The Goal Circle

Well, well, WELL! We are BACK after a COLOSSAL hiatus to see the netball landscape changed so much and WOW do we have a show (including Abbey’s little one giving a cameo for a minute or two!). We go all IN on the 2026 SSN teams! Who do we think is the best? Who do we think is a DARK HORSE? 

This is it, listeners! The FINAL episode of The Goal Circle! We discuss, naturally, the grand final which saw the Fever FINALLY come out the victors and the netball landscape change. We also have a few thank yous and parting thoughts for ya'll.on toFrom the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for devoting your time to discussing netball with us, listening to the show and engaging with the wider netball community. We're proud to have been able to deliver the show to you for 7 years, but it's time for us to retire and move onto new things!Get in touch with us on Twitter! @BLT_86, @bleekster and @abbey_mcculloch.The Facebook page will remain active! So keep chatting with us there :)Shoot us an email at [email protected] or [email protected]'ll be around! So please keep in touch. LOVE YA!

Well... hasn't the last 48 hours been eventful? Who said netball can't be exciting! Who said netball and the powers that be would continue to make minute-to-midnight decisions that change the shape of the sport? The Super Netball once again DELIVERS and so naturally Nick and Luke dissect the big grand final venue news and talk a little about the state of the ladder!

The LEGEND that is Cath Cox joins us on the show this week to discuss the state of netball in 2022 (it's GOOD!), the nervousness of picking the Diamonds as well as the importance of grassroots netball funding through the Woolworths Pick Fresh, Play Fresh grants! If you're an association or club looking to build on the future then we've chucked all the info you need below! 👇 Entries for Woolworths Pick Fresh Play Fresh Grants are now open for netball clubs and associations! Head to pickfreshplayfresh.netball.com.au/grants to apply for your club before Sunday, 19 June!Woolworths NetSetGO is Australia’s official netball starter program for girls and boys aged 5 – 10, an extension of their Pick Fresh Play Fresh campaign aiming to improve the health and well-being of Aussie kids through netball.Woolies is currently supporting grassroots netball through Woolworths Pick Fresh Play Fresh grants - grants of $5,000 and $10,000 up for grabs for netball clubs and associations throughout Australia so that they can improve their facilities and netball activities.Entries are now open until Sunday, 19 June!More information on the Woolworths Pick Fresh Play Fresh Grants can be seen here: https://pickfreshplayfresh.netball.com.au/grants/

The Diamonds squad has been DROPPED so we react straight after the announcement with a cheeky hot take or two! THEN we drop our ups and downs from the last few SSN rounds. Ain’t that bloody good!

On this week's episode, we are in LOVE with a finely tuned Firebirds side that demolished the Lightning, we're not surprised by the Fever's hot rollin' through the league and we're absolutely enamoured by the youngsters getting a go across the SSN.  Per4orm Netball: https://www.per4ormnetball.com.au/

WARNING: We had major issues with our recording for this one, unfortunately! So you'll be listening to a Zoom call which Nick has tried insanely hard to salvage. BUT on this episode, we discuss all things round 1 of the Super Netball! The Fever demolish the Lightning (what will Sunny Coast do?!) how do the Swifts replace a treasure like Sam Wallace, and the Thunderbirds get on the board early! It's all RIGHT here. Sorry about the audio!

The SSN is nearly hereeeee and we are BIG TIME BACK NOW! On this short and sweet number ahead of the first centre pass of the season, all three of us deliver some FIRIN' takes on what to expect from round 1 of the Suncorp Super Netball!  We've got a new host at Simplecast, so please email us at [email protected] or DM/@ us on Twitter to let us know if you have ANY issues on your podcast feed!

Aww YEAH! The Suncorp Super Netball is nearly back and we're here to CHAT and dust off the cobwebs after a few months of being dormant! So we get IN on the upcoming Team Girls Cup and predict who takes the victory and how the teams are going to approach the pre-season CLASH! WE BACKKKK.

IT'S BEEN A WHILEEEEEEE! But we're BACK for a free agency analysis via ZOOM. You'll hear Abs the clearest she's EVER been! There's all the tea in the world, some cheeky teases and we answer YOUR questions as the free agency dust settles. Netball pls come back SOON!

WE ARE BACK AGAINNN! Virtually, once more, as Luke got the traffic timing wrong to Nick's new place but that doesn't stop us! We dive RIGHT IN on the Super Netball, what the Swifts did right and where the Giants struggled BUT we also have a QUICK chat about free agency and the status of a few players. Sadly, NO riddles appear from Luke but there might be a few predictions in here that will make your head spin WHOA!

WHOA! It's a SURPRISE pre-Grand Final show that we recorded literally TWO HOURS before the game INSIDE Nissan Arena! So naturally, we keep it nice and trim so you can get some discussion going before the game. It's all SYDNEY DERBY, BABY!

It's an ALL-TIMER from us as Nick and Luke FIGHT over who flops worse (it's Luke) and Abbey has to witness it and deal with it hehe. We also discuss the 2032 Netball bid, the Diamonds selections and the notable omissions and inclusions PLUS SEMI-FINALS NETBALL IS HERE BABY LET'S GO!

WOW! This episode title makes no sense because Nick absolutely cooked the outro and now we've roasting him forever via the episode title. BUT WE ARE BACK! Fair warning: Luke and Abs are both tuning in via phone as the lockdown in QLD meant no in-studio taping, unfortunately. So we take a different approach this week and go in TEAM BY TEAM to discuss where they're at in the competition but their future beyond the 2021 Super Netball season!

It is a COLOSSAL episode today where Abs SHOCKS everyone with another swear word WHOA! We dive right into the new South Australian hub and the remarkably quick and transparent job new CEO Kelly Ryan has done in ensuring the Super Netball finishes its season. PLUS we go in on all the round 10 goods ahead of this weekends games! A LEGENDARY EPISODE ONCE MORE

A little LESS spice this week as we dive into a round of SURPRISES and UPSETS! WOW. We talk about the Giants slide at the moment, how impressive the Fever and Swifts game was, the choke of all chokes from the Lightning and ICE COLD GEORGIE HORJUS

BIG TIME LANGUAGE WARNING! There are a lot of swears (from Nick, of course) in this JAM-PACKED episode of netball goodness where we dive into the Fever Vixens drama that unfolded last week and the SSN's lack of response across the board BUT it's not all doom and gloom! We also talk mad shop about the back end of the season and who has surprised and NOT surprised us! This might be a true TGC CLASSIC!?

ROUND SEVENNNN is over and the Lightning played one of their best games in yonks, the Vixens had one of their worst games in yonks and Nick thinks the Swifts were pretty stinky this weekend so please forgive him for being a bit harsh on the Swifts but also beat him up if you need to. Oh and the Fever are still unstoppable!

Luke is in lockdown, Nick is lonely and ABBEY RETURNS! The Fever are still RED HOT this season, while the Thunderbirds notched their first solid win against a Vixens team that is still struggling to keep their finals hopes alive. Do the Lightning need to just accept the super shot and launch it? Where does Rahni Samason sit in all the lineup dramas? SO MANY QUESTIONS WHICH WE ANSWER THIS WEEK!

RAHNI SAMASONNNNNNNNNNNN. Also Luke has a nice shirt, Nick teaches a thing or two about his Superleague training AND we discuss one of the greatest rounds of netball we've seen in AGES. Should Harten have shot the ball? Who beats the Fever? What's going on with the Firebirds? Is USC Stadium's crowd the best? LOTS OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS IN THIS ONE!

AWWW YEAH! We love FILMS! So we had a chat with Director Nathan Dart about his time constructing and telling the incredible story of those involved and playing men's netball in Australia for his upcoming documentary "Rising to the Occasion"!

In this week's episode, Luke and Nick talk about Kaylia Stanton's confidence and the Vixens current woes, the win/lose mentality of the Firebirds, the coaching decisions and in-game decisions of the Swifts and also mourn Luke's professional tennis career. POUR ONE OUT FOR LUKE.LOVE YOU, VICTORIANS. STAY SAFE!

There's a BIT OF SPICE to this one as Luke ATTACKS NICK omg! All while the squad dollops out some Fever love after their trouncing of the Lightning, how smooooth the Giants are playing and Abbey dishes out some sweet, sweet facts about a struggling Vixens side! If you love ingredients then this is the receipt for you!

It's a LATE ONE this week as we get the p(opc)orn and settle in ahead of round 3! Who takes out the win for Magpies and Thunderbirds? How important is the umpiring for the Lightning Fever game? Who is Ken Rosewall? Because Nick had no idea! Get on ya walk and start listening ahead of this weekend's games!

Round 1 is over! The Fever look unstoppable despite the speedbumps, the Vixens look frustrated for the first time, the Thunderbirds look lost and the Lightning surprised us all! So guess what? WE DIVE IN DISCUSS ITTTTT in yet ANOTHER classic episode just like every single episode we've ever done... right?

AWW YEAH! THE SUPER NETBALL IS BACK! WE ARE HYPED! So much so that Abbey and Nick keep interrupting each other! Is this the most balanced season heading into SSN? Can the Vixens stay afloat without Liz Watson? How do we think the Fever will fare? OMG SO MANY QUESTIONS! And it's all HERE ahead of this weekend!

NZ NETBALLLLLL! What a way to open up the season, right? In this episode, the squad (Junior, Emmy, Nick & Luke) touch on the results of the first round. The surprising Steel, the magic of the Magic and what do the Tactix do after a huge loss. All that PLUS stats, insights and MORE.

It's a HUGEEEEEEE episode as Junior Levi and Emmy "Queen of Netty TikTok" Blair join us to deliver the ULTIMATE in scouting reports on the ANZ PREMIERSHIPS! PLUS we open the episode with a little post-mortem on the Constellation Cup. LOOK NO FURTHER THAN THIS EPISODE PEEPS!

HOW GOOD IS NETBALL

New Swifts assistant coach and LEGEND of the game Bec Bulley joined us yesterday to chat about her transition to coaching, her time at the Swifts PLUS the fact that Julie Fitzgerald is a bit of a mob boss (just joking, Nick makes that joke halfway through...)

WELCOME TO 2021! We wanted to start HUGE so we asked Kimmy Rav to join the show to discuss her decision to return to the Firebirds, her time at Collingwood, PLUS what it's like being a new mum with a new squad ANDDD a scouting report on the state of the game! It's all here!

We decided to go out with a BANG for 2020! That's right! Firebirds head coach Megan Anderson drops by the have a chat about taking over the coaching duties at the club, she talks about her time over in NZ and differences in play style PLUS underground netball! Thanks for listening this year, gang! ENJOYYYY!

The KWEEN of Netball TikTok, Emmy, joins us BRIGHT AND EARLY to discuss the early days of her netball career, the disconnection between grassroots netball and professional level netball, and what we can do to improve the SSN through new media.

We just had a MONTH break! So this one is a DOOZY, because we talk about EVERY signing from the signing period, which team is strongest, who's on the up and up, ANDDD we go into the hiring news for Magpies and Firebirds! We also try to manifest an SSN coaching role for Abs which she wasn't impressed with at all!We also have an end-of-year survey for you to fill out! This one is to help us with the show's direction next year so we'd love to hear from you!https://forms.gle/MxQwXUZaHHMEid229?fbclid=IwAR2qgZxqXzH0C8H9UEgOYoda7q0F7VA7iW3nYhr8FssGz9VVl1OM_5e6iKw

The Melbourne Vixens WIN IT ALL for Victoria! We go IN on the best grand final in YEARS as the Vixens defeat the Fever. We discuss the positive futures for both teams, the bright, bright futures and learnings for the Fever as well as what's to come for the Vixens with a cheeky bit of signing discussion!Fill out our survey for 2021: https://t.co/NbdQ1Si1o8?amp=1

The GRAND FINAL is nearly 24 hours away and we just HAD to discuss the impending game! How do you shut the Fever down? Can the Vixens get over that premiership bump? PLUS, Abbey drops some nice insights into the Swifts camp after their loss to the Fever a few weeks ago. Enjoy the netball this weekend, gang!

HOLY last 24 hours, Batman! We've fired up the emergency pod mics and dive INTO a totally wild 24 hours of netball news! CBass to the ANZ Prems! Jencke is out at Firebirds! FREE AGENCY EARLY? EXPANSIONS? Okay, sorry we overdid it on the caps but we're still riding the high of netball news and, guess what, it's ALL HERE!

On a slightly PUSHED BACK episode (we taped this last week) we discuss the selection of the Diamonds squad late last week but NOT JUST THAT! We also discuss the upcoming finals and injuries PLUS (wow!) some of the signing rumours swirling around the netball world!

Junior Levi joins the show to discuss the controversy surrounding the Indigenous round of the SSN and helps us deconstruct what we can do to continue to support First Nations athletes in netball. We also dive into the upcoming Cadbury series with a sprinkling of Diamonds selections news!

In a MEGA episode, we dive into the storylines for the Fever and their current run of success, the Magpies and the disappointing season and the Firebirds and future expectations! We also discuss the Diamonds potential starting 7 AND Nat Medhurst's retirement! Wowee! We also recorded this at like 7am this morning so we sound nice and tired YAY!

FINALLY! We have a new Diamonds coach! An unexpected pick? Well, you'll find out once you listen as we discuss Stacey Marinkovich's appointment to the top job. PLUS, we do a quick speed-round of the weekend's games and answer some more listener questions!

The Magpies continue to struggle, the Giants and Firebirds DUKE it out for a point of supremacy PLUS the Vixens and Swifts get their REVENGE! Rounds 6 and 7 delivered the goods and GUESS WHAT? We talk about it ALL as we reach the midway point of the season. OH and we answer some listener questions too!

Woweeee! Round 5 featured one of - if not - the most controversial games in SSN history with a full-blown send off! So, naturally, we talk A LOT about it! BUT then we also dive into the other three games! The Thunderbirds look red hot, the Vixens look like they're BACK and the Firebirds and Swifts had just a good damn game! It's all here as usual so LET'S LISTEN!

Round FOUR was terrific (yes, we skipped round 3 because we're strapped for TIME) because there's upsets, draws (EW) and courage under fire! The Thunderbirds looked perfect against the Vixens, the Lightning returned to form, the Giants look disinterested and the Fever scrape by with a close one against Collingwood. And guess what? ROUND FIVE STARTS TODAY AHH. Let's get more netty!

Round 2 finished YESTERDAY and Round 3 starts TOMORROW? Whoa, okay. Well, you're getting the meat and potatoes this episode as all three of us dive into round 2! How good did the Thunderbirds look! The Firebirds were crushed?! What about Lightning's injury management or the GAME OF THE YEAR SO FAR? Can't believe round 3 is tomorrow...

WEEK ONE IS OVER so Luke and Nick sit down to discuss the week that was. We drop some SUPERshot thoughts on the Firebirds insane opening quarters, the Sydney rivalry between the Swifts and Giants AND the beauty of the rolling subs. LET'S GET IT!

NETBALL IS BACK OHH MY GOD! That's right! We're cutting it fine by releasing this one on the DAY of the return of our beloved sport! So we go quickly into our predictions for the season, a few updates from the Giants as well as some commentary on the rolling subs! WELCOME HOME, EVERYONE! It's good to be back!

HAYOO! Liz Watson joined us earlier this week to discuss what may be happening with the Melbourne teams during the pandemic (hint: even they don't know), her love of Simone McKinnis as a coach and a human, what the Vixens have been doing after the announcement of the Supershot AND her time at the Diamonds. WOWZERS! It's ALL HERE!

Junior BACKS IT UP with another episode on the show, but this time it's all about him, baby! Junior discusses his journey through the indoor netball ranks, his experiences battling the Silver Ferns as well as the different club cultures he's experienced over the years.

Junior Levi joins the THE INTERNATIONAL this week to discuss the state of the ANZ Premierships, his picks to win and his finals picks PLUS Junior shares some amazing insights into each of the playing groups and speaks more on the coming "Golden Age" of New Zealand netball!