The Melbourne Mavericks Reserves are gearing up to play for the first title in the club’s short history, when they take on the West Coast Fever Reserves in this weekend’s 2025 Super Netball (SN) Reserves Grand Final.
The match will be the showpiece event in a week-long tournament played at Waverley Netball Centre, involving all eight SN Reserves franchises, plus three teams representing state member organisations.
With the Fever and Mavs Reserves finishing first and second on the ladder respectively after the seven-round season, both teams automatically progress to the Grand Final.
The Fever Reserves are arguably the team to beat, going through the regular season undefeated, however, the Mavs will be hot on their heels, having only lost one match – to the Fever by three goals – and drawn one, with the Sunshine Coast Lightning Bolts.
It is a huge achievement for the Mavs program, with the club itself being less than two years old, and 2025 being the first time they have entered a team in the Reserves competition.
“We are really proud of the team,” said Mavs Assistant Coach and Head of Pathways, Nicole Richardson. “We were really confident in the team we selected at the start of the season, but we also though that some of the Mavs Training Partners – such as Uneeq Palavi and Jessie Grenvold – might have been more available to the line-up throughout the season, so for them to be clearly in the top two teams in their inaugural season is really a credit to [head coach] Tracey [Brereton], and the entire squad.”
“The Super Netball Reserves is the premier pathway competition for Australian netball talent, so there’s going to be some really great talent on display at Waverley this week,” Richardson – who is also Assistant Coach of the Australian Diamonds – continued.
“Whilst it’s disappointing we won't be able to support the team in person, we’ll be keenly following from afar whilst we’re in Queensland preparing to take on the Firebirds.”
The Mavs Reserves have named the following squad of 13 ahead of this weekend’s game:
Taylah Brown
Eleanor Cardwell
Zoe Davies (vc)
Chloe Duke
Teal Hocking
Charli Hoey
Montana Holmes
Sacha McDonald (c)
Lauren Parkinson
Millie Roach
Eryn Stocker
Mia van Wyk
Emma Walters
Mavs goaler, Eleanor Cardwell, has been named to take to the court in Mavs colours for the first time this season, after she had a second knee surgery in six months on the eve of the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) season.
“This will be a crucial part of El’s return-to-play program and another step to getting her back to being SSN match-ready,” Richardson continued.
“The plan was to have her available for the Mavs Reserves for their double header last weekend, but unfortunately she wasn’t medically cleared. We can’t wait to see her out on court on Sunday.”
SUPER NETBALL RESERVES – GRAND FINAL MATCH DETAILS
Who: West Coast Fever Reserves v Mavs Reserves
When: Sunday 22 June
Where: Waverley Netball Centre
Time: 2.15pm AEST
Tickets: Entry is FREE but all spectators must redeem a ticket here
Broadcast: The SN Reserves Grand Final will be exclusively livestreamed by CODE Sports
