Watch the start of the season on Saturday, with all 10 teams in action, live on Sky Sports Mix, Arena and Main Event from 10.45am
Friday 4 January 2019 17:01, UK
With the new Vitality Netball Superleague season just around the corner, Pamela Cookey shares her expert opinion with Sky Sports and selects five players to follow over the coming weeks and months.
On Saturday, all 10 Superleague teams will be taking to the court at Arena Birmingham. Five back-to-back matches, live from 10:45am on Sky Sports Mix, Arena and Main Event, will be starting a blockbuster year of netball with a bang.
Of course a Superleague title isn't won or lost on the first day of the season, but all 10 sides will be eager to start their campaigns off on winning notes in order to build from there.
So, after a pre-season packed with transfer news and talking points, take a look at Cookey's five to follow and read her thoughts about why you should keep a close eye on all of them!
Serena Guthrie. Game Changer.
She's just phenomenal really, another level. She lifts that whole team, she brings that new intensity and the added skill that she's picked up over the years [in the Southern Hemisphere].
I think that will really filter through the rest of the squad, and make them step up to another level, because Bath haven't been in that final for a while now. So that's obviously what they're gunning for.
They've also got two Australian shooters - Beryl Friday and Kim Commane - who can't play on the court at the same time, but both of them in their own right are phenomenal. So, Team Bath have centred their shooting end but definitely Serena is the key.
On court, Ama brings the experience. The experience of not just playing internationally but also in the ANZ League over in New Zealand. She's been hitting the rehab hard and when she returns from her knee injury will be instrumental.
London Pulse have a really exciting, young group of players coming through - so I think having Ama in the back to guide them is what she'll bring to the side.
Also, her skill level. She reads the game so well and comes out for interceptions that you just think sometimes aren't even possible. Then, she's able to feed that ball back down the court. I think that her partnership with Malawi's Loreen Ngwira will be an interesting one to see develop as well.
I'm selecting Georgia because she's been at Team Northumbria, she's been at Celtic Dragons and she's not really reached her potential yet.
But, I think with Sam Bird as the Stars' head coach and Maryka Holtzhausen at GA, I believe that she could really shine in this squad. I'm really keen to see how she develops over the course of the coming Superleague season.
Lightning's new shooter, who we saw in the Test series just gone, is 6ft 7in and a former World University MVP.
She's really rangy, has a great split landing and can shoot as well. Loughborough have the players that can feed a tall shooter too - they obviously were feeding Peace [Proscovia] last season.
I was a bit worried for Sara [Bayman] when Peace went and Lightning hadn't named another shooter but now they've brought Mary in, I think that they're back in it to win it.
She's come on a long way since I first saw her in Storm's NPL squad. Now, she's developed and she's going to have to be Storm's go-to Goal Attack this season
After seeing her play in pre-season at the Tri Series that took place when Team Bath hosted Storm and Saracens Mavericks, I think she's really shining in that position. This young shooter was really taking it on and played really well in that series.
A huge 2019 for netball on Sky Sports gets underway on Saturday January 5 with all 10 teams in action, coverage on Sky Sports Mix, Arena and Main Event begins at 10.45am.
