part of the new era of netball on Fox Sports.
