A reflection on my internship (so far)
The 2026 Suncorp Super Netball competition has officially come to an end, but for me, this season is only the beginning.
As an interning netball reporter for the Geelong & District Football Netball League, I was lucky enough to gain behind the scenes access to the highest level of netball in Australia.
This incredible opportunity provided me with insight into the production of SSN games and what really goes into bringing the professional netball industry to life.
After attending the last three Melbourne based games of the season, the grand final this past weekend was even more enjoyable to watch from home.
The 2026 SSN grand final saw the Adelaide Thunderbirds absolutely dominate in a win against the Melbourne Vixens, defeating the reigning premiers by a record breaking 21 goals.
More than 10,000 netball fans attended the match up at John Cain Arena, celebrating a decade of Suncorp Super Netball and the largest win by margin in SSN grand final history.
The first quarter lived up to all expectations where the Thunderbirds and the Vixens kept the scores equal with very little turnovers or mistakes from either team.
The Vixens eventually won the first quarter by a goal after presenting some impressive netball against the Thunderbirds who have been the team to beat all year.
Despite a competitive start, the second quarter really separated the two teams by their ability to perform under pressure.
The Thunderbirds were quickly able to capitalise from mistakes made by the Vixens who had a 40% centre pass to goal conversion rate during the second quarter.
The Vixens put up an extremely poor performance in the second quarter, scoring only 8 goals to the Thunderbirds’ 21, which ultimately defined the result of the game.
After the half time break, the flow of gameplay for the Thunderbirds was much stronger in comparison to the Vixens who struggled to work the ball into the goal circle.
The Vixens were somewhat able to regain some consistency late into the third quarter, but their ongoing effort to stick with the Thunderbirds visibly exhausted them.
The final quarter of the 2026 SSN season was intense, but the Thunderbirds continued to outshine the Vixens both defensively and offensively with a HCF team health score of 230.
Usual game changers for the Vixens like Kiera Austin had thirteen turnovers and missed five super shot attempts whereas players like Elmere van der Berg stood up for the Thunderbirds with a 98% goal accuracy rate.
As the final siren sounded, the Adelaide Thunderbirds were crowned the winners of the 2026 SSN season with a 61-40 goal victory against the Melbourne Vixens.
The Thunderbirds secured their third grand final win in four years, allowing them to now tie with the New South Wales Swifts in most grand final wins out of any other teams in the SSN.
Latanya Wilson from the Adelaide Thunderbirds was player of the match for her impressive defensive performance and leading 104 net points for the game.
Whilst this result didn’t please me as a Vixens fan, it was a phenomenal game of netball between two of the strongest and most experienced sides in the competition.
It was amazing to watch both Madi Browne and Bianca Chatfield commentate for the grand final and do what they do best especially after shadowing them at some of the games.
Being able to get a taste of what a career in sports journalism would be like working in the SSN has really inspired me and only made me fall more in love with the sport.
My personal netball journey began all the way back when I was nine years old and somehow convinced my local netball club to let me play in the under 11’s team.
Since that day, I became obsessed with netball and have never stopped playing, which has brought me into my 12th netball season this year.
I currently play three games a week and love netball so much that I’ve even decided to involve it in my career.
I’m in the process of completing a Bachelor of Communications, where I major in journalism and public relations, and aspire to be a sports journalist one day.
Whilst I wasn’t sure of my exact career pathway at the beginning, I quickly realised that sports journalism would allow me to combine both my professional and personal passions.
This year is my third and final year of studying at Deakin University, which has honestly been my favourite year so far due to an internship opportunity that I discovered.
The GDFNL were searching for a sports reporter for the 2026 season, which would involve netball reporting and interviewing players.
During the process of applying, I couldn’t help but think that this internship would be perfect for me and was restlessly waiting to see whether I was successful.
Luckily, I landed the internship and was so excited to start applying some of the skills and knowledge I’d developed by working within a netball community like the GDFNL.
Being based in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne has made it challenging to learn all about a league I was unfamiliar with whilst travelling so far, but I’ve loved every second of it.
I’ve only been interning with the GDFNL for about two months now, but have already had such special interactions with so many of the players and the clubs involved in the league.
To think that this internship has already given me the opportunity to sit courtside at an SSN game goes to show how supportive and giving the community is in Geelong.
Speaking to the production teams, watching the players run out in front of me, and talking with legends of the game like Madi Browne was seriously a pinch me moment.
This is only just the beginning for me, and I cannot wait for the many stories I’m yet to write and amazing people I’m yet to meet during the remainder of my internship.
I’m looking forward to interviewing new people, sharing more stories, and visiting all the clubs in the league that I haven’t been to yet.
As for my career, this internship has solidified my passion for sports journalism, and I hope that one day I’ll get to be the netball journalist at the SSN who dreamed of this career.
For anyone who is thinking of interning with the GDFNL as a reporter, I highly recommend that you go for it.
It is a highly rewarding experience that not only provides you with an opportunity to learn, but the chance to connect with people who have a genuine passion for community sport.
My advice for the next GDFNL media intern is to say yes to every experience even if it’s outside of your comfort zone, and to be curious by asking questions and communicating.
I’d like to thank Matt Worland for organising my SSN experience, as well as Madi Browne for allowing me to shadow her across three SSN games as it was such an incredible opportunity.
A huge shout out to Alex Tigani for not only connecting me with Matt to make the experience possible, but for all the guidance and knowledge you’ve given me within just two months of my internship.
I cannot wait for the remainder of the 2026 GDFNL netball season and want to extend my thanks to all the players, coaches, and community members who have helped me along the way.
It’s been a blast so far and I look forward to every Thursday night knowing that I’ll get to meet people who are equally as passionate and driven about netball.
