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Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born | 12 October 1990 | ||
Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||
University | University of Otago | ||
Married | January 2019 | ||
Netball career | |||
Playing position(s): WA, C, GA | |||
Years | Club team(s) | Apps | |
2012–present | Southern Steel | ||
Years | National team(s) | Caps | |
2011–present | New Zealand | 91 | |
Medal record | |||
Last updated: 11 November 2011 |
Shannon Saunders [1] ( née Francois, born 12 October 1990) is a New Zealand netball player, who is currently contracted to the Southern Steel in the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship. Saunders, who is a predominantly a midcourter has played for Otago in the National Provincial Championships since 2010. She made the New Zealand under 21 squad in 2011 and played against Australia in three tests. She was later named in the FastNet Ferns squad to compete the World Netball Series, in Liverpool in late November. Saunders joined Silver Fern players Irene van Dyk, Maria Tutaia and Katrina Grant in the side. [2]
She was named in the Silver Ferns for the Australian leg of the 2012 Quad Series, although she was not capped.
While playing international netball, Saunders completed a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Otago graduating in 2012. [3]
Shannon was also an exceptional sprinter while at school.
Saunders started with the Southern Steel in 2012 as a midcourter and was captain in the 2021 ANZ Premiership season. [1] [4] Saunders played her 150th game for Steel in the 2022 ANZ Premiership season, this marked only the third time a player had done this behind Casey Williams and Wendy Frew. [5]
Saunders was selected for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and announced her pregnancy shortly after in August 2022. [6]
Southern Steel are a New Zealand netball team based in Invercargill. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. Since 2017 they have represented Netball South in the ANZ Premiership. Netball South is the governing body that represents Southland and Otago. In 2017 they won their first premiership when they were the inaugural ANZ Premiership winners. In 2018 they won their second premiership when they retained the title. In 2017 Steel were the inaugural winners of the Netball New Zealand Super Club tournament.
Leana de Bruin is a South African and New Zealand international netball player. De Bruin played 34 tests for South Africa before moving to New Zealand in 2000. She made her on-court debut for the Silver Ferns in 2003, and has gone on to represent New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games and Netball World Championships, playing in the goal defence and goal keeper positions. In 2009, she pulled out of the team due to pregnancy, before returning the following year.
Jodi Anne Brown is a retired New Zealand netball player. Brown was a member of the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns from 2002 to 2015, taking time off in between those periods due to injury and pregnancy, earning 61 caps. She has also played elite domestic netball in New Zealand for 13 years, and has signed with the Southern Steel for 2014. She played for the Central Pulse in 2015 and was getting set to play her final season in 2016 before she injured her ACL in the preseason and decided to retire from domestic netball after she had retired from international netball in 2015. In 2015, Jodi began co-coaching at St Hilda's Collegiate, Dunedin with the year nine A team. She has since followed this team through the years, which included a devastating 1 point loss in the SISS final. In 2018, Brown coached the St Hilda's Senior A team and also coached the Dunedin U17 team to 11th place at Nationals.
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Hayley Saunders is a New Zealand netball player and member of the Southern Steel team in the ANZ Championship. Saunders first represented Southland in the National Championships from 2007–08, before moving to the University of Otago in Dunedin and playing for Otago in 2009.
Courtney Tairi is a former New Zealand netball international. She also represented Australia at under-21 level. She was a member of the Australia team that won the 2009 World Youth Netball Championships. During the ANZ Championship era, Tairi played for New South Wales Swifts, Southern Steel and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. She finished her netball playing career with Northern Stars in the 2017 ANZ Premiership. Since retiring as a netball player, Tairi has worked a broadcaster, presenter and commentator for Sky Sport.
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Kate Alexandra Heffernan is a New Zealand netballer and cricketer. In netball, she currently plays for Southern Steel in wing defence, centre and wing attack. In 2021, she received her maiden call up to the New Zealand national netball team, and made her debut for the side in 2022, at the Commonwealth Games. In cricket, she played as a left-arm medium bowler for Otago, as well as making two Twenty20 International appearances for New Zealand.
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