It’s Fast. It’s Furious. It’s Fast5 Netball!

SKY Sport NZ’s Jenny Woods joins the commentary team for this weekend’s Fast5 Netball World Series – she previews the event in the latest Commentator’s Call…

The last hurrah for the 2016 international Netball season will be heard this weekend in Melbourne.  And if the Fast5 Netball World Series can pick up where the event left off in 2014, “heard” is the word.

The three years Fast5 was held in Auckland saw the development of a fabulous finale to the Netball year.  The crowd is a huge part of this tournament, bringing their “A” game in the form of colour, costumes and conviviality.  It’s to be hoped those rolling up at Hisense Arena do the same.

New Zealand  - the FAST5 Ferns - are the masters of this type of Netball. They won two of the three FastNet tournaments in England from 2009, and once the rules were tweaked to become Fast5 in 2012, have never lost a game.

Maria Tutaia is the captain of the FAST5 Ferns, and the only member of the team who’s played Fast5 before.  Her style of game is made for this form of Netball, and expect her to be the star of the show.  The long bomb is the secret to success in Fast5, and if that last Constellation Cup Test is anything to go by, Tutaia’s shot is as good as ever.

Look out also for Gina Crampton, Jane Watson, Te Paea Selby-Rickit, and it will be interesting to see what sort of impact Magic youngster Kelly Jury has in Fast5.

One country in particular which wants to take the air out of New Zealand’s Fast5 tyres is Australia.  They’ve won everything else in Netball, but not this. 

The Fast5Flyers had the ignominy of coming last in Auckland in 2012, and the hurt showed.  Jane Searle and Jane Woodlands-Thompson were installed as coaches, and the Flyers have been runners-up in the two tournaments since.    

England has a nicely-balanced team of experienced and fresh faces, and is one country that always embraces the spirit of Fast5.  They have their own long bomber in the form of Jo Harten, and for the first time the great Geva Mentor takes to the magenta court.

Malawi will have virtually its strongest possible side in Melbourne. Mwai Kumwenda’s in charge and by the end of the weekend it can be guaranteed that – unless they’re playing Australia – they’ll be everyone’s favourites.

Jamaica have brought Althea Byfield out of retirement to lead the Sunshine Girls. There’s no Romelda Aiken or Jhaniele Fowler-Reid this year, but the close-range shooting style doesn’t suit  Fast5 anyway.

South Africa rounds out the six with a relatively unknown team of 10, but watch for the return of the effervescent Vanes-Mari du Toit.    There’s also the international introduction of Fikile Mkhuzangwe -  a defender who’s also graced the cover of Marie Claire magazine.  

NZ-based fans can catch all the action LIVE on SKY Sport 2 over the weekend – be sure to set yourself a reminder, it’ll be a cracking way to end the Netball season!