Mavs bring SSN round one game to Bendigo

SUNCORP Super Netball (SSN) will make a stirring return to Bendigo early in 2026, as Melbourne Mavericks bring their season opener against the GIANTS to Red Energy Arena.

In a coup for the Mavs and Bendigo, the blockbuster round one clash will serve as the first game of the 2026 SSN season.

The Saturday 14 March encounter will be the first opportunity for Bendigo region fans to see a SSN team in action in their hometown since Melbourne Vixens played an international pre-season match against Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic at Red Energy Arena in March this year.

Proof of the city’s fervour for world-class netball, Bendigo as recently as two months ago hosted game one of the three-match Test series against South Africa.

Adding extra intrigue and spice to the contest, the Bendigo clash will be the first in Mavs colours for gun recruit and Diamonds midcourter Jamie-Lee Price and will pit her against her former team GIANTS.

Melbourne Mavericks general manager Shae Bolton-Brown said she was excited that the club could finally reveal the location of their round one home game.

“We’re so excited to bring our first home game of the season to Bendigo,” Bolton-Brown reiterated.

“The region has an incredible passion for netball, as we’ve seen with the response to SSN pre-season matches held here previously, as well as the Diamonds’ recent clash against South Africa.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for fans to see our new recruits Jamie-Lee Price, Tara Hinchliffe and Reilley Batcheldor in Mavs colours for the very first time, and we hope to have a really vocal Bendigo crowd, all cheering on the Mavs.”

The GIANTS game will strengthen the Mavs’ existing links with Bendigo.

Those ties were fortified last month through the signing of dual Bendigo Strikers VNL championship best and fairest and former Sandhurst star Charlotte Sexton as a Mavs training partner for 2026.

It followed a season spent with crosstown rivals the Vixens as a training partner in 2025.

Strikers head-coach Tracey Brereton will return as the Mavs’ Super Netball Reserves coach for a second year following a stellar inaugural season in which the club reached the grand final.

Joint runner-up to Sexton in the Strikers’ best and fairest award this season, young gun goal attack Teal Hocking will also line-up for a second season in the reserves team.

Hocking was a Bendigo league premiership player this year with Kangaroo Flat.

Amid the excitement, Bolton-Brown said it was bittersweet that the club would not be returning to Tasmania for an in-season game next year.

“While we’re disappointed, we couldn’t make an in-season game in Tasmania work next season, after two wonderful seasons playing at MyState Bank Arena in Hobart, we remain committed to the Tasmanian netball community, and look forward to working with Netball Tasmania to bring further netball content to the state through clinics and workshops,” she said.

Delivered in partnership with Visit Victoria, the Bendigo initiative is part of the Mavs’ commitment to making elite netball accessible to as many fans as possible, particularly in regional areas that don’t often get the chance to experience this level of competition.

Following a successful clinic in Bendigo last month, the Mavs will not only be bringing SSN content to the region, but will also be hosting another clinic, to further share their skills and knowledge with the local netball community.

SSN CEO Stacey West said the league was thrilled to kick off its milestone season in regional Victoria.

“Partnering with Visit Victoria lets us bring elite netball straight to regional fans and showcase the incredible passion for the game outside the major cities,” West said.

“Bendigo has always delivered electric crowds – we saw it with the Origin Australian Diamonds in October – and now, with the 2026 season opener starting off here, fans will experience all the skill and passion that makes Suncorp Super Netball the World’s Best Netball League.

“We can’t wait to see the heart and energy of one of Australia’s most passionate netball communities on display as they ignite the start the season.”

To mark a milestone moment in its history and Bendigo netball, the Mavs have launched an exclusive Bendigo membership, giving fans discounted tickets to the round one match and other home games.

It includes merchandise benefits, access to a members-only post-match event and pre-sale ticket opportunities.

More information will be available shortly via melbournemavericks.memberlink.net.au/memberhome. The first centre pass on March 14 is at 5pm local time.