After the 2003 RWC tournament I was on a panel at the Union Club with David Kirk, the captain of the 1987 Cup-winning All Blacks and now CEO of Fairfax Media, and Liz Ellis, then the captain of the Australian netball side. Ellis, a leggy lawyer, had bombed on a World Cup panel with John Eales on Channel 7. She didn’t know as much about rugby as Kirk or myself (I think?). But she dominated the panel discussion by sheer force of personality and a determination to be the leader and winner on the panel.
I’ve always looked at her performances playing netball for Australia with this image of a ruthless, relentless, skilful and passionate winner, Ellis the winner, in my mind.
Related
Liz Ellis retires on top
And this is how she played in the final of the World Netball Championship at Auckland against New Zealand on Saturday. While Australia was having all sorts of trouble scoring goals Ellis and Mo’onoia Gerrard (Mark Gerrard’s sister, or better, Mark Gerrard is her brother) closed down the awesome New Zealand shooting attack of the South African-born Irene van Dyk.
Keeping NZ to a miserable 38 points was the winning of the game. Like most world championships in most sports it was defence that won the day for the Australians. Leading the defence was Liz Ellis, all arms and elbows, jumping, interfering, taking fearsome body checks, chasing down every ball, never giving up, never getting out of the face of her opponents, and never conceding a centimetre of territory without creating difficulties.
All this from a player who two years earlier, on the same court, had smashed her knee to pieces. While Ellis was out of the game NZ began a two-year ascendancy that was finally overcome at Auckland on Saturday night. In the end it was a rebound by Ellis that sealed the outstanding victory from one of Australia’s great teams.
It was fitting that Ellis, 34, emerged from the final as the player of the tournament. For her ability to literally rise to the occasion against great players who are taller than her, a considerable disadvantage in netball, makes her my nomination for Australian athlete of the year.
Liz Ellis the winner, one of the great athletes in the history of Australian sport.
Shae Carratello
Guest
I agree, the Aissie's are the best and liz is the best player
Taylor Morris
Guest
I agree, the Aussie team should be nicknamed "the Lizzies"!!
Michelle Robertson
Guest
Absolutely. Couldn't agree more! Thanks for this article Spiro. Having followed netball for the past 15 years or so, Liz Ellis has really shaped the sport in this country. In all the big tournaments it is the shooters who get all the praise in the earlier rounds, but the class of Liz Ellis which usually wins Australia the games that matter! These world championships were a case in point. Our defence, lead by Ellis, was sensational, our highest score of the tournament was 38, and that was against NZ goal scoring machine Irene Van Dyk! Ellis and Mo'onia Gerrard got us through the semi final, and it was Ellis who won the final for us! I would love nothing more than to see Ellis win Australian athlete of the year, such a fitting reward for, in my opinion, Australia's greatest ever netballer!
Claudia Davy
Guest
Great article, and I couldn't agree more! Liz ELlis has been the heart and soul of Australian netball for the past fifteen years, and you really could not get a more deserving recipient of Australian athlete of the year. She was without a doubt the player of the world championships final, her rebounds and intercepts in that last quarter got Australia over the line while the shooters were faltering. In Australia netball, it is the golden haired shooters that get all the credit, but Liz Ellis as a defender has won Australia so many titles - the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the 1998 Commonwealth Games, the 1999 World champs just to name a few! She is just the most phenomenal player to ever take the court! What's more, she also captained the Sydney Swifts to back to back premierships this season, so what a season for her - captaining her teams to two major titles. Ellis deserves every single accolade that comes her way!!!
David
Guest
Yes yes YES! Liz Ellis for Australian athlete of the year, couldn't go to a more fitting recipient!! She epitomises everything Australian sport is about, and almost single handedly won us the world championships!!
DaniE
Guest
The major difference between the scoring system in soccer and netball is the fact that goals are scored at a much, much faster rate in the latter. I've loved seeing netball games between Aust/NZ where one team might be ahead by a few, and then gets pulled back by the other team very quickly. Great stuff.
wingattack
Guest
I would like to see Liz win athlete of the year but I doubt it will happen (& I even think she is more deserving than Cadelle Evans!) I don’t agree with your remarks about the point scoring though I think moving ahead one point at a time adds to the intensity. This is just what happened on Saturday night when right to the end there was the possibility that NZ could still win. I also disagree that “a team that gets ahead by 3 or 4 with a minute or so to play shouldn’t really loose the game”. This is what happened between Jamaica and England in the Bronze medal play-off if Jamaica had off lost instead of winning by 1 they could only really have blamed themselves and England having come from behind would have deserved to win. It didn’t happen but it was exciting. As the centre passes are taken in turn its up to teams to score off their passes quickly and for the opposition to turn it over. In netball the ability to score within a few seconds of a centre pass adds to the intensity. If there was a 2 or 3 point scoring system the game on Saturday would have been much less interesting as Catherine Cox’s shots from distance would have put Australia far ahead. Similarly we probably would not have gotten the fabulous tussle between Ellis and Irene van Dyke and who likes to score under the ring. We would see less of the brilliant tight defence shown by Ellis and Gerrards in the goal circle against NZ. I also think Australia would have won by a lot more had the Coach Norma Plummer not taken off Sharelle McMahon at half time. While the Goalies were having a bit of trouble scoring Australia was winning by 7 points and when McMahon was taken off and NZ were then able to come back, but then it would have been a less exciting game so perhaps it doesn’t matter! (But I do have some reservations about the coach). Finally I would like to add that your article perhaps made it sound a bit like it was all down to the defenders but I think the mid court and the goalies also played a fantastic game I thought Catherine Cox was the best player after Ellis. Remembering that the NZ defence is not as ‘clean’ as Ellis and Gerrard Australia’s attack did really well!
DaniE
Guest
Liz Ellis has certainly been a real stand-out athlete in the Australian sporting landscape - and Spiro I really liked your story of her competitiveness on the World Cup panel - to me it kind of confirmed to me what I had previously thought of her, as a person who strove to compete, achieve and win in her sport. What is interesting though is hearing discussion of what politics she is likely to get into - I find it hilarious how it's almost automatic to shovel a retiring sportsperson into a seat in parliament somewhere! Maybe it's just the Federal elections on everyone's mind!
Vanessa
Guest
Brilliant article, and I agree wholeheartedly!! Liz Ellis has been the heart and soul of Australian netball for the past decade, and pretty much won the world championships for us single-handedly! She deserves to be awarded Australian athlete of the year, no doubt about it!!
matty p
Guest
Aaah... sorry Spiro, all due respect to netballers and Liz Ellis - give her the career achievement/comeback award if you like - but Cadel Evans has Australian athlete of the year shot to bits.
swifty
Guest
I still find it hard to listen to her after that world cup coverage debacle. As a rugby commentator she makes a pretty good netballer.
onside
Guest
I have read reports stating netball is one of the largest, if not the largest ,particpation sports in Australia, having a huge number of registered players. The game has several advantages, it is inexpensive to play requiring ,a 'court',often bitumen,and two poles with metal loops attached,not even a backboard. The game is played by very young girls right through to mature age women.Competitions are often centralised minimising travelling time ,because it is possible to have ,ten,twenty ,forty, or whatever number of courts in one location .Therefore many teams can participate at the same time. Not quite so well known to non enthusiasts is netball has one of the highest instances of injury ,of any sport in the country. Netball is hell on a players lower legs.The stop start nature of the game causes many fractures ,and bone damage. I totally agree, Liz Ellis is Australian Athlete of the year. Just imagine how much wealthier she would be if her drive and skill had instead been applied to international basketball.
Harry
Guest
Excellent article Spiro and congratulations to Liz Ellis on the weekend win and a magnificent career. She deserves Australian athlete of the year, no doubt at all. I hope Mark Gerard takes inspiration from his sister's performance. A talented player, I hope we have yet to see the best of him - he was great in 2004, and has fallen away since then. There is still time.
Spiro Zavos
Expert
I've always had reservations about the points scoring system of netball, which moves ahead, like football, one point at a time. When a team gets ahead by, say, three or four points with a minute or so to play they shouldn't really lose the game. This takes some of the intensity out of the contest. There should be, I believe, a netball equivalent of the basketball three-point line, say a two-point line. It might be that the scoring system of basketball, with its three, two and one-point options is the way to go. How to go about this is beyond my technical expertise to work out. I like watching Australia-NZ netball clashes. In many ways they are female versions of the Bledisloe tests with bodies flying everywhere (albeit better looking bodies), tight contests, passionate players and parochial spectators. Liz Ellis probably won't win the Athlete of the Year award but if there was a People's Choice she would be a strong candidate. For me she has represented the very best in an Australian athlete: skilful, determined, never-quitting, tough, uncompromising, good humoured (after the contest), humble, colourful - and a winner.
BPM
Guest
Some good points raised Spiro, Ellis is a netballing great but my money would be on either Casey Stoner or Mick Fanning winning this title.
Terry Kidd
Guest
Great article Spiro and I also agree. Liz Ellis has been a stand out performer in Australian and world netball for a long time. She will be remembered for ever as one of the greatest players of netball ever produced by any country and she deserves every accolade that may come her way. Australian Athlete of the Year would be a fitting addition to her trophy cabinet.
Reg
Guest
Agreed. Perhaps if the Australian Netball Team are to look for a nickname (ala the Walllabies, the Opals, the Hockeyroos), they should consider calling themselves the Lizzies!