# 2015 ANZ Championship season

The 2015 ANZ Championship season was the eighth season of the ANZ Championship. The season began on 28 February and concluded on 21 June. The 2015 season saw the introduction of several major format changes and initiatives, including a Conference system, a six-team Finals Series, drawn games and a new Ranfurly Shield-style competition, the Challenge Trophy. With a team coached by Roselee Jencke, captained by Laura Geitz and featuring Romelda Aiken, Clare McMeniman and Kim Ravaillion, Queensland Firebirds won the Australian Conference, the Challenge Trophy, the minor premiership and the overall championship. Firebirds narrowly defeated New South Wales Swifts in both the Australian Conference final and the Grand Final on their way to effectively winning four titles.

## New format

The 2015 season saw some major format changes. The league introduced separate Australian and New Zealand conferences, a restructured six-team Finals Series and a new competition, the Challenge Trophy. Teams continued to play 13 games – eight home-and-away matches against teams in their own conference and five alternating home or away games against teams in the other conference.
The ANZ Championship also introduced draws for the first time. During the regular season, drawn games would see both teams get a point each. Extra time will only be played during the Finals Series. On 15 March, the Round 3 match between New South Wales Swifts and Queensland Firebirds finished 47–47. It was the first official draw in the eight seasons of the league.

## Transfers

| Player | 2014 team | 2015 team |
| Eboni Beckford-Chambers | West Coast Fever | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Kristina Brice | NNSW Waratahs | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Hannah Petty | Southern Force | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Amy Steel | Melbourne Vixens | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Kelsey Browne | Victorian Fury | Melbourne Vixens |
| Emily Mannix | Victorian Flames | Melbourne Vixens |
| Alice Teague-Neeld | Victorian Fury | Melbourne Vixens |
| Carla Dziwoki | New South Wales Swifts | Melbourne Vixens |
| Jade Clarke | Mainland Tactix | New South Wales Swifts |
| Julie Corletto | Northern Mystics | New South Wales Swifts |
| Erin Hoare | Melbourne Vixens | New South Wales Swifts |
| Stephanie Wood | Queensland Fusion | New South Wales Swifts |
| Rebecca Bulley | Adelaide Thunderbirds | Queensland Firebirds |
| Beryl Friday | Queensland Fusion | Queensland Firebirds |
| Caitlyn Strachan | Melbourne Vixens | Queensland Firebirds |
| Gretel Tippett | New South Wales Swifts | Queensland Firebirds |
| April Letton | New South Wales Swifts | West Coast Fever |
| Erena Mikaere | Southern Steel | West Coast Fever |
| Chelsea Pitman | West Coast Fever | Manchester Thunder |
| Jodi Brown | Southern Steel | Central Pulse |
| Ameliaranne Wells | Queensland Firebirds | Central Pulse |
| Demelza Fellowes | Queensland Firebirds | Mainland Tactix |
| Erikana Pedersen | Northern Mystics | Mainland Tactix |
| Bailey Mes | Northern Mystics | Mainland Tactix |
| Paula Griffin | Central Pulse | Northern Mystics |
| Serena Guthrie | Team Bath | Northern Mystics |
| Camilla Lees | Central Pulse | Northern Mystics |
| Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick | | Northern Mystics |
| Sophia Fenwick | Mainland Tactix | Southern Steel |
| Jane Watson | Mainland Tactix | Southern Steel |
| Kelly Jury | | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic |
Sources:

## Head coaches and captains

| Team | Head coach | Captain |
| Adelaide Thunderbirds | Jane Woodlands-Thompson | Renae Hallinan |
| Melbourne Vixens | Simone McKinnis | Bianca Chatfield |
| New South Wales Swifts | Rob Wright | Kimberlee Green |
| Queensland Firebirds | Roselee Jencke | Laura Geitz |
| West Coast Fever | Stacey Rosman | Ashleigh Brazill |
| Central Pulse | Robyn Broughton | Katrina Grant |
| Mainland Tactix | Sue Hawkins | Anna Thompson |
| Northern Mystics | Debbie Fuller | Maria Tutaia |
| Southern Steel | Janine Southby | Wendy Frew |
| Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | Julie Fitzgerald | Leana De Bruin |

## Summer Shootout

Between 6 and 8 February, New South Wales Swifts hosted the Summer Shootout at Netball Central, Sydney Olympic Park. This was the first major netball tournament to be held at the venue. All ten ANZ Championship teams participated in the three-day tournament. A total of 25 games, consisting of both full length and shortened games consisting of two 15-minute periods, were played over the weekend.

## Regular season
### Round 4

* BYES:  Queensland Firebirds and Southern Steel

### Round 5

* BYES:  Melbourne Vixens and Mainland Tactix

### Round 6 Easter Round

* BYES:  New South Wales Swifts and Central Pulse

### Round 10

* BYES:  Adelaide Thunderbirds and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic

### Round 11

* BYES:  West Coast Fever and Northern Mystics

### Round 14

Source:

### Final standings

2015 Australian Conferencevte :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | G% | Pts |
| 1 | Queensland Firebirds | 13 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 708 | 608 | 116.4% | 23 |
| 2 | New South Wales Swifts | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 746 | 665 | 112.2% | 19 |
| 3 | West Coast Fever | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 744 | 701 | 106.1% | 19 |
| 4 | Melbourne Vixens | 13 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 670 | 657 | 102.0% | 14 |
| 5 | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 667 | 682 | 97.8% | 10 |
| 2015 New Zealand Conferencevte ||||||||||
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | G% | Pts |
| 1 | Northern Mystics | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 682 | 695 | 98.1% | 16 |
| 2 | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 13 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 643 | 663 | 97.0% | 11 |
| 3 | Southern Steel | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 759 | 775 | 97.9% | 8 |
| 4 | Central Pulse | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 620 | 656 | 94.5% | 8 |
| 5 | Mainland Tactix | 13 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 664 | 801 | 82.9% | 2 |
Qualified for Conference finals Qualified for Elimination finals
* Pld = Games played
* W = Win (2 points)
* D = Draw (1 points)
* L = Loss (0 points)
* GF = Goals For
* GA = Goals Against
* G% = Goal percentage (= 100 × GF/GA)
* Pts = Points
Sources:

### Challenge Trophy

The 2015 season saw the introduction of the Ranfurly Shield-style, Challenge Trophy. The trophy was available to win every time the holder played at home. Once a visiting team defeats the title holders, the trophy is theirs to protect and hold against all challengers in every home game during the regular season until they are beaten. A pre-season draw saw West Coast Fever declared the inaugural holder and they defended the trophy for first time on 8 March in Round 2 against Northern Mystics. Fever subsequently enjoyed a nine-game unbeaten run in the league. They retained the Challenge Trophy until Round 10 when they were defeated 56–48 by Queensland Firebirds. Firebirds defended the trophy in Round 11 against Melbourne Vixens and in Round 14 against Southern Steel, finishing the season as trophy holders.
| Round | Holders | Score | Challengers |
| Round 2 | West Coast Fever | 67–51 | Northern Mystics |
| Round 3 | West Coast Fever | 67–60 | Southern Steel |
| Round 5 | West Coast Fever | 55–50 | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Round 6 | West Coast Fever | 53–47 | Melbourne Vixens |
| Round 9 | West Coast Fever | 54–49 | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic |
| Round 10 | West Coast Fever | 48–56 | Queensland Firebirds |
| Round 11 | Queensland Firebirds | 54–45 | Melbourne Vixens |
| Round 14 | Queensland Firebirds | 66–50 | Southern Steel |
Source:

## Finals series

The new Conference format saw the top three teams from each Conference qualify for the Finals Series. The second and third placed teams from each Conference played off in the Elimination Final. The winner then took on the first placed team in the Conference Final. The four Conference finalists will then progress to the semi-finals where the Conference Champions hosted the runner up of the other conference for a chance to compete in the ANZ Championship Grand Final.

### Australian Conference
#### Elimination Final

| Fri 5 June 7:18 PM (AEST) | Stats | New South Wales Swifts | 60–53 | West Coast Fever | Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre |
| Fri 5 June 7:18 PM (AEST) | Stats | Caitlin Thwaites 32/34 (94%) Susan Pettitt 28/29 (97%) | | Caitlin Bassett 37/40 (93%) Natalie Medhurst 16/18 (89%) | Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre |
Source:

#### Conference Final

| Sun 7 June 12:18 PM (AEST) | Stats | Queensland Firebirds | 55–44 | New South Wales Swifts | Brisbane Entertainment Centre Attendance: 5,175 |
| Sun 7 June 12:18 PM (AEST) | Stats | Romelda Aiken 36/39 (92%) Gretel Tippett ? | | Susan Pettitt ? Caitlin Thwaites 17/21 (81%) Stephanie Wood ? | Brisbane Entertainment Centre Attendance: 5,175 |
Source:

### New Zealand Conference
#### Elimination Final

| Sat 6 June 3:10 PM (NZST) | Stats | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 71–69 | Southern Steel | Claudelands Arena |
| Sat 6 June 3:10 PM (NZST) | Stats | Joanne Harten 53/60 (88%) Malia Paseka ? Ellen Halpenny ? | | Jhaniele Fowler-Reid 58/64 (91%) Te Paea Selby-Rickit ? | Claudelands Arena |
Source:

#### Conference Final

| Mon 8 June 7:40 PM (NZST) | Stats | Northern Mystics | 54–57 | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | The Trusts Arena |
| Mon 8 June 7:40 PM (NZST) | Stats | Maria Tutaia 28/32 (88%) Cathrine Latu 26/27 (96%) | | Joanne Harten 35/38 (92%) Malia Paseka 22/26 (85%) | The Trusts Arena |
Source:

### Semi-finals

| Sun 14 June 12:18 PM (AEST) | Stats | Queensland Firebirds | 60–44 | Northern Mystics | Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre Attendance: 3,200 |
| Sun 14 June 12:18 PM (AEST) | Stats | Romelda Aiken 42/48 (88%) Gretel Tippett 18/27 (67%) | | Maria Tutaia 24/33 (73%) Cathrine Latu 17/18 (94%) Paula Griffin 3 ? | Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre Attendance: 3,200 |
Source:
| Sun 14 June 7:10 PM (NZST) | Stats | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 52–60 | New South Wales Swifts | Claudelands Arena Attendance: 4,200 |
| Sun 14 June 7:10 PM (NZST) | Stats | Joanne Harten 39/44 (89%) Malia Paseka ? Ellen Halpenny ? | | Susan Pettitt 27/29 (93%) Caitlin Thwaites 33/36 (92%) | Claudelands Arena Attendance: 4,200 |
Source:

### Grand Final

| Sun 21 June 12:10 PM (AEST) | Stats | Queensland Firebirds | 57–56 | New South Wales Swifts | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | Fox Sports Sky Sport |
| Sun 21 June 12:10 PM (AEST) | Stats | Romelda Aiken 47/51 (92%) Gretel Tippett 10/17 (59%) | | Susan Pettitt 26/28 (93%) Caitlin Thwaites 30/34 (88%) | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | Fox Sports Sky Sport |
Source:

## Award winners
### ANZ Championship awards

| Award | Winner | Team |
| ANZ Championship MVP | Romelda Aiken | Queensland Firebirds |
| ANZ Championship MVP | Jhaniele Fowler-Reid | Southern Steel |
| ANZ Championship Finals Series MVP | Sharni Layton | New South Wales Swifts |
| ANZ Championship Best New Talent | Serena Guthrie | Northern Mystics |

#### Notes

^1 Romelda Aiken was the MVP player in the Australian Conference and Jhaniele Fowler-Reid was the MVP player in the New Zealand Conference.

### All Star Team

| Position | Player | Team |
| GS | Caitlin Bassett | West Coast Fever |
| GA | Susan Pettitt | New South Wales Swifts |
| WA | Kimberlee Green | New South Wales Swifts |
| C | Kim Ravaillion | Queensland Firebirds |
| WD | Serena Guthrie | Northern Mystics |
| GD | Julie Corletto | New South Wales Swifts |
| GK | Sharni Layton | New South Wales Swifts |
| Coach | Stacey Rosman | West Coast Fever |
Sources:

### Australian Netball Awards

| Award | Winner | Team |
| Australian ANZ Championship Player of the Year | Sharni Layton | New South Wales Swifts |
| Liz Ellis Diamond | Caitlin Bassett | West Coast Fever |
| Australian ANZ Championship Coach of the Year | Roselee Jencke | Queensland Firebirds |
Sources:

### New Zealand Netball Awards

| Award | Winner | Team |
| New Zealand ANZ Championship Player of the Year | Laura Langman | Northern Mystics |
| New Zealand ANZ Championship Coach of the Year | Julie Fitzgerald | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic |
Source:

## Statistics
### Top scorers

| Player | Team | GS/GA/G% |
| Romelda Aiken | Queensland Firebirds | 648/779 (83%) |
| Jhaniele Fowler-Reid | Southern Steel | 607/697 (87%) |
| Caitlin Bassett | West Coast Fever | 600/687 (87%) |
| Caitlin Thwaites | New South Wales Swifts | 506/574 (88%) |
| Carla Borrego | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 425/523 (81%) |
| Susan Pettitt | New South Wales Swifts | 422/481 (88%) |
| Karyn Bailey | Melbourne Vixens | 384/444 (86%) |
| Mwai Kumwenda | Mainland Tactix | 371/405 (92%) |
| Cathrine Latu | Northern Mystics | 360/384 (94%) |
| Maria Tutaia | Northern Mystics | 345/363 (95%) |

### Top rebounds

| Player | Team | Rebounds |
| Romelda Aiken | Queensland Firebirds | 110 |
| Jhaniele Fowler-Reid | Southern Steel | 60 |
| Carla Borrego | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 57 |
| Sharni Layton | New South Wales Swifts | 39 |
| Caitlin Bassett | West Coast Fever | 35 |
| Jodi Brown | Central Pulse | 35 |
| Laura Geitz | Queensland Firebirds | 33 |
| Karyn Bailey | Melbourne Vixens | 28 |
| Mwai Kumwenda | Mainland Tactix | 26 |
Sources:

## Media coverage

All 72 games were broadcast live on Fox Sports (Australia). Their commentary team included Liz Ellis, Sharelle McMahon, Catherine Cox and Kelli Underwood. Sunday afternoon's Match Of The Round were also broadcast live on One. Sky Sport (New Zealand) remained as the principal broadcast partner in New Zealand. Māori Television broadcast one full match replay on Te Reo while Prime TV showed highlights.