Jury holds sway at NNZ awards

Defender Kelly Jury has capped another stellar season, both domestically and on the international front, claiming the Dame Lois Muir Supreme Award for 2023.

Jury backed up a rare achievement – sharing the sport’s top accolade with shooter Grace Nweke in 2022 – to be recognised as the best netballer across all competitions and campaigns in her own right last year.

The back-to-back acknowledgement for Jury highlighted a memorable celebration in honouring the sport’s standout players, coaches, umpires, administrators and volunteers at the 2023 New Zealand Netball Awards last night.

Showing consistent improvement and presence on court, Jury pushed her game to impressive new levels through her general play and leadership skills. She has thrived since assuming the Central Pulse co-captaincy duties in 2022.

Southern Steel midcourter Kate Heffernan won the Sandra Edge Medal as the Silver Ferns Player of the Year. Still in the infancy of her international career, it has taken little time for the talented Heffernan to leave her imprint on the netball court.

Jury’s team-mate at the Pulse, dynamic young midcourter Maddy Gordon, was named the winner of the Casey Kopua Trophy as the 2023 ANZ Premiership Player of the Year.

Winner of the Robyn Broughton Cup as the ANZ Premiership Coach of the Year, Tia Winikerei made a memorable start to her tenure as head coach of the Northern Mystics. She ushered in a new era while guiding the team to the ANZ Premiership title in her first season.

In new acknowledgements to highlight success in 2023, Ameliaranne Ekenasio took out the Te Tuaka Rau (Silver Ferns Players’ Award), presented to the player who the players believe best upholds the mana of the Silver Ferns.

Mystics midcourter Elisapeta Toeava clinched the Te Rau Mataaho (ANZ Premiership Players’ Award) presented to the overall best performer in the 2023 ANZ Premiership, as voted by the players.

Leaving an instant impression, promising young Mystics defender Carys Stythe captured the 2023 Aspiring Silver Fern award.

Presented for the first time, the Men’s Player of the Year award went to Wellington’s Thomson Matuku.