Jane Watson

New Zealand defender who won the 2019 Netball World Cup and became one of the most respected one-on-one defenders in the world across a 15-season career.

Jane Louise Watson was born on 7 March 1990 and grew up on a farm at Millers Flat on the Clutha River, only taking up netball because her school lacked a football team. She suffered serious health setbacks as a teenager, including heart problems requiring a pacemaker and a bout of diphtheria that hospitalised her, before attending Lincoln University on a netball scholarship. Watson made her Silver Ferns debut in August 2016 against England and went on to earn 66 Test caps, playing a central role in New Zealand's stunning 52-51 win over Australia in the final of the 2019 Netball World Cup in Liverpool. She co-captained the Silver Ferns alongside Gina Crampton during the 2021 Constellation Cup win, and was twice named ANZ Premiership Player of the Year, in 2017 with the Southern Steel and again in 2020 with Mainland Tactix. Watson spent over a decade with Mainland Tactix, captaining the club from 2018 to 2021 and reaching her 150th league game in 2024, having previously won the inaugural 2017 ANZ Premiership title with Southern Steel. In 2026, after 15 seasons entirely in New Zealand, she made her first move to Australia's Super Netball with Giants Netball, but an injury limited her involvement and she retired at the end of the season, drawing the curtain on a career that took in 66 Tests, a World Cup and dual Player of the Year awards.

Tall, athletic defender with a dynamic vertical leap, long reach and relentless ability to hunt down intercepts

Regarded as one of the finest one-on-one defenders New Zealand netball has produced, known for durability and a fierce competitive edge across 15 top-level seasons

• Netball World Cup Gold 2019
• Constellation Cup Winner 2021 (co-captain)
• 2x ANZ Premiership Player of the Year (2017, 2020)
• Named among the 25 best New Zealand league players since 1998