2015 Foxtel ANZ Championship All-Star team named

Thursday 18 June 2015

2015 Foxtel ANZ Championship All-Star team named

The ANZ Championship is pleased to announce the 2015 Foxtel ANZ Championship All-Star Team.

The All-Star Team, into its fifth year, recognises the most outstanding players in the respective positions and a coach over the course of a season.

The NSW Swifts have created history by providing a record four players in the 2015 line-up while West Coast Fever’s outstanding season was recognised with their first ever selections through goal shooter Caitlin Bassett and coach Stacey Rosman.

For the third year running, the Foxtel ANZ Championship All-Star Team has been voted entirely by fans with thousands logging onto the ANZ Championship website (www.anz-championship.com) to submit their selections.

Four players have earned selection in the Foxtel ANZ Championship All-Star team for the first time while Swifts pair Susan Pettitt and captain Kimberlee Green are the only players returning from the 2014 side.

ANZ Championship General Manager Andy Crook said the final seven – and coach – are all deserving of the accolade.

“Securing a place in the 2015 Foxtel ANZ Championship All-Star Team is no easy feat given the quality of athletes we have in this league,” Crook said.

“Once again we’re thrilled by the response of our fans who have submitted a record number of votes and all seven players selected are worthy of this prestigious accolade.

“I wish to congratulate the seven players and the coach chosen in the 2015 Foxtel ANZ Championship All-Star Team.”

The 2015 Foxtel ANZ Championship All-Star team:

GOAL SHOOTER: Caitlin Bassett, West Coast Fever.

The towering shooter was a major reason behind Fever’s first ever ANZ Championship Finals appearance. Bassett became the first Australian player to top the league’s goalscoring table at end of the regular season and finished the year with exactly 600 goals at an average of just under 43 goals per match.

GOAL ATTACK: Susan Pettitt, NSW Swifts.

A career-best season has earned Pettitt selection for the second straight season in the keenly sought-after goal attack position. The 31-year-old has shot 395 goals at an average of just under 25 goals per match and is one of three Swifts players to have registered more than 100 goal assists (104).

WING ATTACK: Kimberlee Green, NSW Swifts.

It’s the second straight season the Swifts captain has earned selection in the Foxtel ANZ Championship All-Star Team debut, but she shifts positions after being voted the best centre in 2014. It was another consistent season by Green, who was again among the top players for goal assists (167) and has led the Swifts into their first Grand Final appearance since 2008.

CENTRE: Kim Ravaillion, Mission Queensland Firebirds.

The 21-year-old has become one of the competition’s elite centres and earns selection in the Foxtel ANZ Championship All-Star team for the first time. She is the first Firebirds player chosen in the All-Star team since Romelda Aiken in 2011. Ravaillion is ranked among the league’s best for goal assists (151) and pick ups (32).

WING DEFENCE: Serena Guthrie, SKYCITY Mystics.

Her selection caps off an outstanding debut season for the England international. Guthrie was also named the Best New Talent and was a pivotal part of helping the Mystics top the New Zealand Conference table at the end of the regular season. Renowned for her speed and athleticism, the 25-year-old was the third best player in the league for intercepts (31).

GOAL DEFENCE: Julie Corletto, NSW Swifts.

This is the second time that Corletto has been named in the Foxtel ANZ Championship All-Star and, like Green, in a new position. In 2012 she was named at wing defence while playing for the Melbourne Vixens. Injury-free, Corletto has flourished on her return to Australia after two seasons with the Mystics and been a valuable partner to Sharni Layton in the Swifts defensive circle.

GOAL KEEPER: Sharni Layton, NSW Swifts.

Earns selection in the Foxtel ANZ Championship All-Star team for the first time and is arguably in career-best form. Layton is the top-ranked player in the league in all the major defensive stats categories – deflections (102), gains (82), intercepts (46), and defensive rebounds (36). A fierce competitor, Layton’s combination with Corletto has been a major factor behind the Swifts rise into the Grand Final.

COACH: Stacey Rosman, West Coast Fever

It was a fantastic start to her coaching career for the former Fever captain, leading her side into the first ever ANZ Championship Finals campaign on the back of the team’s best season in their eight-year history where they went nine matches before suffering their first loss. Rosman is the fifth different coach in five years of the Foxtel ANZ Championship All-Star Team.

The 2015 ANZ Championship Grand Final between the Mission Queensland Firebirds and NSW Swifts is on Sunday 21 June at Brisbane Entertainment Centre at 12.10pm (AEST). Don’t miss a minute of action with the 2015 ANZ Championship Grand Final broadcast live on FOX SPORTS, ONE and Netball Live app in Australia and SKY Sport in New Zealand.

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