MELBOURNE, Australia, CMC – Shamera Sterling led a trio of Jamaican netballers who earned recognition on Saturday through the Netball Australia (NA) awards.
Sterling was voted the Tremendous Netball League Participant-of-the-Yr after a stellar marketing campaign with first-time champion Adelaide Thunderbirds, by which she led the best way with 118 deflections and made 46 interceptions.
On the similar time, NA introduced that fellow Jamaican defenders Latanya Wilson, Sterling’s T-birds teammate, and Jodi-Ann Ward earned choice to the Tremendous Netball workforce of the yr.
Sterling, a Jamaica Sunshine Women workforce member for the previous seven years, was a part of the T-bird’s defensive unit, enabling the aspect to complete second within the preliminary competitors and luxuriate in their finest yr within the league with the title.
The 28-year-old was dominant in protection and created alternatives for her teammates to capitalize. She was excellent for the T-birds within the Grand Remaining when she was a handful contained in the offensive arc for Sunshine Women teammate and icon Romelda-Aiken George.
Sterling additionally grabbed a vital intercept with the clock winding down that earned the T-birds a 60-59 win in opposition to the New South Wales Swifts within the Grand Remaining and had the pink military erupting in cheers on the John Cain Enviornment.
Wilson’s awards have been a double delight after it was introduced that she earned choice within the wing protection and purpose protection positions, whereas Ward earned her place on the goalkeeper place.
Wilson completed the season with the fourth-highest deflections of 70 and interceptions of 40, and she or he was credited with additionally taking part in a vital position in shutting down offensive lanes. On the similar time, Ward was runner-up to Sterling for interceptions with 40.
The awards for the Jamaican trio will probably be bitter-sweet as a result of their fast skilled taking part in future nonetheless seems to be unsure, with no clear finish in sight for the bitter pay dispute between NA and the Australia Netball Gamers’ Affiliation.
Tremendous Netball gamers collectively boycotted the awards ceremony, one of many marquee occasions on the calendar of the nationwide governing physique. Nonetheless, Australia Diamonds nationwide workforce members have been compelled to attend as a result of they have been contractually obligated to take action.
The Australian Netball Gamers’ Affiliation (ANPA) stated in a press release that gamers have been steering away from the occasion following near eight weeks with out earnings due to the absence of a brand new collective participant settlement, which implies all gamers are out of contract with sparse job safety and no wages.
“With no settlement on our collective participant settlement, SSN gamers have been unpaid for almost eight weeks,” the assertion indicated. “We are going to proceed to #FightForFair.
“We have now requested affordability and sustainability to the sport and promote a real partnership to develop the sport.”
NA has agreed to mediation with the ANPA on a brand new pay deal after negotiations, which have been ongoing since February, broke down final month with the gamers favoring a revenue-sharing settlement completely different from the profit-sharing proposal the nationwide governing physique superior.
The gamers have subsequently handed over their mental property rights to the ANPA, which means the League requires permission to make use of the gamers for promotional materials forward of the following Tremendous Netball season.
It additionally complicates issues for Wilson, 22, who remains to be making an attempt to select up the items after she misplaced most of her worldly possessions in a home hearth, together with her 2023 Netball World Cup bronze medal, 2022 Commonwealth Video games silver medal, and SNL winners’ medal.
For Ward, it additionally a tough time after Collingwood Magpies, the aspect for which she performed final season, after the membership determined to withdraw its license from the League, following a assessment specializing in the viability of the netball program into the longer term.
The membership indicated in a press release that the challenges NA has skilled and continues to expertise when it comes to profitability, mixed with the present deadlock relating to finalizing the gamers’ settlement, have been important to the choice.
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