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The Australian national netball team (nicknamed the Diamonds) are the national netball team of Australia. Australia have traditionally been regarded as the most successful netball team in international netball: they have won nine of the twelve Netball World Championships, in addition to being the current world champions and ranked at number 1 on the IFNA World Rankings.
[edit] History
While they remain amongst the world's very best, they have come under increasing challenge from New Zealand's national team, the Silver Ferns, in recent years. New Zealand won the 2006 Commonwealth Games final and the grand final of the 2003 Netball World Championships, which saw Australia lose the top world ranking. However, Australia have since regained their world number 1 ranking after winning the 2007 Netball World Championships.
Historically, the Australian team has had a slight edge over perennial rivals New Zealand, as posting 49 victories, as opposed to New Zealand’s 42 out of the 82 tests they have played (as at 20 October 2006), including two matches ending in a draw. This gives the Australians a 58% win rate over the Silver Ferns but New Zealand’s dominance over the trans-Tasman rivalry during the past three years has seen them victorious on ten occasions from the past 16 match ups.
On the 8th of September 2008, it was revealed that the team is called "Australian Netball Diamonds".[1] This is the second Australian team to be named after a gem, where the first was the Australian women's basketball team, the Opals.
[edit] 2008 Diamonds team
| Player |
Positions |
ANZ Championship team |
| Caitlin Bassett |
GS |
West Coast Fever |
| Kate Beveridge |
GS, GA |
Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Rebecca Bulley |
GD, GK, WD |
New South Wales Swifts |
| Bianca Chatfield |
GK, GD, WD |
Melbourne Vixens |
| Catherine Cox |
GS, GA |
New South Wales Swifts |
| Susan Fuhrmann* |
GK |
West Coast Fever |
| Laura Geitz |
GK, GD |
Queensland Firebirds |
| Mo'onia Gerrard |
GD, WD |
Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Kimberlee Green |
C, WA |
New South Wales Swifts |
| Renae Hallinan* |
WD, C |
Melbourne Vixens |
| Sharelle McMahon (capt.) |
GA, GS |
Melbourne Vixens |
| Clare McMeniman* |
GD, WD |
Queensland Firebirds |
| Natalie Medhurst |
GA, GS |
Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Lauren Nourse |
WA, C |
Queensland Firebirds |
| Susan Pratley |
GA, GS |
New South Wales Swifts |
| Julie Prendergast |
GD, GK, WD |
Melbourne Vixens |
| Kimberley Purcell* |
WD, GD |
New South Wales Swifts |
| Caitlin Thwaites |
GS, GA |
Melbourne Vixens |
| Natalie von Bertouch (v-c) |
C, WA, WD |
Adelaide Thunderbirds |
Note: Players with * besides their name were part of the 18-strong Australian netball squad but did might not be part of the twelve player team.[2]
[edit] Notable past players
[edit] Competitive history
[edit] Netball World Championship record
[edit] Commonwealth Games
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
 Australian national sporting teams |
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