ONES TO WATCH

It is difficult at this stage to predict who will take on most Super Shots when the NSL gets underway. Everything will depend on the state of the game, as well as the confidence levels of the shooters, but we do know that there are a few athletes who are rightly renowned for their long bomb prowess. Here we profile three of them.

Rhea Dixon

(Nottingham Forest Netball) GA, GS, WA

Making her international debut for Jamaica in November of last year against the Vitality Roses, Sunshine Girl Rhea Dixon is going places. So much so that the 27-year-old was named Most Valuable Player in the final game of the Vitality Netball Horizon Series as Jamacia took the inaugural Hornsby Rhone Trophy. Last week she was back in Kingston to help the Sunshine Girls beat the SPAR Proteas in a three-match series.

Dixon started out with Surrey Storm in the NSL in 2017 before moving to Leeds Rhinos in 2021 and then Loughborough Lightning in 2023, with whom she won back-to-back titles. Her attacking play is notable for her willingness to take on long shots, usually successfully! With an eye on continued improvement, she has been dedicating herself to intense training sessions under the guidance of new coach Chelsea Pitman, who is leading Nottingham Forest. “I’m working closely on individual and team improvements before we start the season,” Dixon said.

Sophie Kelly

(London Pulse) GA, GS, WA

20-year-old Sophie Kelly started out her NSL life with Surrey Storm back in 2021 at the age of 16, before moving over to Team Bath Netball in 2023. She scored 223 goals in her first year and 291 last season, before signing for London Pulse in September.

She was a member of the Roses Academy between 2019 and 2023 and has won Europe Netball gold with England at U17 and U21 level. She was selected in the Future Roses programme for the first time in 2024-25 and her long-shot prowess might well see her get significant game time alongside Olivia Tchine as Pulse look to continue their stellar NSL rise. Kelly says: “Playing with Liv is going to be so good. It’ll help me so much and I think I can learn a lot.”

Kelly has been touring Australia with the England U21s in January as part of a 16-strong squad taking on both Australia and New Zealand and she is eligible to feature in the Netball World Youth Cup taking place in Gibraltar in September. This is Kelly’s second trip Down Under in a matter of months as she also took part in the 2024 FAST5 Netball World Series in New Zealand, meaning she is no stranger to taking long-range shots to score extra goals for her team.

Paige Reed

(Manchester Thunder) GA, GS

27-year-old Paige Reed first played netball at Hucclecote Netball Club, which provided her with strong foundations, leading to a blossoming domestic and now international netball career.

Reed represented her country at U19 and U21 level and was a regular starter for Severn Stars during the 2022 NSL season, having begun her career with Team Bath. In October 2022, she received her first senior call-up, being named in the England squad to face Uganda and she also represented England in the FAST5 Netball World Series held later that year in New Zealand.

The following year, she travelled back to New Zealand for another FAST5 Netball World Series and was named Player of the Series thanks to her impressive long-range shooting.

After a year at Leeds Rhinos in 2023, she moved to Manchester Thunder in 2024, and she was elevated to the Vitality Roses programme for the 2024-25 season after two years in the Future Roses programme. She could make her senior international debut if she takes to court in the Vitality Netball Nations Cup starting on 1 February.