Three Mavericks Named in Vitality Roses Squad

Saracens Mavericks are thrilled to confirm that three members of the 2024 NSL squad have been named in the Vitality Roses side for their upcoming three-test series with New Zealand.

Mavericks Pathway products Ellie Rattu and Vicki Oyesola are joined in the side by fellow summer signing Emma Thacker, as England look to kick on again following an impressive showing at the Netball World Cup.

There are seven players in line to make their senior debuts, including summer recruit Thacker, who previously featured at the Fast5 Netball World Series in Christchurch.

She is joined in the squad by Mavericks Pathway products Oyesola and Rattu, with Oyesola returning to the senior side after making her last appearance in New Zealand in 2020. Rattu won her first cap for her county in 2022 against Uganda and has already marked herself out as a young talent to watch, alongside Oyesola and Thacker.

Their inclusion in the squad is also testament to the work of the Mavericks Pathway in developing players at a young age.

After the World Cup, members of the playing group and staff will take a planned break as a fresh cohort of Roses come into the squad that will be led by a temporary coaching and staff team.

Vitality Roses Head Coach Jess Thirlby commented: "This series presents a brilliant opportunity for new, returning and current Vitality Roses and Future Roses athletes to get much-needed exposure to international competition soon after our World Cup campaign. It’s important that we keep up the momentum in the short term but with the longer-term ambition of achieving further success in the next cycle with the World Cup in Sydney firmly in our minds. That work starts now and I’m looking forward to supporting this very talented squad through this Taini Jamison series.

"Many of this squad have had fantastic seasons within the NSL, earning them selection onto our Roses and Futures programmes for the coming year alongside more seasoned players who narrowly missed out on the recent World Cup. They have been working hard in camp and are hungry to pull on the red dress and I’m sure this will help to accelerate both the individual and collective development of our team."