The ADF Open Mixed Netball team has competed for the first time in the Opens Division of the Australian Men’s and Mixed Netball Association (AMMNA) national championships, held at Perth’s Gold Netball Stadium.

Made up of 13 players from across the services, the team included five Navy players and four representatives each from Army and Air Force. 

The championships, held over the Easter period, were a new challenge for the ADF team, stepping into the Opens Division against established state-based teams that had been training together for up to six months.

Guiding the team were coach Wing Commander Jacqui Carswell and assistant coach Lieutenant Commander Pattrick Watts. Their focus was on building cohesion while maintaining a high-performance mindset. Both coaches praised the individual and collective efforts of the team.

“This group set a strong foundation for future ADF representation in the Opens Division performance, reflecting both competitive intent and the growing strength of Defence netball on the national stage,” Wing Commander Carswell said.

“The way they came together as a triservice team and competed with determination – especially against seasoned opposition – was something to be very proud of.

“Across six round matches, the team demonstrated resilience and competitiveness against strong opposition. Two of the games resulted in narrow losses, but the team pushed their opponents until the final whistle.”

Navy player and team captain Chief Petty Officer Joshua Drennan was proud of his team’s performance, especially those new to the team whose solo statistics ranked well.  

“The result was much better than expected, particularly when competing against teams that train weekly and play together regularly. Our team only had two training sessions, but what worked well was how quickly the team came together and became united both on and off the court,” he said.

'The way they came together as a triservice team and competed with determination – especially against seasoned opposition – was something to be very proud of.'

For Army player Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) Daniel Kostovski, netball has been a passion for the past 18 years, and this event was his 12th time representing at AMMNA. He said he enjoyed the friendships this kind of event forged between personnel from across all services. 

“Come the week of competition, we stepped on court to play against people that had represented in the Australian Kelpies team, the Australian Mixed team and played in the national Suncorp Super Netball competition, and thought, ‘maybe our one week of training might not have been enough’,” WO2 Kostovski said.

“We ended up being very competitive and causing opposition teams and coaches to take us more seriously as the week progressed, which led us to winning against a formidable ACT Open Mixed team.”

Air Force’s Leading Aircraftman Michael Cosh was the second-highest scorer across all round matches, finishing the tournament with 179 goals from 199 attempts.

“I was pleased with my personal development at this competition, as AMMNA 2026 was my first experience competing at this level of netball and [I] was proud of my scoring percentage throughout the week,” he said.

A highlight of the event for Leading Aircraftman Cosh was the down-to-the-wire win against the ACT. This game was the ADF Mixed Netball team’s first victory in the Opens Division at a national championship.

Wing Commander Carswell said the championships provided valuable experience for the team, offering insight into the pace, physicality and tactical demands of opens-level competition. Moreover, this exposure would be instrumental in preparing the ADF Mixed Netball program for future national events.

“The team’s debut in the Opens Division represents an important step forward for Defence Sport, highlighting professionalism, teamwork and the potential for sustained success at the highest levels of Australian mixed netball,” Wing Commander Carswell said.