Anna Harrison (netball)

Anna Maree Harrison (born 15 April 1983), originally known as Anna Scarlett, is a former New Zealand netball international. She was a member of the New Zealand teams that won gold medals at the 2003 World Netball Championships and 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games. During the National Bank Cup era, she played for Otago Rebels and Auckland Diamonds. During the ANZ Championship era, she played for Northern Mystics. In 2012, Harrison began using a rugby union lineout-style form of goaltending. The technique subsequently became known as the Harrison Hoist. During the ANZ Premiership era, she played for Mystics and Northern Stars. As well as playing international netball, Harrison also played for the New Zealand women's national volleyball team and represented New Zealand on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour. In 2022, she was included on a list of the 25 best players to feature in netball leagues in New Zealand since 1998. In 2023, Harrison was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to netball and volleyball.

Early life, family and education
Scarlett is the daughter of Ross and Nova Scarlett. She was born in Westport, New Zealand and raised in Karamea on the South Island's West Coast. Her parents own a dairy farm. She attended St Margaret's College, Christchurch. In 2000, while still a student at St Margaret's, she first played for the New Zealand women's national volleyball team. As a schoolgirl she also played beach volleyball and water polo as well as netball. Between 2001 and 2006 she attended the University of Otago where she gained a Bachelor of Physiotherapy. During the 2012 ANZ Championship season, she married Craig Harrison, a sports scientist. Together, they have three children. In 2022 she gained a Diploma of Human Development from Massey University.

National Bank Cup
Between 2002 and 2007, during the National Bank Cup era, Scarlett made 45 appearances appearances for Otago Rebels and Auckland Diamonds. She played for Rebels between 2002 and 2005 and Diamonds between 2006 and 2007. Scarlett was playing for Rebels when she made her senior debut for New Zealand in 2002.

Northern Mystics
Between 2011 and 2018, Harrison made 83 senior appearances for Northern Mystics, initially in the ANZ Championship and later in the ANZ Premiership. She signed for Mystics ahead of the 2011 season. She was subsequently a member of the 2011 Northern Mystics team that finished as ANZ Championship grand finalists. She was also included in the 2011 ANZ Championship All Star Team.

On 20 May 2012 while playing for Mystics in a 2012 ANZ Championship Round 8 match against Melbourne Vixens, Harrison made several vital blocks while being hoisted rugby union lineout-style by her defensive partners. Harrison was lifted first by Kayla Cullen and then twice in the final quarter by Jessica Moulds. Cullen and Moulds adopted the role of a lineout lifter to hoist Harrison and the move had the desired result in the final quarter when Vixens goal shooter Karyn Howarth's goal-bound shots were twice batted away. Mystics won the match 49–45 and this form of goaltending became known as the Harrison Hoist.

Harrison missed the 2013 and 2015 seasons due to pregnancy. In 2017 and 2018, Harrison served as Mystics captain. In 2017 she co-captained the team with Maria Tutaia. During the 2017 season, Harrison made her 100th senior league appearance. In July 2018, Harrison announced her retirement. On 1 August 2018, she made her last appearance for Mystics in a 2018 ANZ Premiership Round 13 match against Central Pulse.

Northern Stars
In 2021 and 2022, after coming out of retirement, Harrison made 28 senior appearances for Northern Stars in the ANZ Premiership. Her impression form with Stars resulted in speculation that she could be called up for New Zealand. She was a member of the 2022 Northern Stars team that finished as ANZ Premiership grand finalists. On 7 May 2022, while playing for Stars, Harrison made her 150th senior league appearance in a 2022 Round 9 match against Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. The 2022 grand final was Harrison's final match for Stars. She finished her career with 156 senior league appearances.

New Zealand
Between 2002 and 2017, Harrison made 88 senior appearances for New Zealand. She previously represented New Zealand at under-21 level. She also traveled with the New Zealand team to the 2002 Commonwealth Games as a training partner. On 1 November 2002, she made her senior debut for New Zealand during a series against South Africa. She was subsequently a member of the New Zealand teams that won the gold medal at both the 2003 World Netball Championships. and 2006 Commonwealth Games. However, after failing to get selected for the 2007 World Netball Championships, Scarlett retired from netball to focus on qualifying for the beach volleyball tournament at the 2012 Summer Olympics. At the time of her first retirement, Scarlett had made 39 senior appearances for New Zealand.

In 2010, after returning to netball, Scarlett quickly regained her place in the New Zealand team. On 7 August 2010 she made her return against Samoa in the 2010 Taini Jamison Trophy Series. She was subsequently a member of the New Zealand teams that won the gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the silver medal at the 2011 World Netball Championships.

On 10 November 2012, Harrison used the Harrison Hoist technique while playing for New Zealand against England during the 2012 Fast5 Netball World Series. After representing New Zealand at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Harrison missed the 2015 season due to pregnancy. She then missed the 2016 Netball Quad Series and the 2016 Taini Jamison Trophy Series with a calf injury. However she returned for the 2016 Constellation Cup. In June 2017, Harrison announced her retirement from international netball. In April 2022, she was one of 25 New Zealand internationals included on a list of the best players to feature in netball leagues in New Zealand since 1998.

Statistics
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |2011 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |2012 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |2013 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |2014 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |2015 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |2016 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |2017 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |2018 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |2021 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |2022 ! colspan=2| Career ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
 * - style="background-color: #eaeaea"
 * style="text-align:center;"|Mystics
 * 0/0||1||33||61||?||31||?||224||19||15
 * style="text-align:center;"|Mystics
 * 0/0|| || || || || || || || ||
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 * style="text-align:center;"|Mystics
 * 0/0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
 * style="text-align:center;"|Mystics
 * 0/0|| || || || || || || || ||
 * - style="background-color: #eaeaea"
 * style="text-align:center;"|Mystics
 * 0/0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
 * style="text-align:center;"|Mystics
 * 0/0|| || || || || || || || ||
 * - style="background-color: #eaeaea"
 * style="text-align:center;"|Mystics
 * 0/0||?||21||33||?||43||90||194||11||15
 * style="text-align:center;"|Mystics
 * 0/0||?||12||30||?||35||103||166||17||15
 * - style="background-color: #eaeaea"
 * style="text-align:center;"|Stars
 * 0/0||1||14||33||2||39||66||226||11||15
 * style="text-align:center;"|Stars
 * 0/0||0||8||9||0||24||65||150||8||13
 * - class="sortbottom"
 * }


 * Notes
 * Between 2002 and 2007, Harrison made 45 National Bank Cup appearances appearances for Otago Rebels and Auckland Diamonds.
 * Between 2011 and 2016, Harrison made 53 ANZ Championship appearances for Northern Mystics.
 * Harrison missed the 2013 and 2015 seasons due to pregnancy.
 * Harrison finished her career with 156 senior league appearances.

Sources:

Beach volleyball
Between 2008 and 2010, together with Susan Blundell, Scarlett represented New Zealand on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour. During this time they attempted to qualify for the beach volleyball tournament at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Scarlett used her netball connections to get the pair much need sponsorship. For a time they were sponsored by LG Electronics who also sponsored Northern Mystics. In 2010, she retired from the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour and returned to netball. Between 2000 and 2010 and again since 2021, Scarlett also competed on the New Zealand beach volleyball tour. In 2009 and 2010, Scarlett and Susan Blundell were tour champions. During her beach volleyball career, Scarlett spoke out about how "a skilful game" is marketed as "women running around in bikinis."

Coach
In 2019, Harrison served as a specialist coach with Northern Marvels in the National Netball League.

Commentator


Since 2019, Harrison has worked as a netball commentator for Sky Sport (New Zealand). She was a member of their commentary team for the 2019 and 2020 ANZ Premiership seasons and for the 2019 Netball World Cup before coming out of retirement to play for Northern Stars.

MNZM
In the 2023 New Year Honours, Harrison was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to netball and volleyball. Together with Leigh Gibbs and Kereyn Smith, she was one of several New Zealand netball people to receive an honour. On 13 April 2023 she attended an investiture ceremony at Government House, Auckland where she was presented with the honour by the former Governor-General of New Zealand, Sir Anand Satyanand.

Honours

 * New Zealand
 * World Netball Championships
 * Winners: 2003
 * Runners Up: 2011
 * Commonwealth Games
 * Winners: 2006, 2010
 * Runners Up: 2014
 * Constellation Cup
 * Winners: 2012
 * Taini Jamison Trophy
 * Winners: 2010, 2011
 * Fast5 Netball World Series
 * Winners: 2012
 * Runners Up: 2011
 * Northern Mystics
 * ANZ Championship
 * Runners Up: 2011
 * Northern Stars
 * ANZ Premiership
 * Runners Up: 2022


 * Individual Awards