Days after being crowned as a 2023 Netball World Cup Champion, Diamonds vice-captain Steph Wood has called time on her glittering seven-year international career.
As she retires, she ends a career that includes a gold medal from the Commonwealth Games 2022 and the gong from the showpiece that recently concluded in Cape Town, South Africa.
Woods international career started in 2016 against the Proteas of South Africa in the Netball Quad Series. She went on to feature for the green and gold in 56 matches.
She has opted to continue to play at the domestic level in the Suncorp Super Netball League, where she is captain of the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
“It was a dream of mine to play for the Diamonds and the past seven years have been amazing,” she said.
“The friendships and relationships that I have made are lifelong and the experiences that we have all shared are some of the best memories.
Under her leadership alongside skipper Liz Watson, the 31 year old Wood was named vice-captain in 2021 and she assisted the Australian Diamonds to win every major tournament, including the Netball Quad Series (2022 and 2023), Constellation Cup (2022) and England Series (2022).
The champions will now look ahead to the future of the dominant Australian side with the next World Cup going Down Under. “It feels like the right time for me to make way for the next generation of Diamonds. I am very content with what I have achieved and given to international netball.”
Origin Australian Diamonds head coach Stacey Marinkovich congratulated Wood on a stellar career: “Steph has made a significant contribution not only to the on-court performance of the Diamonds but also to the Sisters in Arms legacy.
“She has shown a unique craft with the ball – she has been the playmaker for the Diamonds attack end for many years, causing a headache to every opposition we’ve faced.
“While Steph steps away from an on-court role, she will forever be connected to the Diamonds as #170.”
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