Harten’s Giant opportunity at the Swifts

By Shane de Barra  

It would be fair to say that Jo Harten turned a few heads when she decided to take up a specialist coach role at the NSW Swifts ahead of the 2026 Suncorp Super Netball season.

Having retired from a glittering on-court career in which she claimed a Commonwealth Gold Medal and played in numerous Grand Finals, some time away from the cut and thrust of professional sport would’ve been well deserved.

But Harten has never been one to take an easy path. Early in her career she left London to take up a contract with the New Zealand-based Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic in the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship, quickly shining under the stewardship of champion Swifts foundation coach Julie Fitzgerald.

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It was a long, long way from home, but Harten was intent on playing against the best and proving she belonged among them.

When Fitzgearld returned to Sydney in 2017 to take over at the newly formed Giants at the advent of SSN, she brought the England Roses international with her. And thus, one of the great modern rivalries was born.

Harten thrived on the big stage, and none came bigger than a Derby between the Swifts and the Giants. The storied franchise against the new kids on the block.

As a Giant, Harten was often the difference between the sides. Cool under pressure and lethal from long range, she embodied the passion that helped the Derby become one of the hottest tickets in Australian sport.

As with all great rivalries, there was plenty of niggle but there was also a lot of respect and that’s why Harten had no qualms about crossing the road to work with double-champion coach Briony Akle.

“I've based my career on playing super hard for 60 minutes, but also respecting my opponents, what they're about, what they bring to the sport,” she said.

“And when I was looking at post-retirement opportunities, you have to look at the best.

“And that's why I reached out to Briony as one of the best coaches in world netball. She has a track record that speaks for itself.

“I'm very much in a learning phase of my coaching career and I wanted to learn from the best in this next stage.”

On court, Harten was box office. Few could match her ability haul a team back into a contest, especially when it came to the Super Shot period.

Now she is challenged with overseeing one of the most eye-catching attacks in the competition in former international teammate Helen Housby, Silver Ferns superstar Grace Nweke and rising force Grace Whyte.

“I mean it's one of the most exciting and potent attack ends in world netball,” Harten said.

“Obviously me and Helen go way back having represented England together, but I'm super excited to work with everyone and see different combinations at play in that circle.

“I think having the introduction of Grace Nweke last year really revitalised the Swifts’ attack end and I think she brings so much skill to that shooting circle at such a young age.

“And you then throw in a Grace Whyte into the mix who is just on the absolute up and up of her career, it’s pretty exciting.”

Harten was one of many players who had reservations when the Super Shot was hastily introduced in 2020, however, she quickly learned to adapt and become a master of it.

Despite this, she doesn’t want the attack to only focus on those five minutes at the end of each quarter. She wants them to have the confidence to turn and shoot from anywhere at any time.

“Look I think the Super Shot is getting bigger and better each year that the shooters in the SSN learn the game.

“I think my job is to not necessarily play too many tactics and give that away, but it's to empower the shooters so that they can shoot whenever, wherever they want inside that circle and that's all three of them.

“So whoever's got the bib on at the time has the power to shoot and score a goal for the Swifts, and it's my job to give them that confidence to know that when they have the ball in hand we will trust and believe in them.”

So, just turn a shoot?

“Absolutely,” she confirms.

The end of Harten’s playing career didn’t just coincide with the start of her coaching journey as she welcomed her first child – Eddie – in 2025.

“Becoming a parent is a whole new ball game,” she reflects.

“Obviously, you know, we had Eddie at the beginning of the season of my last year of playing, and I think transitioning into the coaching space has been really interesting whilst being a parent.

“But I'm super proud to still have an involvement in netball and show Eddie that there's a lot of power in women's sport and I want to be one of those contributors to that power and a legacy of women's sport.”

With so much already achieved, Harten looks set to build on her legacy for a long time to come.