Netball Unlocked Podcast

Another round of Netball Super League action is in the books, and Sky Sports commentator Lucy Goodman joins Chloe Merrell and Paul Prenderville to review the major talking points.
Ahead of their Round 6 showdown, Loughborough Lightning stay perfect with a win over Birmingham Panthers, and AO Manchester Thunder find their best performance of the season to sink Nottingham Forest.
Champions London Pulse prove too strong for NIC Leeds Rhinos, while London Mavericks get the better of an arm wrestle against LexisNexis Dragons in Cardiff.
There’s the usual round-up of netball headlines, as Chloe dives in on the latest round of SSN and an immediate entry into the ‘top eight netball games of all time’, Lucy offers her thoughts on the England Roses coaching fall-out, and there’s a debate over expansion in Australia and what it means for the global game.
As ever, we round off the week with our preview and look ahead to Round 6, where all eight teams are in action on a loaded Saturday.
Forest and Dragons meet at the Motorpoint Arena in the second double header of the NSL season, which also features first against second as Lightning face Thunder.
Pulse vs Panthers, and Mavericks hosting Rhinos, brings the curtain down on a bumper offering from the Unlocked gang.

Round 4 in the Netball Super League brought us our first extra time game of the season, and left only one team unbeaten - and one team still chasing a win.
Chloe and Paul get stuck into the talking points from the week, as the dust settles on the coaching changes for England Netball and injuries begin to bite in the NSL.
Chloe picks out the major talking points from the week in Australia as SSN delivers more early drama.
Back in the UK, LexisNexis Dragons picked off a win over Rhinos - can the Welsh outfit kick and challenge for the top 4, and how do Rhinos stop the slide?
In Birmingham, a third different home venue brought no luck for Panthers, who are winless after a defeat to a full-strength Manchester Thunder, starting to showcase what they are all about.
Lightning beat Mavericks to remain the NSL’s only perfect record with four wins from four - but are they signs of Mavs clicking into gear?
And in the final game of the round, we try to make sense of Pulse’s win over Forest, and the chaos that unfolded before extra time in the Copper Box.
All that plus a look ahead to Round 5 as Pulse head to Rhinos, Dragons host Mavericks, Thunder meet Forest in Manchester, and top meet bottom as Lightning and Panthers go head to head.

In the latest episode of Netball Unlocked, Paul and Chloe deep dive into the weekend’s action from Round 3 of the Super League.

A double-header, including an NSL 2025 Grand Final rematch, presents plenty of talking points, with Chloe getting her tactics board to run the rule over Lightning’s sharp defence.

Paul and Chloe then turn to analyse the other three games, highlighting Thunder’s rise, Mavericks’ improved performances, and the injury to Jaz Brown that ultimately turned the tide against Leeds Rhinos.

With reflections shared, Paul and Chloe then turn to preview Round 4, with just the one game on Friday before back-to-back matches on Sunday evening.

Pulse v Nottingham tops the billing, with Lightning v Mavericks promising to be a wing attack battle for the ages.

It’s a seismic day for England Netball as Jess Thirlby steps down as the Roses head coach after more than six years in the role.
There is plenty for Paul and Chloe to discuss in a first ever emergency episode of the pod, including lots of thoughts on what’s to come and what it means as Anna Stembridge assumes the head coach position.Just four months away from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, it leaves England and their players in a strange position.There’s time for a quick fire assessment of where the Roses are in their cycle, with the World Cup also on the agenda, and what might be next as England’s statement outlines a recruitment process to begin after the Commonwealth Games.
Plenty to get stuck into, including who could be the long term replacement?

With Paul away, Chloe is joined by Commonwealth Games gold medallist and two-time NSL winner Jodie Gibson to assess a week of fireworks on and off the court in Round 2 of the Netball Super League 2026.
The episode begins by catching up with Jodie and getting a special look behind her retirement decision, before turning to the news and major talking points of the round.
Jodie and Chloe consider the themes of physicality, umpiring, accountability and the use of social media as they reflect on the reaction surrounding a play by Alicia Scholes in the Pulse v Dragons game, the subsequent online back-and-forth and the official league statement that followed.
All Round 2 matches are up for discussion, with Jodie sharing her unique insights and takes on each game.
Chloe then leads the preview of the Round 3 games, inviting Jodie to share her key match-ups and predictions.
Enjoy!