By Brittany Carter
Kelly Singleton’s story is one of incredible resilience, as a young Australian shooter trying to crack a permanent spot in the world’s best Super Netball competition.
The crafty goal attack was always destined for the big stage with her long-range accuracy after coming through the U17s and U19s state pathways and representing the NSW Waratahs.
In 2019, the NSW Swifts signed a then 20-year-old Singleton as a training partner and a year later she made her Super Netball debut.
It was a dream come true for someone that had grown up watching the Swifts.
But under the circumstances, it was also pretty daunting.
The call-up came to enter the 2020 Queensland COVID hub as an extended member of the squad, after Super Netball upped its team-lists from the usual 10 to 12 players to help everyone cope with the intense load of a condensed season.
Still, Singleton got her first taste of what it was like to play at the top and in her two appearances, did enough to earn a training partner contract for 2021, as team rosters returned back to 10 players.
Then in 2022, with Sophie Garbin departing Swifts to join the Collingwood Magpies, Singleton was rewarded her first full-time Super Netball contract.
She was signed as their third shooter, behind the likes of global superstars Sam Wallace-Joseph and Helen Housby, however, Singleton ended up playing a lot more than she’d originally thought after Wallace-Joseph suffered an ACL injury.
Singleton played all 14 games during the regular season that year, lapping up every chance she got to take the court, but alas, a full-time contract wasn’t offered her way the following year.
Little did Singleton know though, she was going to follow in Sophie Garbin’s footsteps one more time, heading to Collingwood herself in 2023 as a permanent injury replacement for Nyah Allen.
It was another key opportunity to play Super Netball, this time in a black and white dress, but Singleton’s resilience would once again be tested.
The Magpies suffered the year from hell, finishing as wooden spooners and finding out the team had been disbanded with multiple rounds to go.
Even so, Singleton still looks back on her time fondly there, the friendships she made and the learnings she took playing alongside Garbin and Jamaican shooter Shimona Jok.
A personal highlight was when the side took on the Giants at Ken Rosewall Arena in round five and Singleton got to put on a show in front of her friends and family, shooting four straight super shots in the final quarter to bring the Magpies home strong.
When Collingwood missed out on finals, Singleton then had the opportunity to come back to Sydney and link up with the Manly Warringah Sapphires instead.
After so much turmoil, it was a much nicer way to finish off 2023, as the side went on to clinch the Opens Premier League title, beating the Eastwood Ryde Hawks 47-46 in the grand final.
Then, the Sunshine Coast Lightning came knocking, as Singleton got a run in their Australian Netball Championship Bolts team alongside the likes of Ava Black, Ash Ervin and Maddie Hinchliffe.
Singleton wasn’t sure what 2024 would therefore have in store for her after such a whirlwind 12 months, particularly when many of her fellow Magpies Super Netball players were struggling to find their next opportunity in the wake of the AFL club’s decision to get rid of their netball team.
Ultimately, the phone rang in November, with Giants head coach Julie Fitzgerald on the end of the line, offering Singleton a training partner contract for this year.
As someone that grew up obsessed with the Swifts, who then went on to don the coveted red dress, Singleton admits she had had to get used to wearing orange.
“It took me a while to adjust to the bright orange, but I’m honestly loving it now,” Singleton laughs.
“I was just at a point in my career when I was like, ‘I still love my netball, I still want to pay at the highest level possible’ so I felt very lucky to get an opportunity with the Giants and I’m soaking it up as much as I can.
“While I’m still loving playing and training hard, why not keep going?
“I got to get on court a bit in the Team Girls Cup while they had players on load management, which was really fun, and I wasn’t nervous at all because of my previous Super Netball experiences – I’ve already faced a lot of those players.
“I had lots of family and friends come to watch, so it was good to have the Team Girls Cup in Sydney for the first time … It was just so much fun.”
The amount of international stars Singleton has rubbed shoulders with at previous Super Netball clubs could be a resume in itself, as she’s picked up little tips from each of them along the way.
The Giants squad is also packed with impressive names and Singleton says she learnt a lot from retired English stalwart Jo Harten.
“During those few good months I had a lot of preseason training with Giants, especially when Sophie Dwyer was away with the Aussie Diamonds for the Nations Cup,” Singleton said.
“I got to work a lot with Jo Harten and my Sapphires teammate Matisse Letherbarrow then, which was so awesome.
“I think when you get to training and you're working alongside any international like, Jo Harten, as well as Sam Winders and Gina Crampton from New Zealand and then Jodi Ann-Ward from Jamaica, you're just like, wow, I'm surrounded by superstars.
“So yeah, I love training with them and now the season is underway we still get at least one court session with them a week, which is good, it’s been so nice meeting a new team.”
Midway through the NSW Providoor Premier League season, the Manly Warringah Sapphires sit third on the ladder in the Opens league.
Their title defence didn’t get off to the best start, as the side were unable to secure a victory in their opening three rounds with two losses and a draw.
By round four though, the side came good, and they’ve now gone on to win six rounds straight.
That included a 70-62 win against the South Coast Blaze in round nine, the biggest total of the night.
Singleton agrees that winning the league last year has definitely put a target on their backs.
“Yeah, it definitely has, but I think that makes it more exciting because it means you’ve got more eyes on you and I kind of like that pressure,” she said.
“Obviously we want to go back-to-back, but it is a long season and the finals are still a little while off, so we’ve just got to take it one week at a time.
“Now we’re finally getting those wins, we just need to keep building from here.
Pleasingly, the side has been able to rely on its U23s talent like Harlym Jennings and Allegra McDonald to help out when they’ve been missing some of their more senior players.
The U23s team is having a solid season too, sitting second on the ladder in the younger division and after suffering a similar shaky start, they’re now on a seven-game winning streak.
Providoor Premier League take place every Wednesday Night at Netball Central and every centre pass, intercept and goal will be streamed live and on demand via netballnsw.tv. Tickets available here
