Dragons start squad announcements

Today Celric Dragons begin their 2023 team news!

It all starts now! We’re excited to begin squad announcements with our shooters! We are delighted to announce that our 2023 Celtic Dragons shooters are Georgia Rowe, Chelsea Beard, Zoe Matthewman, Gabby Sinclair, and Phillipa Yarranton!

Georgia’s back again for another season in front of the green army and we love seeing her in Cardiff! Georgia made her VNSL debut with Celtic Dragons. She has continued to develop her game and was impressive for Dragons last season. Georgia featured in the top 10 goal scorers last season in the VNSL, and her shooting accuracy was 91.88% which shows her precision against the toughest of opponents.

When talking about the new season, Georgia said “I am super excited to be returning to Dragons this year. I felt we made such huge improvements as a squad last year, so I’m excited to continue that and really challenge and push every team. I can’t wait to get some training done with the girls and do some damage!”

We are delighted to welcome Chelsea Beard (nee Lewis) back to Dragons for the 2023 season! Chelsea made her debut for Dragons back in 2010 and has a wealth of experience. Since making her debut, Chelsea has played for Netball Waitakere in New Zealand before returning to the VNSL to play for Team Bath and coming back to Dragons. She also has played for Wales internationally and after the birth of her two boys, we are delighted to have her in the squad for this season!

About her return, Chelsea said “I am really excited to have the opportunity to be back with the Dragons and playing top level netball again for season 22/23. I’ve had a couple of seasons out, and I can’t wait to get back into the netball environment and push myself and see what I can achieve with the squad.”

Zoe Matthewman may be a new name to you, but she’s ready to make her VNSL debut and we’re excited to show you what she can do on court! Zoe is a Wales Senior international athlete and has previously been part of the Loughborough Lightning Pathway. Zoe also co-captained Nottingham Trent University Netball who had an undefeated season and became Varsity Champions!

When she signed for Dragons, Zoe said “I’m beyond excited to have signed my first Superleague contract with Celtic Dragons. I am super grateful, and I can’t wait to get training alongside the team and see what we can do!”

Making her way to Cardiff all the way from Australia is Gabby Sinclair! We’re thrilled to have Gabby in our shooting line-up for this season! Gabby has been a regular feature of the Collingwood Magpies squad for the past four seasons. Gabby netted an impressive 58 goals and 25 Super Shots in the Suncorp Super Netball League, highlighting her rangy shooting.

When talking to Gabby about making her VNSL debut, Gabby said, “I’ve heard great things about the league and the Welsh fans in particular! I am excited to meet the girls, help build the high-performance programme, work with Dannii and the coaching team and get back to playing netball again! I know Lefébre Rademan is a huge part of the Celtic Dragons family, and I am wishing her all the best with her rehab and recovery! Finally, a big thank you to Meg at Enigma for her support and guidance with this move. It’s great to have someone so supportive by my side. See you all in 2023!”

Joint Dragon of the Year, Phillipa Yarranton is returning for her second season and is excited to get back with the squad. Phillipa is part of the Wales Senior International Squad and made her senior debut in the Commonwealth Games this year.

Speaking about this season, Phillipa said, “I am delighted to be returning to Celtic Dragons for a second season. I can’t wait to get back into training with some old and new faces and continue to learn, work hard, and embrace my journey with a smile on my face!”