![]() She was a key pillar in the NSW Swifts' charge to the ANZ Championship grand final, and to cap it off won a second-straight player of the year gong in that competition. She's a rock at the heart of Australia's defence and will captain the side next year in the absence of the pregnant Laura Geitz. She speaks her mind in media interviews and holds the mantle as one of Australia's most-loved female athletes. Star of the year: How can you go past the charismatic competitor who is Sharni Layton? She wears her heart on her sleeve in the defensive circle and isn't afraid to rough-up her opponents on the court. The hope is that netball will become the first fully professional sport on the women's landscape within five years. Perhaps most significantly was the more than doubling of the minimum wage, which is now just shy of $30,000. The 80 players across the NNL will share $5.5 million in annual pay, which averages out to almost $70,000 per athlete. Issue of the year: Following on from the National Netball League announcement, the sport took a huge step towards professionalism in Australia with a landmark pay deal. ![]() After nine seasons, the ANZ Championship closed off in style in July with the Queensland Firebirds getting the better of the NSW Swifts in a 69-67 double-overtime thriller – probably the greatest game in league history. Australia's National Netball League will be made up of the five existing national teams, plus three newcomers – the Collingwood Football Club, a second Sydney side linked with the GWS Giants, and a Sunshine Coast outfit affiliated with the Melbourne Storm. Story of the year: Back in May, Netball Australia announced a new national league would begin in 2017, splitting the ANZ Championship into standalone Australian and New Zealand domestic competitions. ![]()
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