The sliding door moment for 'awestruck' Diamonds bolter

Jessie Grenvold was in disbelief after earning an Aussie Diamonds call-up. (Getty: James Worsfold) Link copiedShareShare articleWith two rounds left of the regular season, there are still eight teams in the running for the Super Netball premiership. Even if the chances for two of them are quite slim. Round 12 continued the First Nations celebrations of National Reconciliation Week. Beginning on the Sunshine Coast, the Lightning kept their campaign alive with a whopping 20-goal victory, 74-54. This also sealed the Giants' fate as wooden spooners. The Melbourne Mavericks proved they've got what it takes to be serious contenders by securing a 60-57 win over the West Coast Fever. It was the first time they'd beaten them since joining the competition in 2024 and they did it in front of a record home and away crowd for the league. The 13,847 sell-out at Perth Arena supersedes the attendance at the NSW Swifts and Giants double header in round two at Sydney SuperDome by an extra 447 people. Speaking of the Swifts, their players dug deep in response to the news that longstanding coach Briony Akle will need to reapply for her job. Up by 17 in the second quarter, they held off a late challenge by the Queensland Firebirds at Ken Rosewall Arena, 68-62. Lastly, the top two clash between the Adelaide Thunderbirds and Melbourne Vixens was tipped to be an absolute ripper but ended up being an absolute flop. Won by the Thunderbirds on their home turf, 61-42, it could very well determine the minor premiership. Donnell Wallam is the leading Australian goalscorer in Super Netball with a 555 total. (Getty: Albert Perez) Off the court, Diamonds selection is a hot topic after Netball Australia named the 18 players in the national squad for 2025/26. Goal shooter and proud Noongar woman Donnell Wallam has returned to the fold after being demoted to invitee status last year, while defender Jessie Grenvold is a bolter that has earned a call-up in her first year on a full-time contract. If you missed it, don't worry — we'll get you up to speed with our Super Netball round-up. 2025 has been a sliding doors moment for the Mavericks defenders. After leaving Queensland for a colder climate, Tara Hinchliffe had been playing so well. She took Liv Lewis's spot after the goal keeper made a cross-code switch to AFLW and was relishing the opportunity to reunite with former teammate Kim Brown. Then in round three, disaster struck. Hinchliffe was hit with her third ACL injury. Jessie Grenvold warms up for the Melbourne Mavericks. (AAP: Joel Carrett) Before scans confirmed Hinchliffe would be out for the season, third-choice defender Jessie Grenvold was averaging just 18 minutes of court time. Now, she would have to make the step up from impact player to starting GK. In nine rounds since, Grenvold has averaged 52 minutes per game. She sits second in the league for intercepts and is a key reason the Mavericks are on the verge of making finals. Despite being in the early stages of her career, Grenvold's form became too hard for the Australian selectors to ignore. Now she's the newest face in the 2026/27 Diamonds squad. Would this have happened if Lewis had stuck with netball? Or if Hinchliffe had avoided injury? Another layer is that Charlotte Sexton has been selected as a Diamonds invitee. Sexton is in her debut season after being named as Hinchliffe's permanent injury replacement. In an alternate universe she would've never even been a contender. But back to Grenvold, whose selection is a reward for an extremely risky move back in 2023. The South Australian was 20 then and had spent the year with the premiership-winning Thunderbirds as a training partner. The decision to move interstate and join a brand-new team was a big ask. But without it, she wouldn't have worked so closely with Nicole Richardson, who doubles as the Mavericks and Diamonds assistant. So where was Grenvold when she received the call from Diamonds head coach Stacey Marinkovich? Last Tuesday, Grenvold was hosting The Mavs Way podcast when her phone buzzed multiple times, eventually returning the call from the car. "It's been a bit of a crazy year, when all this noise started about a potential Diamonds selection I was just like 'no'," Grenvold told ABC Sport, "It wasn't even a realm of possibility in my mind, I didn't allow myself to dream that dream." "Then when Stacey said congratulations, you've been selected, my head was about to explode and I was struggling to process the conversation … I had to clarify if she meant invitee and when she said I was in the actual squad I freaked out all over again. "I was having a moment, I knew this call was something I was going to remember for the rest of my life … I would've just never seen this for myself." Grenvold is giving world-class shooters much taller than her a run for their money. (AAP: Joel Carrett) Awestruck, Grenvold phoned her parents to tell them on the down low, before she reached out to Richardson t

The sliding door moment for 'awestruck' Diamonds bolter

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