Inside where it all began 

By Stephanie Smarrelli

When the Origin Australian Diamonds take to the court in Cape Town this July it will mark the sixteenth time the world’s best netball nations have gathered for the event once known as the World Netball Championships.  

Australian has claimed 11 of the 15 World Cups and have never finished anything less than second place on the few occasions they didn’t return home with the trophy – which includes 2019 in Liverpool when the Diamonds lost by a goal to arch rival the Silver Ferns. 

So while the Diamonds might arrive in South Africa as world number one, they're not the reigning champions, and that will definitely add fuel to the fire. 

Here we take a look at the history of the prestigious competition and throw back to those who paved the way. 

THE TRAILBLAZERS 

Australian captain Joyce Brown OAM under the guidance of coach Lorna McConchie made netball history in 1963 when the first Netball World Championships was held.  

The Australian team was one of eleven national teams that travelled to Eastbourne, England. For the Australian team this journey took over six weeks by ship and resulted in their training sessions taking place on the ship’s deck.  

Upon arriving in England, the Australians showed the world that they were a force to be reckoned with winning all ten of their pool matches to become the first World Champions.  

During the event Australia went head-to-head with New Zealand and won 37-36, the New Zealanders would go on to be named runners up of that first tournament. Australia and New Zealand would go on to battle for many of the titles in years to come. 
 
The following tournament was held in 1967 with Australia finishing as runners up to New Zealand while the quest for the 1971 title came down to a fight between Australia and New Zealand. It was Australian captain Gayle Walsh (née Switch) who led her team to victory reclaiming the trophy with a six-goal win over their rivals sealing it. 

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS 

Next on the agenda was 1975, Australia strung together another dominating performance to retain the title marking the first time a team had successfully defended the world champion title.  

Two key matches led to the success of the team one being a five-goal victory over England and the other a draw against New Zealand that put Australia at the top of the competition. This tournament was also significant as it was when Australian player Norma Plummer AM made her debut.  

Plummer would go on to captain the Australian team and then coach the side from 2004 to 2011. A well-known figure in the sport, Plummer will be present in Cape Town at the 2023 Netball World Cup having taken over the coaching reigns of South Africa’s SPAR Proteas. 

The fifth Netball World Cup was historical with Australia tying alongside New Zealand and Trinidad and Tobago for the title, the competition’s round robin format resulting in all three teams finishing with eight wins each out of a possible nine. At the time there was no process in place that could split the teams so all three were named world champions.
 
Australia stamped its authority again in 1983 winning a fifth title with coach Joyce Brown OAM pushing the players to their limits in the lead up to the event to prepare her squad for the heat they would face on Singapore’s outdoor courts. 
 
DEFENCE SHINES ON HOME SOIL 

Second to New Zealand in Glasgow in 1987 and with the tournament back on their home court the Australians were determined to bounce back in 1991. 
 
A bigger stage could not have been set for the 1991 edition of the World Championships. A new tournament format was introduced with the addition of semi-finals and a final ensuring there would be a clear winner at the end of the two weeks.  

It was the first time the series would be held indoors and with a live broadcaster, on Australian soil in Sydney the local crowd were raring to go. In front of a sold-out crowd Australian defender Roselee Jencke turned the match with an intercept giving Australia control to defeat the reigning champions and rivals New Zealand by a goal. 

The following world tournament resulted in another title for the green and gold, although this time it was over South Africa by 20 goals.  

MCMAHON CREATES HISTORY 

The year 1999 marked the end of a millennium and also that McMahon moment that will be forever etched in the history of Australian netball. 

On enemy territory in Christchurch, Australia met with New Zealand in the 1999 Netball World Championships final. Six goals down at three-quarter time, the Australians dug deep to be neck and neck in the final minute. With netball’s biggest title on the line the defensive pressure from Liz Ellis OAM paid off as she launched towards the ring and secured what would become a match-winning rebound with less than twenty seconds on the clock.  

The Australians worked the ball down the court swiftly, a small fumble threatening to ruin the golden opportunity, however, Carissa Dalwood (née Tombs) instantly recovered the ball and with three seconds remaining the ball landed in the hands of Sharelle McMahon.  

In her second year representing Australia, she turned to the ring and sent the ball towards it without hesitation. Everyone in the room held their breath, and the shot went in, winning Australia an eighth title and turning McMahon into a netball legend. 

With the heartbreak of 1999 adding fuel to the fire, New Zealand defeated Australia in 2003, however, in 2007 Australia was back to the top. In what would be the last World Championships for McMahon and Ellis, the Diamonds reclaimed the trophy under the leadership of Norma Plummer who returned to Auckland as a coach having won the tournament in Auckland back in 1975 as a player. 

EXTRA TIME  

Another nail-biting encounter between Australia and New Zealand was on the agenda for the 2011 Netball World Championships final. Australian coach Norma Plummer AM knew to win the title they would have to throw off the aim of New Zealand’s Maria Folau (née Tutaia) who dominated the scoreboard in the previous year’s Commonwealth Games final, a match that the Diamonds lost in double extra time. 

In some ways foreshadowing that the team’s next meeting in the final of a major tournament would also fall into extra time. Goal for goal throughout the extra time period in similar fashion to 1999 a rebound would end in victory. In this case Laura Geitz snatched the ball as it bounced off the ring and it found its way to Caitlin Bassett who scored the winning goal with a second to go. 

NUMBER 11 AND 12? 

The Diamonds aimed to defend their World Cup title against New Zealand in 2015 under the leadership of head coach Lisa Alexander AM.  

It was another hard-fought battle between the two sides with Australia spurred on by a home crowd and determined not to lose the final on their home soil having lost in a preliminary round game to the Silver Ferns.  

Unlike the previous tournament the sides were able to be split during the fourth quarter without the need for extra time and Australia latched onto a historical 11th World Cup title by three goals. The side included current Origin Diamond Paige Hadley who is vying for a spot in this year’s team. 

The 2019 Netball World Cup the Origin Diamonds will look to bounce back from when they arrive in Cape Town having gone down to New Zealand in Liverpool by one goal. 
 
The Origin Australian Diamonds have their sights firmly set on Cape Town, will Australia latch onto a 12th title or will number 12 be on the horizon for the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney?