Netball Super League | Annika Lee-Jones to Join Celtic Dragons from Australia’s Sunshine Coast Lightning

Celtic Dragons have shared the news that dual-end netballer, Annika Lee-Jones will be joining the franchise from Australia’s Sunshine Coast Lightning.

Lee-Jones, 24, who hails from Perth, Western Australia, will be travelling over to Wales ahead of the 2021 Vitality Netball Superleague where she will be linking up with her fellow Dragons. She has featured in Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) league for the last four seasons, having played for West Coast Fever in addition to the Queensland-based Lightning.

Standing at 1.97m tall, Lee-Jones plays at both goal-keeper and goal-shooter, adding a myriad of tactical options to the 2021 Dragons side. She first broke through into elite netball through the Western Australia Under 17 team. From there, she went on to feature for state and Australian squads at all age levels. From age group netball, Lee-Jones went on to feature for Western Sting in the second tier of Australian netball before making it into the West Coast Fever squad for the 2017 SSN season.

Lee-Jones shared her excitement at joining Celtic Dragons for her first taste of the Vitality Netball Superleague. She said: “I’ve signed with the Celtic Dragons to challenge myself week in and week out in a new competition against new opposition. Signing with the Dragons also provided an opportunity for me to increase my versatility and to grow as a player through the diversity of players and playing styles within the Superleague.”

Celtic Dragons Director of Netball, Tania Hoffman was thrilled at securing the services of Lee-Jones. She said: “We are very lucky to have Annika as part of our squad for 2021. She brings with her a wealth of experience of being part of a very successful Australian franchise, training and playing with and against some of the best players in the world. Annika knows what it means to train hard and coming from a full-time programme will be able to share her insights with the rest of the squad.

“The bonus for us is Annika plays both ends of the court and we are looking forward to exploring what that looks like for her and Celtic Dragons. Annika and I have caught up a few times virtually and from our conversations, I know she will fit right into our environment. The squad is super excited to meet Annika and we are really looking forward to her arrival.”

The singing of Annika Lee-Jones means that the Celtic Dragons line-up for 2021 is complete. The squad is now preparing for the beginning of the new season early next year in its Cardiff Met training home.