Marie Little Shield is an annual tournament for women with intellectual impairment, giving them a chance to represent the state on a national level. Named after Marie Little OAM, a netballer who dedicated her life to those with an intellectual disability. The competition started in 2013 and has quickly become a highlight of the Netball calendar.
In 2024 our representative NT Dragonflies travelled to Brisbane’s Nissan Arena to compete against 7 other national teams. The competition ran from the 6th – 8th September and the fixture looked a little different this year. As Tasmania had their inaugural team compete, teams were separated into two pools with one cross-pool game before finals on Sunday.
This year the Dragonflies were led by Head Coach Donna Stewart. With her previous experience coaching the NT Territory Storm ANC representative team and travelling with the SA Rubies MLS representative team, she was well equipped and highly enthusiastic about the opportunity. Along with the support of Helen Metcalfe and Raylee Parker as Team Manager’s, she had tremendous on-court leadership available. Vicki Moro was selected Captain this year as she is a fantastic role model and has played in the tournament numerous times. Emily Ellison was selected Vice-Captain this year. With her positive attitude and great sportsmanship, Emily brought high energy to the team in her first leadership role.
Friday kicked off the tournament with the first round of games where NT took the court against SA. There was an unfortunate injury early in the game, but the team never dropped their heads. Working hard for the entire match, the game ended going down to SA 3 - 40. The team regrouped to prepare for their next game which was bound to be tough. NT stuck to their strengths and secured a similar scoreline against NSW 3 – 45.
Saturday saw the longest day of the tournament with three games to play. NT took the court and secured their first win against ACT 14 – 6. A personal favourite game for our Dragonflies was the upcoming against VIC. Due to the great sportsmanship displayed by both teams' year after year, their spirits remained high despite the 7 – 40 scoreline. A heartwarming video was posted by Netball AUS to really display the respect that each team has for each other. NT vs VIC With their final game of the day, it was time for the cross-pool match against newcomers Tasmania. The Dragonflies secured their second win of the tournament 12-7 allowing them to compete for 5th or 6th spot on the ladder.
Finals time on Sunday and the Dragonflies were excited! Their campaign ended with the team finishing 6th overall in a finals match against Queensland with a score of 9 – 20. Against a strong side the girls knew it would be tough but they fought right to the end and took on all of Donna’s advice.
At the closing ceremony, the competition received a surprise visit from one of the Origin Diamonds to present the tournament shield and awards. Our very own NT athlete Naomi Alliston received the 2024 Marie Little Shield, Naomi Perry Spirit Award! This award goes to those who really shine in sportsmanship and enthusiasm — whether they’re team members, opponents, umpires, or anyone who shows great appreciation for the event. Naomi excelled in every one of these areas and it’s truly impressive.
With the tournament wrapped up for 2024, we just want to give huge congratulations to all our competing athletes. Special mention to our first time competitors Kristy and Shianne. Despite the nerves of competing interstate, they showed tremendous resilience and talent. Finally a massive thanks to our officials Donna, Helen and Raylee who gave up their personal time and provided the team with an amazing experience.
If anyone would like to keep up with all the action in 2025, Kommunity TV live streams all games across the entire tournament for free.
We look forward to the competition returning in 2025 and can’t wait to see our Dragonflies back in action.
