Jane Watson

Long-serving Silver Ferns defender who captained Mainland Tactix and won the 2019 Netball World Cup.

Jane Watson overcame heart problems requiring a pacemaker and a hospitalising bout of diphtheria in her teenage years to become one of the finest defensive midcourters in world netball, winning the 2019 World Cup with New Zealand and claiming ANZ Premiership Player of the Year honours in 2017 and 2020. She suffered serious health setbacks as a teenager, including heart problems requiring a pacemaker and a bout of diphtheria that hospitalised her, before attending Lincoln University on a netball scholarship. Watson made her Silver Ferns debut in August 2016 against England and went on to earn 66 Test caps, playing a central role in New Zealand's stunning 52-51 win over Australia in the final of the 2019 Netball World Cup in Liverpool. She co-captained the Silver Ferns alongside Gina Crampton during the 2021 Constellation Cup win, and was twice named ANZ Premiership Player of the Year, in 2017 with the Southern Steel and again in 2020 with Mainland Tactix. Watson spent over a decade with Mainland Tactix, captaining the club from 2018 to 2021 and reaching her 150th league game in 2024, having previously won the inaugural 2017 ANZ Premiership title with Southern Steel. In 2026, after 15 seasons entirely in New Zealand, she made her first move to Australia's Super Netball with Giants Netball, but an injury limited her involvement and she retired at the end of the season, drawing the curtain on a career that took in 66 Tests, a World Cup and dual Player of the Year awards.

Tall, athletic defender with a dynamic vertical leap, long reach and relentless ability to hunt down intercepts

Regarded as one of the finest one-on-one defenders New Zealand netball has produced, known for durability and a fierce competitive edge across 15 top-level seasons

• Netball World Cup gold 2019
• Constellation Cup 2021
• ANZ Premiership title 2017
• ANZ Premiership Player of the Year 2017 & 2020