Double Premiership champion Tayla Fraser has informed the NSW Swifts that she will leave the Club to pursue other opportunities for the 2024 Suncorp Super Netball season.
A local junior who played three Grand Finals with the Swifts, including Premiership successes in 2019 and 2021, the 24-year-old made her debut in Round 10, 2019 against the West Coast Fever in Perth.
She went on to play 60 games for the Foundation Club, becoming Red Swift No.60 and Swift No.94 overall (Sydney & NSW Swifts eras combined).
Her final game was against the Adelaide Thunderbirds in the 2023 Grand Final when Fraser and the Swifts fell just short of a third Premiership in five years, going down by one goal in an extra-time thriller.
A product of the Baulkham Hills Netball Association, Fraser also represented NSW at underage level and was named in the inaugural QBE Swifts Academy squad in 2019.
A versatile midcourter, she covered numerous positions for the Club including wing defence, centre and wing attack and was a standout performer across four Finals campaigns, including Grand Final wins over the Sunshine Coast Lightning (2019) and the Giants (2021).
Fraser said leaving the Club she supported as a child was one of the hardest decisions she’d ever had to make.
“I have loved the Swifts since I can remember and getting to play for them has been the stuff of dreams,” she said.
“Wearing the Red Dress and the Yellow Heritage Dress is among my proudest achievements and winning two titles is something I’ll always cherish.
“I want to thank Briony (Akle, Swifts head coach) who has coached me from my pathway days and developed me into the player I am today, as well as my teammates who’ve been like sisters.
“The backroom and office staff at the Swifts have always been hugely supportive and I’ll never forget the support of Swifts fans, not just in Sydney but wherever my time at the Club took me.
“A sporting career is short and I feel like now is the right time to try a new environment but I will forever treasure what I achieved at the Swifts, and the people who made it such a special part of my life. A part of my heart will always belong to the Club and everyone involved with it.”
Akle said while the Club was disappointed to lose Fraser, she respected her decision.
“Tayla has been a key member of our setup for five years and I want to thank her for her immense contribution not just on the court, but across our netball community,” she said.
“A lot of players never get the opportunity to play in a Grand Final but Tayla played in three and won twice so she and her family can be exceptionally proud of everything she achieved with us. Tayla will forever be a double-champion of the Swifts and have a life-long connection with the Club.
“While we are disappointed to see her go, we understand that at 24 she has some big decisions to make about where she wants to take her career and we respect the decision she’s come to.
“We’ve achieved a lot together and everyone at the Swifts wishes Tayla the best for what comes next.”
