Remarkable moments in World Cup history

By Stephanie Smarrelli 

Previous Netball World Cups have delivered both heartbreaking and memorable moments, and as the new squad of Origin Diamonds prepare to take on the world in Cape Town we caught up with some legends who have been there before. 

MCMAHON GLORY 

One second left on the clock, one shot at glory, one moment to shine. 

In the blink of an eye Sharelle McMahon became a household name.  

Reflecting on the early stages of her career, McMahon recalls the 1999 Netball World Cup and how the background noise bonded the team. 

“They kept saying New Zealand were going to beat us, they were saying we were too old and over the hill,” she said. 

“For us that pulled us all together really strongly and by the time we made it to the final against New Zealand we still really felt like we were up against it.  

“We were in a stadium full of New Zealanders but it was just this absolutely unwavering belief that we had, that we could win and we could pull the margin back and that's what we did.” 

McMahon felt an overwhelming feeling of elation when the realisation of what the team had achieved set in - a stark contrast to how she felt in the side’s previous match. 

“In the semi final against England, I played a small amount of time of that game and I remember being incredibly frustrated with how I was playing and with the fact that I didn't feel like I was as ready as I wanted to be,” she said.  

"It actually taught me a massive lesson going forward as I never wanted to feel like that again.” 

Very few are given the opportunity to pull on the green and gold dress, so it was a dream come true for McMahon having been inspired by those who came before her. 

 “I grew up in the country and when I was growing up unfortunately netball and women playing sport wasn't as visible as it is now, so I didn't even really know that you could play netball for Australia until I saw another World Cup in 1991. I thought, wow, that is what I want to do and for me that was it,” she said. 

McMahon would go on to feature in the Diamonds 2003 World Cup loss to New Zealand and 2007 win. 

Heading into that year McMahon recalls a sense of unfinished business after the side walked away with silver at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. 

“Off the back of 2006 when we lost the Commonwealth Games and Liz Ellis was out of the team with a knee injury, it was a really tough season for us,” she said. 

“We worked and pulled together extremely well in 2007. We'd done a lot of work on the culture of the group and making sure that we were together, we were fit and we were focused." 

McMahon’s teammate Natalie von Bertouch would go on to captain the Diamonds to one of netball’s greatest victories: the 2011 Netball World Cup title, won in double extra time.  

THE NEXT ERA 

Reflecting on that 2011 final, von Bertouch recalled the moment she thought Australia had lost the World Cup. 

“It was an amazing game and very stressful. I remember giving the ball away at the end of the match and I remember thinking oh Norma and the whole country is going to kill me, I've lost the game for the whole country but also the importance of being able to stop myself from thinking like that and getting into defence,” she said. 

“Luckily, Laura Geitz got an amazing rebound and we went on to win, that elation you can't win in a better way.” 

Stepping into the captain role von Bertouch spoke about how proud she felt to lead the team. 

“To be able to be captain of that team was an experience I certainly won't forget. It was such an incredible opportunity to lead the country and the girls, particularly in a World Cup,” she said. 

“Everyone is a leader in the team, it's certainly not a hard team to lead but to make sure you set those training standards and how hard we endeavour to win and the things that we're doing off court.  

“Keeping those standards and the Australian way is something that we used to talk about, as a captain of the country, it's important that you want to continue that and continue our prestige.” 

Reflecting on the rivalry between Australian and New Zealand, von Bertouch recognised how it drove the Diamonds to perform better. 

“When I was playing it was always New Zealand and Australia. Things have changed these days but to try and keep that mantle over New Zealand at that point in time was really important to us,” she said. 

Von Bertouch recalled the unfinished business she felt following the 2010 Commonwealth Games loss to New Zealand in India, recognising that it was a difficult Games to play in mentally and physically.  

“I remember crying after the game and I don't normally show that much emotion but I couldn't stop myself it was just a really stressful experience and then we've gone through that and finished second, which wasn't in our eyes good enough. 

“You're always hungry but I think with the devastation really at the front of mind to then win and win in the manner that we did in those really close circumstances made it extra sweet,” von Bertouch said.