Adelaide Thunderbirds goalie Lauren Frew will continue her remarkable 2024 season when she debuts for the Australian Fast5 side this weekend.
Frew earned her maiden selection in the team on the back of an impressive debut Suncorp Super Netball season, in which she became Thunderbird #109 in Round 1.
Establishing herself as the side’s starting GA, the 22-year-old proved she belonged in the league, finishing the year with 647.5 NNP, 117 goals and 91 goal assists.
The Australian Fast5 team will be competing in Christchurch, New Zealand from November 9-10 as they fight to secure the title for a third-consecutive year.
Frew said it was a dream come true when she got the call up.
“I’m just super excited to put on the green and gold dress and represent Australia because it has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid,” Frew said.
“When I got that call, I was really taken back, I was just so grateful to have been recognised in my first season.”
“It instills another sense of confidence in me that the selectors believe that I can do great things and represent my country.”
From Pink to Green and Gold
The Fast5 format presents a unique set of rules compared to traditional netball, consisting of 2 x 6 minutes halves, with each team receiving one designated ‘Power Play Half’.
The diverse GA/GS said she is looking forward to the challenge of Fast5.
“It’s obviously very different to the normal style of play that we have all played since we were young, but I think it is such a cool new challenge having the one-point, two-point and three-point shots,” Frew said.
“It will be pretty fun just going out there and knowing that you can turn a game by scoring a three point or a six.
“It will be great to play against other countries and I’m excited to match up against other styles of play and work out ways to combat that.”
Frew will be joined by premiership teammates Lucy Austin, who will be making her third Fast5 appearance, and Tayla Williams, who has been selected for a second straight year.
“Going over there with those two is really comforting, just knowing that I’ve got them by my side,” Frew said.
“I’m excited to be able to play with other teammates and it will be good to grow and learn how to play with new people that you have never played with or trained with before.
“We only get a week or so to prep together, so it will be cool to see how those relationships will unfold in such a short period of time.”
The Australian Fast5 team met for a two-day training camp in Canberra over the weekend and have since travelled to New Zealand for a week of training before the competition starts on Saturday.
Fans can watch the series live and free on 7Plus.
View the Australian fixture below and the full fixture here.
Premiership debut
After spending two years as a training partner, Frew took her opportunity as a contracted player in 2024 and proved that she can stand tall amongst some of the world’s best defenders.
“I definitely feel more confident knowing that I can stand up against some of the best players in the world and not be beaten,” Frew said.
“I feel like the exposure I was able to get this season helped me develop as a player.
“You don’t know that you can do it until you have been given the opportunity and I’m just really grateful to have been signed at the start of the year.”
Frew is no stranger to winning, having won a National Netball Championships gold medal with the 19U State Team as well as a premiership with the Matrics Netball Club.
However, Frew admitted that she never thought she would win an SSN Premiership so early in her career.
“I feel like that was always the dream, wanting to be a premiership player after being in the squad, but I didn’t know if we were going to be able to back it up again,” Frew said.
“It was really amazing to be able to get that outcome.
“I feel like at the start of round one I was very nervous, and I was just playing on adrenaline but week in week out I felt like I played with more confidence.”
