Netball Unlocked Podcast

In a podcast first, we welcome back our first Big Interview guest, Adelaide Thunderbird Elmeré van der Berg, for a catch-up chat!Since departing the Netball Super League, the South African star has joined the ranks of the Southern Australian franchise and has taken Suncorp Super Netball by storm.From training against Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, to Norma Plummer’s choice emojis, the 24-year-old lifts the lid on life Down Under and the form she has managed to find in a club she loves. Enjoy.

For the latest in our line of big interviews (recorded just before the start of Round 12!) Chloe is joined by Scottish Thistle and LexisNexis Risk Solutions Dragons’ Niamh McCall.Coined the ‘signing of the season’ for the impact she has had on the Wales-based franchise, McCall lifts the lid on her netball journey to now. From shooting basketball hoops to making her international debut at 16 years old, netball has played a pivotal role in McCall’s early years, but it has also challenged her as she’s risen through its ranks.McCall opens up on the reality of uprooting her life in Scotland after the Strathclyde Sirens folded at the advent of Netball Super League 2.0, and waiting for her chance to shine with the super shot. She reflects on Scotland’s growing trajectory following the arrival of Kath Tetley and where their ambitions sit ahead of a home Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.The conversation also pivots to the people who are supporting McCall: from her mum and brother to her Welsh teammates, who have embraced despite their great netball rivalry.Enjoy.

Chloe and Paul take us through a monumental weekend in the Netball Super League, with just one place in the playoffs now up for grabs.We round up the news, ask whether the bonus point really makes a difference, and consider the implications of Helen Housby's ongoing back injury.Manchester Thunder became the third team to secure a top four position. Chloe breaks down how they were able to get the better of London Pulse in defence and attack for a big win.Forest tightened their grip on fourth place for now, with a win over Mavericks that leaves no margin for error for Tamsin Greenway and her squad.It is now Dragons who are closest to Forest, a narrow win against an improving Leeds Rhinos enough to move the Welsh side up into fifth spot.And Lightning returned to winning ways with a comfortable win over Panthers, but are injury worries mounting for the league leaders?We turn our attention to Round 12, with a full-on preview of a busy derby weekend that starts with Thunder looking to keep their momentum going with a trip to Rhinos.Forest face a huge final three games against the league's current top three, and it starts away to Loughborough Lightning - where even a losing bonus point might be enough.Dragons need to keep winning, and they chase a third successive win when they travel to Coventry to face Panthers on Saturday.And the round finishes up at the iconic OVO Arena at Wembley, where Pulse and Mavericks meet in a must-win London derby.

After a stint away, Chloe is back in time to chat through an exciting Round 9 of Netball Super League action as table leaders Loughborough Lightning clinched a Top 4 spot.In the news section, Paul and Chloe begin with a spirited discussion about the rise of Next Gen athletes across the league, as injuries continue to dominate.They also reflect on the AMEX announcement and South Africa's extended international squad, with the Commonwealth Games looming. In the review segment, Chloe and Paul look back on the round where the top four teams all notched wins, including Nottingham Forest, who conceded a bonus point in their victory over NIC Leeds Rhinos. Attention then turns to Round 10, where a 'Battle Royale' awaits, as London Pulse take on Loughborough Lightning, with a possible Top 4 berth on the line should the reigning champions be victorious.A must-win game for LexisNexis Dragons against Forest also dominates the discussion, with just eight points separating Nottingham and last year's semi-finalists, London Mavericks.

We've reached the halfway point of the Netball Super League season, so Paul and Chloe liven up the latest episode with a Team of the Season...so far.We debate the positions where there is plenty of competition for places, the positions where decisions are not so clean cut, and come up with the seven that have impressed us most so far.For good measure, Chloe has done the sums and found out who has the most team of the week nominations, and we will invite you - the listeners - to choose your team from our shortlist on socials this week! We also review Round 7 as Pulse get the better of Mavericks in the London derby with the thoughts of Jemma Donoghue and Sam Bird. Thunder pick off Rhinos, Lightning stay perfect with a win over Forest, and Panthers beat Dragons in a thriller for their first win of the season.We zero in on the impact injuries are having on the NSL squads so far this season, consider the news of an incorrect score in the Lightning-Forest game and weigh up some England options emerging so far this season.All that plus a look ahead to Round 8, as Panthers host Forest, Mavericks travel to Lightning, Dragons head to Manchester to play Thunder and Pulse welcome Rhinos to the Copper Box.

Round six of the Netball Super League has been and gone, leaving Chloe and special guest Gabby Marshall plenty to discuss.In a bumper episode, the conversation begins with a focus on Gabby and her sudden retirement from netball following her mild traumatic brain injury last season. She opens up on the extent of her symptoms, why, in her own way, she is grateful for what happened and the work she is now doing with the Netball Players’ Association to help future athletes.Talk then turns to the round six action with Chloe getting out her tactics board to illustrate how league leaders Loughborough Lightning were able to top AO Manchester Thunder. We hear from Thunder head coach Karen Greig and Lightning’s co-captain Beth Durant in exclusive post-match interviews.We also get insights from Philippa Yarranton as Gabby and Chloe break down LexisNexis Dragons’ second win of the season over Nottingham Forest, with a shoutout to their game-changing moving circle, before moving on to discuss London Mavericks and London Pulse’s respective victories over NIC Leeds Rhinos and Birmingham Panthers.With that all done, Chloe and Gabby turn to Round 7, which will mark the midway point of the season, with some juicy matchups in wait. There will be a London derby at the Copper Box as well as a Battle of the Roses up in Manchester. Settle down with your leftover Easter chocolate for this one.

Round 4 in the Netball Super League brought us our first extra time game of the season, and left only one team unbeaten - and one team still chasing a win.Chloe and Paul get stuck into the talking points from the week, as the dust settles on the coaching changes for England Netball and injuries begin to bite in the NSL.Chloe picks out the major talking points from the week in Australia as SSN delivers more early drama.Back in the UK, LexisNexis Dragons picked off a win over Rhinos - can the Welsh outfit kick and challenge for the top 4, and how do Rhinos stop the slide?In Birmingham, a third different home venue brought no luck for Panthers, who are winless after a defeat to a full-strength Manchester Thunder, starting to showcase what they are all about.Lightning beat Mavericks to remain the NSL’s only perfect record with four wins from four - but are they signs of Mavs clicking into gear?And in the final game of the round, we try to make sense of Pulse’s win over Forest, and the chaos that unfolded before extra time in the Copper Box.All that plus a look ahead to Round 5 as Pulse head to Rhinos, Dragons host Mavericks, Thunder meet Forest in Manchester, and top meet bottom as Lightning and Panthers go head to head.

It’s a seismic day for England Netball as Jess Thirlby steps down as the Roses head coach after more than six years in the role.There is plenty for Paul and Chloe to discuss in a first ever emergency episode of the pod, including lots of thoughts on what’s to come and what it means as Anna Stembridge assumes the head coach position.Just four months away from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, it leaves England and their players in a strange position.There’s time for a quick fire assessment of where the Roses are in their cycle, with the World Cup also on the agenda, and what might be next as England’s statement outlines a recruitment process to begin after the Commonwealth Games.Plenty to get stuck into, including who could be the long term replacement?

Netball royalty Norma Plummer AM joins Paul and Chloe for a very special international netball episode.In a wide-ranging interview, the multiple World Cup-winning coach and player reflects on some of the international game’s big themes and questions.Should netball be in the Olympics? Can South Africa go the distance in a World Cup or Commonwealth Games? Will New Zealand bounce back from its tumultuous international window? What are some of the issues facing England?A candid “Plum” covers it all and more with some special anecdotes from her legendary career.Norma Plummer AM:Netball World Championships 1975 winnerAustralian Diamond 1972-1981Head Coach of Australia - 2003-2011West Coast Fever coach - 2012-2014Head Coach of South Africa - 2015-2019, 2022-2023Follow us:@NetballUnlocked - Instagram, X

Paul and Chloe continue their countdown to the 2026 NSL season, with the four teams that made last season's playoffs under the microscope.Can the champions London Pulse go back-to-back? Can Loughborough Lightning build on the Super Cup triumph and win a fourth title in five seasons? Are Manchester Thunder ready to put an injury-hit 2025 behind them? And can London Mavericks see off the threat to the fourth place they took to end their long wait last season.Our guests for the show are returning Thunder and England star Eleanor Cardwell and Mavericks midcourt sensation Suzie Liverseidge who discuss England ambition as well as a big year domestically.On top of the team-by-team guides, we will take a look ahead to the four games in round one as Pulse host Thunder, Forest travel to Mavericks, Dragons head to Loughborough, and Panthers welcome Rhinos.And there's the all-important predictions as Paul and Chloe cast their verdict on the top four, the Grand Final and the champions and pick three of the players they are most excited to see this season.#NSL #Netball #NetballSuperLeague

Chloe and Paul kick off Season Two of the pod with a return for Manchester Thunder Franchise Director and Head Coach Karen Greig.We get the lowdown on the off season for Thunder, how new arrivals Eleanor Cardwell and Sophie Fawns are bedding in an a fact finding mission to Australia for Karen.We debate the international season so far, with an in-depth look at England's tour to South Africa - and consider whether the Roses know their best starting seven, and just how big a medal threat the Proteas have become.We'll touch on Jamaica's trip to Australia as the final international matches before the Commonwealth Games wrap up.And there's an early peek into preparations for the 2026 Netball Super League season.

For the latest in our Big Interview series, we are joined by England’s newest capped Rose: Jasmine Brown. In a wide-ranging conversation, we take a look back on Jaz’s debut and the unique story that led her to leave tennis to start netball at such a late age. She shares more about her meteoric debut, how she stays grounded and why she has decided to leave Birmingham for Leeds ahead of the 2026 Netball Super League season.Would Jaz ever consider playing in Super Netball? What vision does she have for netball as it continues to grow? Find out more in this exclusive interview.

In a very special Big Interview episode of the Netball Unlocked podcast, Chloe is joined by the one and only Sharni Layton, Australian netball legend, two-time world champion and Commonwealth Games gold medallist.In a wide-ranging chat, Chloe and Sharni go right into the deep end, discussing the Super Netball grand final and Sharni’s role in helping the Vixens secure an unlikely title. They then get into the weeds of Sharni’s budding coaching career, including how she has fallen in love with her role at England Netball, where she’ll be over the international window. The conversation also touches on Sharni’s neurodivergence, the importance of empowering players and looks to the future of netball, with a call to arms for current players to start building stronger communities for themselves and the sport. Enjoy!