Northern Territory Ready for 2026 Marie Little Shield
The Northern Territory Dragonflies will proudly take their place alongside teams from across Australia at the 2026 Marie Little Shield in Melbourne this September.
There’s something special about pulling on the Territory colours and representing the NT, and this week our Northern Territory Dragonflies will have the opportunity to do just that.
Netball Northern Territory is proud to announce the team heading to Melbourne for the 2026 Marie Little Shield, being held from 4–6 September at Narrandjeri Stadium in Thornbury.
Led by co-captains Azaria Bretherton and Jocelyn Ryder, the Dragonflies will join athletes from every Australian state and territory for three days of netball, connection and shared experiences.
For our athletes, it’s an opportunity to represent their community, spend time together as a team, reconnect with familiar faces from across the country and make new ones, all while being part of one of the most important events on the national netball calendar for women with an intellectual disability.
2026 Northern Territory Marie Little Shield Team
ATHLETES
// Azaria Bretherton (Co-Captain)
// Carina Jong
// Emily Ellison
// Erica Koch
// Gabby Hambour
// Jazmyn Ponting
// Jocelyn Ryder (Co-Captain)
// Shianne Hunt-Bond
// Vicki Moro
OFFICIALS
// Donna Stewart (Head Coach)
// Gayle Nairn (Assistant Coach)
// Christine Van Den Berg Hammer (Team Manager)
We are incredibly proud to see this group come together to represent the Northern Territory.
The Marie Little Shield is about the experiences that come with being part of a team and representing something bigger than yourself. From travelling together and pulling on the NT uniform to stepping onto court alongside athletes from across Australia, it is an opportunity for our players to participate, connect and create memories through the sport they love.
Thank You to Our Team Sponsors
Opportunities like this are made possible with the support of people and organisations who believe in creating meaningful opportunities for everyone to be part of our game.
Netball NT sincerely thanks the Confident Girls Foundation and Somerville Community Services for their valued support of our 2026 Northern Territory Dragonflies.
Their support helps our athletes make the journey to Melbourne and experience everything that comes with representing the Northern Territory at a national event. We are incredibly grateful to have both organisations behind them.
About Marie Little Shield
The Marie Little Shield is Netball Australia’s premier national competition for women with an intellectual disability, bringing together female athletes from across Australia for three days of netball each year.
Introduced in 2013, the competition is named in honour of Marie Little OAM, founder of Sport Inclusion Australia and a passionate netballer and administrator who dedicated her life to creating greater opportunities for people with an intellectual disability to participate in sport.
The Marie Little Shield has grown to include representative teams from every Australian state and territory, providing an important opportunity for athletes to wear their state or territory colours, connect with others through netball and experience being part of a national sporting event.
This year, the Dragonflies will line up alongside Victoria, ACT, Tasmania, New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia when the tournament begins on Friday.
We couldn’t be prouder to have the Northern Territory among them.
Follow The Dragonflies
Whether you’re in Melbourne or cheering from home in the Territory, there are plenty of ways to get behind the Dragonflies throughout the weekend.
Every match of the 2026 Marie Little Shield will be available to watch live and on demand via KommunityTV, while the tournament fixture, results, ladder and match centres will be available here:
https://tinyurl.com/26mls-fixture
For those in Melbourne, entry to Narrandjeri Stadium is free, with spectators asked to register their attendance in advance.
To Azaria, Carina, Emily, Erica, Gabby, Jazmyn, Jocelyn, Shianne and Vicki, along with Donna, Gayle and Christine, enjoy every moment.
The Territory is behind you, Dragonflies. We are incredibly proud to have you representing the NT.
