Netball Super League | Cardiff Dragons squad set for Netball Super League 2024

The newly renamed Cardiff Dragons have their complete line-up for the 2024 Netball Super League season.

Nine players have left the Welsh franchise during the Signing Window with Clare Jones announcing her retirement and Shaquanda Greene-Noel confirming she’ll be focussing on her business away from netball. Meanwhile, Ella Powell-Davies and Celyn Emanuel have moved to Severn Stars and Leeds Rhinos respectively.

But in their place, Dragons have named a squad which features a mixture of returning stars, international experience and bright young prospects.

10 years on after making her debut with the Franchise, Wales captain Nia Jones will return to Dragons, hoping to add to her 64 appearances. This is Jones’ third spell with the club after spells with Severn Stars and Leeds Rhinos as well as Reading Football Club between 2015-2017.

She’s joined by her 2023 Rhinos teammate Elle McDonald who experienced her first taste of the NSL last season. The Vitality Rose comes with valuable experience from the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) league and will be travelling out with England at the end of this month to play against New Zealand in a three-match test series. Joining them in the middle, South Africa international Khanyisa Chawane, who is back in the NSL after a short spell with Team Bath in 2020, cut short by COVID, and Beth Ecuyer-Dale who has left Saracens Mavericks after seven years at the Franchise.

In the shooting circle, Georgia Rowe returns to spearhead the Dragons attack after an impressive World Cup campaign where she received the Player of the Match award during Wales win over Scotland which earnt them ninth place. Over the past four seasons, Rowe has notched up over 90% shooting accuracy in the NSL. She’ll be joined under the post by her Feathers’ teammate Phillipa Yarranton, versatile attacker Laura Rudland and new signing from Team Bath Hannah Passmore who has risen through their pathway and played for England at U21 level, alongside

Meanwhile, at the back of the court, Leah Middleton has swapped duck egg blue for green as she crosses the border to Cardiff. The former Surrey Storm defender spent four years at Surrey Sports Park after making the move from the Queensland Firebirds in Australia and last season helped her side reach their first Grand Final since 2016. She’ll be joined by former Collingwood Magpie, Jacqui Newton who has spent the last five years playing in the SSN and Lucy Howells and Nansi Kuti who were part of the Wales squad out in South Africa over the summer.

Jill McIntosh will return at the helm at Cardiff Dragons after coming in midway through the 2023 season. The former Australian Diamonds Captain and Head Coach is looking forward to working with her newly formed side.

“I am thrilled to be returning to the Head Coach position with the Cardiff Dragons for the 2024 NSL season. Having had a small stint with the Dragons in the 2023 NSL season I look forward to working with the returning athletes as well as some new and exciting athletes who will join the Cardiff Dragons franchise for the upcoming season.

“The 2024 NSL season will hopefully see the Cardiff Dragons as a very competitive outfit who will do very well.”