By Matt Fotia
Netball is entering a new era, as more leagues join the professional space, and the game goes to another level of analysis, conditioning and performance.
But there will always be players from the generation before who did it all without sport science and full-time contracts.
Players who pure lovers of the game still remember fondly
Players who left a lasting impression on the netball community.
Players who will never leave our minds.
These are the players the nets won’t forget.
Jacqui Delaney
The South Australian goaler is one of the first names long time netball lovers list when asked who they’ll never forget.
Delaney plied her trade in the Mobil Super League (the precursor to the Commonwealth Bank Trophy (CBT) and was a key member of the Adelaide Contax’s 1996 triumph.
The agile shooter was an undisputed star of the CBT in its early days and was an integral part of a Thunderbirds unit which played in six consecutive Grand Finals from 1997 to 2002, winning back-to-back titles in 1998 and 1999.
Delaney won plenty of personal accolades with the Thunderbirds as well.
In 1999 she was named the Grand Final MVP and the League MVP. She claimed her second League MVP in 2001 and was named the Player’s Player of the Year the same season.
Known for her speed, quick movement and big smile, Delaney’s long range shooting ability wouldn’t go astray in today’s modern game.
Cynna Kydd (nee Neele)
A key member of the Melbourne Kestrels squad from 2000-2005, Kydd was known for her accuracy under the post and ability to put up big numbers, in a golden era for Australian shooting.
Kydd burst onto the scene in 2000, winning the CBT’s Best Young Talent award and continued to play a big role on court for the Kestrels in the seasons following, winning the 2003 ‘Player’s Player’ and 2004 League MVP, as well as skippering the Kestrels in her later years.
Kydd’s career was hampered by consistent injuries, including a major concussion during the 2005 season and in 2006 she caused a major stir, moving to cross-town rivals the Phoenix just three weeks before the season started.
She shot over 300 goals in her only season for the Phoenix, before moving overseas.
Cynna Kydd (nee Neele) was one of the best shooters in the domestic game.Tegan Philip (nee Caldwell)
Once dubbed ‘the new Sharelle’, former Melbourne Vixen premiership player Tegan Philip was a star of the Suncorp Super Netball across the course of her decade long career.
With agility, vision, speed, accuracy and a powerful leap to boot, Philip was a consistent member of the Vixens side that consistently remained in finals contention.
The Anglesea product represented her country on 14 occasions, was named in the SSN’s Team of the Year in 2017, won two minor premierships with the Vixens and signed off on her netball career in style, following the club’s 2020 triumph against the West Coast Fever.
Kim Green
It is hard to find a bad word to say about this absolute champion of the sport.
Green spent 17 seasons at the top of domestic netball, starting her career way back in 2003 with the Sydney Swifts, and finishing it with the GIANTS in 2019, playing in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy, ANZ Championships and Suncorp Super Netball.
The 176cm mid courter forged a reputation as one of the best feeders in the world and was lucky enough to win three consecutive premierships with the Swifts from 2006 – 2008.
Green, who has captained both the NSW Swifts and the GIANTS, was named the 2014 ANZ Championship MVP and finished her domestic career with over 200 national league appearances.
Kim Green's had one of the more remarkable careers.Eloise Southby-Boyle
Former Melbourne Phoenix co-captain Eloise Southby-Boyle made her mark on domestic netball in the early 2000s.
The highly touted goaler formed a ruthless on court partnership with Sharelle McMahon and played more than 125 games for the Melbourne Phoenix from 1997 to 2005.
Standing at 187cm tall, Southby-Boyle’s strength, accuracy and on court intelligence complemented the unstoppable speed and athletic prowess of McMahon as the Phoenix pair led their side to six grand finals and five premierships in just nine seasons.
Unfortunately, Southby-Boyle retired when she was just 29 after persistent injuries, but wasn’t lost to the game, transitioning into media circles as a commentator, and also co-wrote the novel, Anna Flowers.
