Sexton earns Suncorp Super Netball call-up

Bendigo–born defender Charlotte Sexton’s swift ascension through the national netball ranks has hit the pinnacle with her elevation to the Melbourne Mavericks’ match-day squad of 10 ahead of Saturday night’s Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) clash with the Adelaide Thunderbirds.

Sexton only joined the Mavs this season as a training partner, before being elevated to the team’s 11th player earlier this month.

But a season-ending knee injury to recruit Tara Hinchliffe during the Mavs’ one-goal loss to Melbourne Vixens last weekend, which left players in tears on the sidelines, has opened the door for the 22-year-old dual Bendigo Strikers championship best and fairest to make her national league debut.

The 191cm defender will provide additional height and versatility at the defensive end for the 1-2 Mavs, standing at 191cm tall.

If Sexton takes the court this weekend, it will mark both her Mavs’ debut and her SSN debut, a significant milestone for the emerging defender and a proud moment for Bendigo netball.

Mavs general manager Shae Bolton–Brown said Sexton had earned the opportunity.

“Charlotte has worked incredibly hard since joining our program and has taken every opportunity to develop her game,” Bolton–Brown said.

“She gives us great height in defence and has shown she’s ready to compete at this level.

“It’s exciting to see a Bendigo local get her chance.”

Sexton, who hails from Bendigo league club Sandhurst, joined the Mavs following a one-year training partner stint with the 2025 SSN championship-winning Vixens.

Her stellar 2025 season included a gold medal win with the Australian 21-and-under team at the Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar, where she started at goal keeper throughout the tournament.

She rounded out the year with her second consecutive Strikers championship best and fairest award.

With the club having only just entered its third season in the VNL, she is the only player to have won the championship award.

In Bendigo last month for the Mavs’ season opener against Sunshine Coast Lightning, club skipper Amy Parmeneter lavished praise on Sexton and talked up her prospects of an eventual SSN call-up.

“Charlotte is an incredible young player and definitely one to keep an eye on,” Parmenter said.

“She’s tall, athletic and reads the game really well.

“She’s playing for Bendigo in the VNL and it’s definitely an asset for us to have her as an 11th player.

“She’s a star of the future for sure.”

Sexton becomes the first Bendigo affiliated player to debut in the SSN since fellow defender and former Strikers teammate Zoe Davies with Collingwood in 2022.

Davies’ entrance followed that of goal shooter Ruby Barkmeyer the previous season at Melbourne Vixens, where she spent five seasons as a training partner and list member.

Sexton and Barkmeyer were somewhat unexpectedly teammates for the Strikers just two weeks ago for the club’s round two VNL clash against Melbourne University Lightning.

The young defender joins a growing list of national league players with their roots laid in Bendigo, highlighted by legends of the sport, Sharelle McMahon, Catlin Thwaites and Rebecca Bulley.

Bendigo Strikers president Melinda Keighran said the club was absolutely thrilled for Sexton.

“This moment is not only incredible for her, but it highlights the strength of the pathway we’ve been committed to building here at the Strikers,” she said.

“Securing a licence in Bendigo was imperative to ensure regional athletes had genuine opportunities close to home, and Charlotte is a perfect example of what that pathway can produce.

“She has worked tirelessly both on and off the court, to put herself in this position.

“Charlotte is an integral member of our championship team and also serves as an assistant coach for our VNL Reserves, demonstrating leadership well beyond her years.

“We couldn’t be more excited for Charlotte and her next chapter.

“The entire board, coaching group, and playing group wish her every success.”

In a sign of just how far she has come in recent years, Sexton was the winner of the BFNL’s Rising Star netball award in 2023, the same year she was awarded the grand final best on court award in Sandhurst’s A-reserve premiership win over Gisborne.

Meanwhile, Bolton-Brown said the entire club was devastated for Hinchliffe.

“Our hearts go out to Tara. You hate to see anyone taken out of the sport for a period of time in this way, but with what she has brought to the club – both on and off the court – in the few short months she’s been here, we honestly can’t remember what the club was like without her,” she said.

“To lose back-to-back games by a single point, we often say something like that is heartbreaking, but really, what Tara is going through now is what has really hit us all hard.

“However, we’re here to support Tara in any and every way that she needs as she works through her rehabilitation and looks towards what’s next for her in the short- to medium-term.

“And whilst she will be greatly missed on court, we know she still is a vital part of our club, and will continue to be a highly-valued, strong leader off the court.”

The Mavs will return to John Cain Arena this Saturday to take on the ladder-leading Adelaide Thunderbirds.