Kicking off this Saturday with a triple-header of games at Nissan Arena, the 2023 HART Sapphire Series features 14 rounds held across the state before a three-week finals campaign ending on a July 30 grand final.
This weekend’s opener features six of the seven clubs, including defending champions ACU Brisbane North Cougars against Bond University Bull Sharks - who return to the competition after only competing in the Ruby Division last year.
Cougars coach Liz White is backing her new-look side to secure yet another premiership, even though she’s fighting to fill a team list after losing players to injury, pregnancy and higher representative duties including goaler Charlie Bell who’s recently been promoted fulltime to the Sunshine Coast Lightning Suncorp Super Netball roster.
“It’s one of those years when it’s all over the shop,” White said.
“We’ve got new combinations, new people learning the ropes and getting used to our way. We’ve got players from different backgrounds and experiences, that’ll be an interesting challenge and one I’m looking forward to. It’s been an unsettled preparation which has been a little frustrating, I’m looking forward to having more access to players.”
White described the Bull Sharks as an “unknown”, with a combination of youth and more experienced players.
“It’s a big challenge to take on the Cougars in the first round but it’s going to give us a really good benchmark of where we’re at,” Bull Sharks coach Rebecca Stower said.
Stower, who’s only just returned from coaching the Queensland 17U team to National Netball Championships glory in Darwin, said this year's HART Sapphire Series is a building campaign.
“It’s been a big step up to go to that next level, and I’m super excited about it.”
The TAE Aerospace Jets have been preparing for this year’s competition, and their round one game against Brisbane South Wildcats, since coach Paula Stuart selected her team of 10 in November.
Stuart described her side’s pre-season as slightly disruptive, considering they lost one player to the Lightning and another to pregnancy, but the team has taken all in its stride.
“In December, Ash Ervin was quickly snapped up by Sunshine Coast Lightning which brought us to nine (players),” Stuart said.
“In January, our reliable shooter Aleesha Adams announced her pregnancy so the Jets were now down to eight players. (Also) having one player in the Queensland 19s and one player in the Firebirds, the Jets Sapphire team has had six players at most trainings in pre-season.”
The Jets also feature four players who will represent their country at the PacificAus Sports Netball Series on the Gold Coast from April 24-29.
Stuart said despite the interrupted build-up her side couldn’t wait to get their campaign underway.
“Wildcats have a brand new team with only a few coming back from last year, so this will be exciting and a bit of an unknown in the first round,” she said.
After a 2022 season to forget, Wildcats coach Megan Lynch is invigorated by a turnaround during her fourth year at the helm.
“It’s the best pre-season I’ve had,” she said.
“We have the right players, the right mindset and the right culture. It’s taken a while. Do we have the best team? No. Do we have the best team of people together? Yes.
"You’ve got to go through the hard times before seeing the good times.”
Lynch believes a top four finish is realistic after three years of rebuilding.
“We can make the top four and when you get to the semi-finals it’s a completely different ballgame where anything is possible,” she said.
“We’ve a game plan that we’ll stick to fairly strictly throughout the season, with processes we believe will win matches.”
It’s also been a long pre-season for the Carina Leagues Club Tigers under new coach, former Australian international Joanne Morgan.
The Tigers tackle the Sunshine Coast Thunder in round one, pitting Morgan against her Queensland 19U coaching colleague Simone Nalatu.
“There will be athletes coming down from the nationals experience and also the nerves of a first round, with new combinations adding into that mix,” Morgan said.
“Knowing how Simone coaches, I expect Thunder to be a well-drilled side around their basics and have high expectations put around their performance. It will be a cleanly contested and skilled game from them.
"We will need to be at our best and be at our best for the duration of the game, with no lapses in concentration or the game plan.”
Nalatu is new to the Thunder head coach role after a successful period supporting now-Lightning assistant coach Jenny Brazel.
“They’re a great group and had time last year together which I think will help us, and they’re all great players so we’re excited for the season,” Nalatu said.
“They (Tigers) have got a nice mix of youth and experience so they’re going to be dangerous. I think both Jo and I have added motivation to get one up on each other so we’ll both be pushing.”
It’s a first-up bye round for the Gold Coast Titans, coached by former Silver Ferns midcourter Temepara Bailey.
The Titans have recruited another former Silver Ferns legend, Cat Tuivaiti, to add some exciting shooting power to their circle and open their 2023 campaign at home on Saturday, April 29 with an inaugural Gold Coast derby against the Bull Sharks.
This year’s HART Sapphire Series will also feature current Suncorp Super Netball talent from the Queensland Firebirds and Sunshine Coast Lightning, following the competition's inaugural draft last month.
If you can’t attend the games, News Corp’s KommunityTV is streaming a weekly double-header featuring one Sapphire Division and one Ruby Division - the league’s second tier - game.
The stream is exclusive for News Corp subscribers and on-demand replays of every livestreamed game will be available after fulltime.
The full fixture for the 2023 Sapphire Series is available here.
