Story of the year: Back in May, Netball Australia announced a new national league would begin in 2017, splitting the ANZ Championship into standalone Australian and New Zealand domestic competitions. Australia's National Netball League will be made up of the five existing national teams, plus three newcomers – the Collingwood Football Club, a second Sydney side linked with the GWS Giants, and a Sunshine Coast outfit affiliated with the Melbourne Storm. After nine seasons, the ANZ Championship closed off in style in July with the Queensland Firebirds getting the better of the NSW Swifts in a 69-67 double-overtime thriller – probably the greatest game in league history.
Issue of the year: Following on from the National Netball League announcement, the sport took a huge step towards professionalism in Australia with a landmark pay deal. The 80 players across the NNL will share $5.5 million in annual pay, which averages out to almost $70,000 per athlete. Perhaps most significantly was the more than doubling of the minimum wage, which is now just shy of $30,000. The hope is that netball will become the first fully professional sport on the women's landscape within five years.
Star of the year: How can you go past the charismatic competitor who is Sharni Layton? She wears her heart on her sleeve in the defensive circle and isn't afraid to rough-up her opponents on the court. She speaks her mind in media interviews and holds the mantle as one of Australia's most-loved female athletes. She's a rock at the heart of Australia's defence and will captain the side next year in the absence of the pregnant Laura Geitz. She was a key pillar in the NSW Swifts' charge to the ANZ Championship grand final, and to cap it off won a second-straight player of the year gong in that competition. She'll be wearing different colours next year, but don't expect her popularity to diminish despite a move to Collingwood.
Controversy of the year: For a fleeting moment this year, as the blueprint for next year's inaugural National Netball League was being drawn up, Netball Australia flirted with the idea of introducing a two-point scoring shot from outside the shooting circle. Fans, umpires, coaches and athletes were consulted with mixed results, and several of the game's biggest names spoke out on the idea before it was ultimately quashed. National coach Lisa Alexander and Diamonds skipper Geitz strongly rejected the two-point concept, suggesting it was an unnecessary change.
Unstoppable: Caitlin Bassett proved far too dominant in the Constellation Cup.Credit:Getty Images
Quote of the year: "I'm the only Sharni, mate. There's no other Sharnis out there. Teams do have girls who talk, but I was just born with this voice and I like to make it heard." Another cracking line from Australia's favourite netballer, in an interview with ESPN. Layton used that voice to perfection after her Swifts narrowly lost the ANZ Championship final, saying "Mate, there's always next year" in a post-match interview before turning to the crowd and yelling "watch out!"
Performance of the year: Diamonds vice-captain Caitlin Bassett couldn't miss in the Constellation Cup opener against New Zealand in Sydney. She nailed an outrageous 47 shots from as many attempts, and would most likely have broken her international record of 53 goals in a single game were she not put on ice for the final quarter. Bassett dominated her goal circle, leaving the New Zealand defenders floundering as the hosts won 68-56.
Flop of the year: This is perhaps a little harsh, but the Constellation Cup, which finished 2-2 in 2015, wasn't quite the nail-biting four-game series it promised to be. Australia won it 3-1, with Bassett's heroics and a dominant 12-point win in game three sandwiching the two-point loss suffered to New Zealand in Launceston. That meant game four, possibly the best of the series, was effectively a dead rubber.
A prediction for next season: Well, we're not exactly going out on a limb here, but surely Collingwood just wins the inaugural National Netball League in its inaugural season. In typical Magpie style, they've already become the team to hate after plundering some of the best talent from around Australia to build its impressive list. Six on the Magpies' roster are Diamonds – Layton, April Brandley, Ash Brazill, Kim Ravaillion, Madison Robinson and Caitlin Thwaites. They're the clear favourites for a reason.