The Melbourne Mavericks are thrilled to announce that the club’s inaugural MVP, Shimona Jok, has re-signed for the 2026 Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) season.
Jok’s story is a well-known one of resilience, transformation and triumph. After the collapse of her former club, the Collingwood Magpies, Jok was initially looked over for a contracted 10 position within the League heading into the 2024 SSN season.
She opted to join the Mavs for their inaugural season as a Training Partner and through a series of events – including a mountain of hard work – she earned herself a spot on the court, playing at the highest level in the best netball league in the world, week after week. Jok capped off her remarkable netball transformation by being crowned the Mavs first-ever Most Valuable Player.
In season 2025, as one of the Mavs’ contracted 10 players Jok cemented her place as the team’s starting goal shooter. She played all 14 games, amassing a total of 937 Net Points whilst shooting 635 goals for the season – the third most in the League. This capped off another season of personal career highlights for Jok, who celebrated her 100th national league game in Round 3, and notched her 4000th national league goal in Round 4.
A proud Jamaican, Jok has represented the Sunshine Girls on the international stage since 2017, including appearances at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2023 Netball World Cup in Cape Town – benchmark major tournaments she has her eyes on reaching again within the next four-year cycle.
Reflecting on her journey, Jok said she was really grateful for where her netball has taken her to date.
“It’s been talked about a lot, but to go from being without a contract last year to MVP, to now re-signing with the Mavs until the end of next season – its really nice to have certainty as to where I will be playing in the future. Obviously, from a team perspective, this season didn’t play out as we hoped, but every single day in this environment, I’ve flourished. I’ve grown not just as a player, but as a person. I’m so grateful to the Mavs for believing in me and I really believe in what we’re building here, so I can’t wait to have a short break, re-set, and get stuck in again in 2026.”
Mavs General Manager, Shae Bolton-Brown, praised Jok’s impact on and off the court.
“Shimona embodies everything we want this club to stand for - grit, growth and heart. Her journey from Training Partner to MVP last year was nothing short of inspirational, as was the way she’s come out again this year and put out consistent performances that prove 2024 was not just a flash in the pan.
“Without a doubt, she’s a Mavs fan favourite, she epitomises what it means to be a Maverick, so we’re thrilled to have her in our colours again in 2026.”
Jok’s re-signing marks another key piece of the Mavs’ 2026 roster puzzle, as the club continues to build toward sustained success in the league. Jok joins Kim Brown and Amy Parmenter as current Mavs committed to the club until at least the end of the 2026 season.
[With the current Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) broadcast and digital rights deal between Netball Australia and the Foxtel Group expiring at the end of next year, the end of the 2026 SSN season is the longest any club can contract a player for this point in time.]
