Netballer cops 'hurtful' criticism for returning 10 weeks post-baby

Paige Hadley returns to Super Netball just 10 weeks after giving birth to her baby boy Tully. (NSW Swifts) Link copiedShareShare articleRound nine felt rather wholesome. On Mother's Day weekend, Super Netball paid tribute to the women who shape our game and celebrated the mums entertaining us in the world's best league. Following last year's baby boom, there are now eight mothers playing in 2026: Romelda Aiken-George, Mary Cholhok, Gina Crampton, Emily Mannix, Maddy Proud, Shamera Sterling-Humphrey and Jane Watson. Oh, and Paige Hadley of course, who returned to the court on Saturday just 10 weeks after giving birth to her son Tully. We're going to spotlight Hadley's story this week. Her shock return is one example of what makes our female-led sport so great. These female athletes continue to defy expectations, break taboos and redefine what's possible. We also want to celebrate Aiken-George, who levelled Cath Cox's 12-year record of 254 national netball league appearances. Next week, in round 10, she'll break it, so more on her then. In terms of results, there were no changes to the ladder for the top four but there was movement below the finals line. On Saturday, the NSW Swifts held their annual Pride Bowl against the Sunshine Coast Lightning, championing LGBTIQA+ diversity and capping Hadley's return with a 70-56 win. This saw them leapfrog both Queensland sides to join the race for fourth place. Teams that have struggled to find consistency are starting to become visibly frustrated as we near the pointy end of the season. There were sprays in the huddles of the Firebirds, West Coast Fever and Melbourne Mavericks. Two of these had the desired effect. Defender Fran Williams told her West Coast Fever teammates they needed to stop "feeling sorry for themselves" and "having a pity party," as they lost to the Adelaide Thunderbirds, 65-45. Queensland Firebirds coach Kiri Wills let the mic drop during a timeout in the third quarter, when she asked her side to take responsibility for their poor transition and then stormed to the bench. They won the period but could not save the match against the Melbourne Vixens, 71-48. Mavericks coach Gerard Murphy demanded more of his attackers, "You're not awake clearly because you can tell by the way you're playing out there." They went on to beat the Giants 60-41 and tally their third straight victory for the first time ever as a club. If you missed it, don't worry — we'll get you up to speed with our Super Netball Round-Up. Last August, less than a month after playing a full 60 minutes in a preliminary final, Swifts legend Paige Hadley announced her pregnancy. The then-captain of the club and Aussie Diamonds vice had actually found out back in round four but decided to keep it close to her chest. Straightaway, she knew she wanted to continue playing and post-birth try and make it back at some point during the next season, knowing a career as an elite athlete doesn't last forever. Paige Hadley is the longest-serving player of the Swifts, with 186 national netball league caps and two premierships. (Getty Images: Albert Perez) "In the netball world, news spreads quite easily, so that was tough in itself playing pretty much the whole season pregnant and not letting your teammates know," Hadley told ABC Sport. "When I came into the system, I was really young at 21, I never thought I would be one of these superwomen that had a break from netball and were able to return like this. "One day I'll be able to show Tully what all these mums have achieved at the highest level." Super Netball's recent baby boom has seen an influx of first-time mothers returning to the league and prolonging their careers. But should we be careful about glorifying their ability to bounce back so quickly? Hadley reached out to fellow mothers in women's sport who had come back quickly, such as former Diamond Gretel Bueta, who made headlines in 2021 for returning four months on, and rugby league footballer Caitlan Johnston-Green, who returned after 11 weeks to the NRLW. They encouraged her to stay as fit as possible and see a pelvic floor physiotherapist, so Hadley kept training with the Swifts until she was about 38 weeks pregnant. She sought out the services of a physiotherapist outside of netball, Kate Leslie, who currently works with the Sydney Sixers in the WBBL, and saw her regularly pre and post-birth. After Tully entered the world, Hadley did light work in the gym and her pelvic floor exercises before she was cleared to return to running after five weeks. The Swifts and Diamonds put a program together and here we are. Originally earmarked to return in round 10 but getting medical clearance early, coach Briony Akle offered Hadley the opportunity to play at home on Saturday in front of her family and friends on the Mother's Day weekend. Of course, Hadley acknowledges everybody has different circumstances and that she wouldn't have been able to focus on her health so intently w

Netballer cops 'hurtful' criticism for returning 10 weeks post-baby

Key takeaways

More in international