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The Super Netball 2024 season is edging ever closer. We got a glimpse of the competition's best talent during the preseason Team Girls Cup, including young rising talent and competition veterans. But who'll make 2024 their own and breakout above the rest? ESPN takes a look at 10 players who are set to breakout in 2024. Leesa Mi Mi (Sunshine Coast Lightning) This will be Leesa Mi Mi's first full-time contract after spending the last season as a training partner with the Queensland Firebirds, following a successful period with the Brisbane North Cougars in the Hart Sapphire Series. She'll be trading the purple for yellow as she joins the likes of Liz Watson, Ava Black and Mahalia Cassidy in the Lightning midcourt. Fans saw glimpses of Mi Mi at Super Netball level last season where she added an extra bit of speed into the Firebirds midcourt when coming in for Macy Gardner. At the Team Girls Cup, fans had a first look at a Mi Mi and Watson midcourt combination and once it develops it has the potential to be one of the best in the competition. Mi Mi compliments Watson nicely with a punch of speed while Watson is a classy operator and extremely strong once the ball hits circle edge. Not to mention being able to learn from one of the game's greats in the Diamonds captain, will be a huge opportunity for Mi Mi to reach the next level.  Hulita Veve (Queensland Firebirds) Hulita Veve is no stranger to the Firebirds environment having been a 2016 premiership player with the club before welcoming her two children into the world. Since then Veve came back as a Firebirds training partner and every time she's had her chance at Super Netball level, she's taken it with both hands. In 2023, Veve played three games for the Firebirds coming into the lineup for Macy Gardner where she brought a calmness to the court but wasn't afraid to take her chances, going for the intercept or throwing the long feed into Donnell Wallam. Veve also shone at the Netball World Cup in South Africa captaining Tonga Tala where she was instrumental in the midcourt as the country made history in what was their first netball World Cup. Flash forward to 2024 and Veve will be looking to hit the ground running when the season proper starts. With Gabi Simpson moving on from the club, the wing defence bib is up for the taking presuming captain Kim Ravaillion will start in centre upon her return. Macy Gardner (Queensland Firebirds) Fans only saw glimpses of what Macy Gardner could do last season and in the games she played before her injury, she made a huge impact, often changing up the look of the Firebirds attack end when playing across centre and wing attack. Looking forward to 2024, Gardner will be aiming to get a more consistent run after a wrist injury against the Vixens in Round 7 kept her out of the game for the remainder of the season. The 24-year-old will look to lock down a place in the Firebird's midcourt and has the potential to do so this season, injecting both speed and ferocity. If Ravaillion can't get up for the opening round after having spinal surgery before Christmas, Gardner has the potential to slot into centre as she has previously across last season and the Team Girls Cup. Although Nissan Netpoints don't tell the whole story, Gardner had a total of 135 points across the tournament and will be looking to carry that form into the season proper.  Tayla Fraser (Melbourne Mavericks) Tayla Fraser is a prime example of a player set to make her mark in 2024 as she made the move from the Swifts to the Melbourne Mavericks in pursuit of more court time. Sitting behind both Paige Hadley and Maddy Proud in the Swifts attacking midcourt positions, Fraser spent most of 2023 in wing defence while providing cover in attack, but this year she'll finally get the chance to make the attacking roles her own. A dynamic midcourter who brings a fierce and competitive energy to the court, Fraser will be an excellent fit for Mavericks who are attempting to create a fierce and gritty brand of netball. A new franchise still trying to build connections, the Mavericks' midcourt won't click straight away, but Fraser is a proven talent showcasing what she's capable of at the Swifts while out of position, giving her the perfect opportunity to produce more consistently and lead the Mavericks attack. Ashleigh Ervin (Sunshine Coast Lightning) One of the competition's brightest stars, Ash Ervin will be looking to capitalise on a good 2023 campaign with the Lightning as she moves into her second season. A standout for the Lightning, one of her best moments came when she was tasked with containing Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, where she held her own, while collecting three deflections and one intercept. By season's end she'd have 10 intercepts, 19 deflections and 11 rebounds. Ervin will likely be paired with star recruit Courtney Bruce and will rotate across both goal defence and goalkeeper with Tara Hinchliffe as Hinchliffe makes her return off a second ACL injury. Much like Mi Mi, it's a chance for Ervin to learn from one of the best defenders in the game. It'll take some time for the Lightning defence end to gel and Ervin to start to solidify herself into different defensive combinations. Hinchliffe is just coming back into the fold and Bruce has only been in the Lightning environment since February after finishing Diamonds duties. Olivia Wilkinson (West Coast Fever) A new edition at West Coast Fever in 2024 and a former Collingwood training partner, Olivia Wilkinson was a standout at the Australian Netball Championships late last year where she was named MVP in the final after she led the Magpies to victory. Fans got their first glimpse of Wilkinson in the green dress at the Team Girls Cup, and she didn't disappoint. Working nicely with Fever star Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, Wilkinson has the long-range ability that will help the Fever in the Super Shot Period and isn't afraid to put up the shots when her team needs them. She'll be sharing the GA bib with Jamaican International Shanice Beckford and with both of them putting out strong performances on the weekend, Dan Ryan will have two pretty strong options to go to throughout the season. Fellow Fever recruit Kelsey Browne spoke highly of the young goaler with Wilkinson wanting to get better. "I just love Liv Wilkinson," Browne told ESPN. "I think she's going to be a star of netball in years to come. She's a baby in our team and we love her for that, she just brings this energy and the fun mentality where she comes every day and she loves to learn. She also is always asking for feedback, always wanting to get better and her work over the last three months and what she put out at Team Girls Cup is just a credit to her. "She's strong, she has an incredible mindset of wanting to go to the post and be a dominant shooting threat at the Fever and I think we're going to see some amazing netball out of her this year."  Zara Walters (Melbourne Vixens) Coming into the Vixens lineup after Diamonds captain Liz Watson moved over to the Sunshine Coast, Zara Walters has already proven how well she can fit into the Super Netball environment. After spending a few seasons with the Geelong Cougars in the VNL, the Colac product is a very classy operator who can play across all three midcourt positions and will slot into the Vixens midcourt nicely. Walters will be an exciting prospect, not just in 2024 but for many years to come with her midcourt combination with Hannah Mundy only just getting started. It'll also free up Kate Moloney and Kate Eddy with Eddy able to swing into the defensive goal circle and Moloney pushing back to wing defence if that's what's needed. The Vixens won't be losing any firepower in attack by putting Walters in the middle. Across the Team Girls Cup, Walters led the way when it came to Nissan Netpoints scoring 245 points across the tournament and proving to be a force in attack. She also possesses leadership qualities that could potentially see her become a future captain of the club, having captained the U19 Victorian team to a bronze medal back in 2022. Allie Smith (NSW Swifts) Allie Smith comes back into the Swifts lineup after missing a chunk of the season, including the Swifts finals campaign, due to injury. In 2024, she's fit and firing and will be looking to make that wing defence bib at the Swifts her own. Smith played seven games in 2023, including the epic battle against the Vixens at Ken Rosewall Arena, where Smith was swung into goal defence after Maddy Turner was subbed off for a head knock, before she won the game for the Swifts with a match-saving rebound. Smith has shown what she's capable of in the last few years at the Swifts and the Melbourne Vixens, but she's set to go to a new level. Smith is a player who won't give her opponent an inch and spends most of the game working away until the results come. Often flying under the radar with the likes of Sarah Klau and Maddy Turner in the goal ring, she gets under the skin of the opposition and the Swifts reap the rewards. Ava Black (Sunshine Coast Lightning) Much like Ervin, Black had her first taste of Super Netball in 2023 after she was named as a replacement player for Shannon Eagland after the 33-year-old went down with an ACL injury. Black can play across all three positions but she's proving to be a damaging wing defence. She is a pressure queen who's able to apply pressure onto the opposition. A defensive unit of Bruce, Black and either Ervin or Hinchliffe will be an exciting prospect come Round 1 with Black given the opportunity to secure the starting wing defence bib at the club. What will set Lightning apart from teams that have filled their list with Diamonds players, is the core group of young talent that is continuing to develop all over the court and Black is just one example of that.
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