Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Catherine Anne Cox | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Whangārei, New Zealand [1] | 24 May 1976|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Mount St Benedict College Oakhill College | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Netball career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing position(s): GS, GA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Club team(s) | Apps | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1995 | Australian Institute of Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1996 | Sydney Cenovis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1997–1999 | Sydney Swifts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2000–2001 | Perth Orioles | 25 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2002–2007 | Sydney Swifts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008–2011 | New South Wales Swifts | 57 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012–2013 | West Coast Fever | 26 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2014 | Melbourne Vixens | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | National team(s) | Caps | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1997–2013 | Australia | 108 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Catherine Anne Cox AM (born 24 May 1976) is a former Australian netball international and current netball commentator and podcaster . Between 1997 and 2013, she made 108 senior appearances for Australia. She was a prominent member of the Australia teams that won gold medals at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and the 2007 and 2011 World Netball Championships. She was also a member of the Australia teams that won silver medals at the 2003 World Netball Championships and the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games. Cox captained Australia on seven occasions, including when they won the 2011 Constellation Cup.
During the Commonwealth Bank Trophy era, Cox played for Sydney Swifts. She was a member of Swifts teams that won premierships in 2004, 2006 and 2007. Between 2008 and 2011, she captained New South Wales Swifts, including when they won the inaugural 2008 ANZ Championship. During her playing career, she also captained Perth Orioles and West Coast Fever. In her final season as a player, Cox won a fifth premiership with the 2014 Melbourne Vixens.
Cox was born in Whangārei in New Zealand's Northland Region. She is the daughter of Frances and Neville Cox. Both of her parents are originally from New Zealand. They met in Hamilton, before moving to Northland where they lived for seven years. Frances was a teacher at a school in Whau Valley and Neville was a manager at the Arthur Yates seed company. Cox was born in Whangarei Hospital on 24 May 1976. When she was three months old, her family moved from their Mount Parihaka home to South Island. The family then moved to Australia when she was six. [2] [3] [4] Cox was raised in Sydney. [5] She attended Mount St Benedict College [6] and Oakhill College. She graduated from the latter in 1994. [7] [8] [9] Cox started playing netball at age 11, with the Hills District Netball Association. [7] [10] [11] Cox is the mother of a daughter, Harper (born February 2016). [12]
Between 1992 and 2004, Cox represented New South Wales in the Australian National Netball Championships at under-17, under-19 and open levels. [1] [13] [14]
During the Mobil Superleague era, Cox played for the Australian Institute of Sport in 1995 and for Sydney Cenovis in 1996. Sydney Cenovis also featured a young Liz Ellis and were coached by Julie Fitzgerald. [14] [15] [16]
Between 1997 and 1999 and again between 2002 and 2007, Cox made 135 appearances for Sydney Swifts in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league. She was a member of Swifts teams that won premierships in 2004, 2006 and 2007. Between 2004 and 2006, she also helped Swifts win three minor premierships. Between 2004 and 2007, she played in five successive grand finals for Swifts. Her team mates at Sydney Swifts included Liz Ellis, Megan Anderson and Susan Pratley. She formed a notable partnership with Pratley that also saw them play together for New South Wales Swifts and Australia. [14] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] Between 2003 and 2007 she was named in five successive Margaret Pewtress Teams of the Year. [26] [27] [28] [29] [30]
Between 2000 and 2001, Cox made 25 appearances for Perth Orioles in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league. She co-captained Orioles during both seasons. She was also named Orioles' Player of the Year for both seasons. [18] [22] [30] [31] [32] [33]
Between 2008 and 2011, Cox made 57 appearances for New South Wales Swifts in the ANZ Championship. She also captained Swifts during these four seasons, including when they won the inaugural 2008 ANZ Championship and the 2010 minor premiership. [14] [34] [35] [36] [37] In 2008 she played in her sixth successive grand final and was named MVP. [38] In 2010 Cox made her 200th combined Commonwealth Bank Trophy/ANZ Championship game in Round 13 against Melbourne Vixens. [7] [39]
Cox's playing career with Swifts ended in controversial circumstances. Following an "internal review", Julie Fitzgerald was replaced as Swifts head coach by Lisa Beehag. The review was conducted during the 2011 season. Cox publicly criticized Netball New South Wales for distracting players with the review and even alleged that it was responsible for Swifts losing the 2011 minor semi-final. [40] Beehag subsequently informed Cox that she would not be needed as either as captain or player the following season and Cox then departed for West Coast Fever. [41] [42] [43] [44] [45]
In August 2011, Cox joined West Coast Fever. [33] [43] [46] During the 2012 and 2013 seasons, Cox captained Fever and made 26 appearances. [44] [47] [48] [49]
In February 2014, Cox joined Melbourne Vixens. [50] [51] In April 2014, Cox announced she would be retiring as a netball player at the end of the 2014 season. [52] [53] [54] [55] In May, Cox played her 250th combined Commonwealth Bank Trophy/ANZ Championship game in Round 10 against New South Wales Swifts. She subsequently went on to help the 2014 Melbourne Vixens win both the minor premiership and the overall championship before retiring. [30] [56] [57]
Grand finals | Team | Place | Opponent | Goals | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2003 [23] [58] | Sydney Swifts | Runners up | Melbourne Phoenix | 23/36 (64%) |
2 | 2004 [24] [58] | Sydney Swifts | Winners | Melbourne Phoenix | 36/41 (88%) |
3 | 2005 [24] [59] | Sydney Swifts | Runners up | Melbourne Phoenix | 29/38 (76%) |
4 | 2006 [25] | Sydney Swifts | Winners | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 39/43 (91%) |
5 | 2007 [25] [60] [61] | Sydney Swifts | Winners | Melbourne Phoenix | 22/26 (85%) |
6 | 2008 [62] [63] [38] [64] | New South Wales Swifts | Winners | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 41/46 (89%) |
7 | 2014 [56] [57] | Melbourne Vixens | Winners | Queensland Firebirds | 6/7 (86%) |
Between 1997 and 2013, Cox made 108 senior appearances for Australia. [5] [30] Between 1994 and 1996 she had represented Australia at under-21 level. She was a standout player in the 1996 World Youth Netball Championships grand final in which Australia beat New Zealand. [13] [65] [66] She made her senior debut on 11 June 1997, aged 21, in a 65–38 win against South Africa at Challenge Stadium in Perth. [1] [4] [13] [5]
Cox was overlooked for the 1998 Commonwealth Games and the 1999 World Netball Championships. [5] After being left out of the 1998 Commonwealth Games squad, Cox considered switching to play for New Zealand after she was approached by Netball New Zealand. [2] [3] [7] However she subsequently re-established herself in the Australia team and was a prominent member of the Australia teams that won gold medals at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and the 2007 and 2011 World Netball Championships. Cox was vice-captain of the 2011 Australia team. She was also a member of the Australia teams that won silver medals at the 2003 World Netball Championships and the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games. [5] [67] [68] In both 2004 and 2005, Cox was named Australian International Player of the Year. [26] [27]
Cox captained Australia on seven occasions. [5] [30] She first captained Australia in November 2004 when they lost 50–42 to New Zealand. She next captained Australia in October 2011 against England, after regular captain, Natalie von Bertouch, was injured. During the same match, Cox also scored her 2000th goal for Australia. [69] [70] [71] She subsequently captained Australia when they won the 2011 Constellation Cup. [72] [73] [74]
On 20 September 2012, during a 2012 Constellation Cup match against New Zealand, Cox made her 100th Test appearance for Australia. As a result she became only the fourth Australia netball international, after Vicki Wilson, Sharelle McMahon and Liz Ellis, to reach the century mark. [4] [75] [76] [77]
Since 2015 Cox has worked as a netball commentator. She made her broadcast debut, when together with Sharelle McMahon, Liz Ellis and Kelli Underwood, she was part of the Fox Sports (Australia) commentary team that covered the 2015 ANZ Championship season. [85] [86] In 2015 Cox, Ellis and McMahon toured as part of a stage show named The Centurions, celebrating the careers and back stories of three Australia netball internationals who had played more than 100 international matches. [87] [88] [89] Since 2017, Cox has worked for Nine, providing commentary for their Suncorp Super Netball, Netball World Cup and Constellation Cup coverage. [90] [91] [92] [93]
Year | Award |
---|---|
2000 [31] | Perth Orioles' Player of the Year |
2001 [31] | Perth Orioles' Player of the Year |
2003 | Margaret Pewtress Team of the Year |
2004 [26] | Australian International Player of the Year |
2004 [26] | Margaret Pewtress Team of the Year |
2004 [24] | Commonwealth Bank Trophy Grand Final MVP |
2005 [27] | Margaret Pewtress Team of the Year |
2005 [27] | Australian International Player of the Year |
2006 [28] | Margaret Pewtress Team of the Year |
2007 [29] | Margaret Pewtress Team of the Year |
2008 [38] | ANZ Championship Grand Final MVP |
2008 [94] | Australian ANZ Championship Player of the Year |
2008 | QBE NSW Swifts MVP |
2008 | NSW Swifts Members' Player of the Year |
2009 | QBE NSW Swifts MVP |
2011 [95] | QBE NSW Swifts MVP |
2011 [72] | New Idea's Favourite Diamond |
2012 [76] | New Idea's Favourite Diamond |
2022 [96] | Member of the Order of Australia |
2022 [97] | Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductee |
The Commonwealth Bank Trophy, also referred to as the National Netball League, was the top level national Australian netball league between 1997 and 2007. The league was organized by Netball Australia. Its main sponsor was the Commonwealth Bank. Melbourne Phoenix were the competition's most successful team, winning five premierships. Sydney Swifts were the second most successful team, winning four premierships. Between them, Phoenix and Swifts played in every grand final, except in 1999 when Adelaide Thunderbirds won the second of their two premierships. Ahead of the 2008 season, the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league effectively merged with New Zealand's National Bank Cup to form the ANZ Championship.
Sydney Swifts were an Australian netball team based in Sydney. Between 1997 and 2007, they represented Netball New South Wales in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league. Together with Sydney Sandpipers and Hunter Jaegers, they were one of three teams to represent NNSW in the competition. After Melbourne Phoenix, Swifts were the league's second most successful team, winning four premierships and three minor premierships. In 2008, when the Commonwealth Bank Trophy was replaced by the ANZ Championship, Swifts and Jaegers merged to form New South Wales Swifts.
The ANZ Championship, also known as the Trans-Tasman Netball League, is a former netball league featuring teams from both Australia and New Zealand. Between 2008 and 2016, it was the top-level league in both countries. The competition was owned and administered by Trans-Tasman Netball League Ltd (TTNL), a joint venture between Netball Australia and Netball New Zealand. It was effectively a merger of Australia's Commonwealth Bank Trophy and New Zealand's National Bank Cup. Its main sponsor was the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group.
The 2008 ANZ Championship season was the inaugural season of the ANZ Championship. The 2008 season began on 5 April and concluded on 28 July. Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic were minor premiers after finishing top of the table following the regular season. New South Wales Swifts, with a team coached by Julie Fitzgerald and captained by Catherine Cox, won 10 of their 13 matches and finished second behind Magic. Swifts subsequently defeated Magic in both the major semi–final and the grand final to become the inaugural ANZ Championship winners. The grand final was played on 28 July at Acer Arena. Overall, 6792 goals were scored during the season, averaging 98.44 per match. Fox Sports (Australia) and Sky Sport attracted an average audience per match of 56,581.
New South Wales Swifts are an Australian professional netball team based in Sydney, New South Wales. Since 2017 they have reresented Netball New South Wales in Sun Super Netball. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. The team was formed in 2007 when Netball New South Wales merged its two former Commonwealth Bank Trophy league teams, Sydney Swifts and Hunter Jaegers. In 2008, Swifts were the inaugural ANZ Championship winners. Swifts were also grand finalists in 2015 and 2016. They won their second and third premierships in 2019 and 2021.
Megan Anderson, also known as Megan McWilliams and previously known as Megan Dehn, is a former Australia netball international and current netball coach. Between 2000 and 2006 she made 20 senior appearances for Australia. She was a member of the Australia team that won the silver medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. During the Commonwealth Bank Trophy era, Anderson was a member of Sydney Swifts teams that won premierships in 2001, 2004, 2006 and 2007. During the ANZ Championship era, she played for Southern Steel and Northern Mystics. After retiring as a player in 2011, she became a coach. In 2020 Anderson was appointed head coach of Queensland Firebirds.
Vanessa Ware is a former Australian netball player. Between 2003 and 2007 she played for Sydney Swifts in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league. She was a member of the Sydney Swifts teams that won premierships in 2004, 2006, 2007. Between 2008 and 2013 she played for New South Wales Swifts in the ANZ Championship. She was a member of the Swifts team that won the 2008 ANZ Championship. She also represented Australia at under-19, under-21 and Fast5 levels.
Amorette Wild, also known as Amy Wild, is a former Australian netball player. Wild played for both New South Wales Swifts and Queensland Firebirds during the ANZ Championship era. She was a member of the Firebirds team that won the 2015 ANZ Championship. She also represented Australia at under-19, under-21 and Fast5 levels.
The 2013 ANZ Championship season was the sixth season of the ANZ Championship. The 2013 season began on 24 March and concluded on 14 July. With a team captained by Natalie von Bertouch and featuring Erin Bell, Carla Borrego, Renae Hallinan, Rebecca Bulley and Sharni Layton, the Adelaide Thunderbirds won both the minor premiership and the overall championship. Having previously won the 2010 ANZ Championship, the Thunderbirds became the first team to win a second championship. The Thunderbirds secured the minor premiership with a 64–48 win over Northern Mystics in Round 13. They subsequently defeated Melbourne Vixens 49–39 in the major semi-final and Queensland Firebirds 50–48 in the grand final to win the championship.
The 2014 ANZ Championship season was the seventh season of the ANZ Championship. The 2014 season began on 1 March and concluded on 22 June. With a team coached by Simone McKinnis, captained by Bianca Chatfield and also featuring Tegan Caldwell, Geva Mentor, Madison Robinson and Catherine Cox, Melbourne Vixens won both the minor premiership and the overall championship. Vixens defeated Queensland Firebirds in both the major semi-final and the grand final as they won their second premiership. They won their first in 2009.
The 2008 New South Wales Swifts season was the inaugural season for both New South Wales Swifts and the ANZ Championship. Swifts were formed in late 2007 when Netball New South Wales merged its two former Commonwealth Bank Trophy league teams, Sydney Swifts and Hunter Jaegers, in order to enter a single team in the 2008 ANZ Championship. With a team coached by Julie Fitzgerald and captained by Catherine Cox, Swifts won 10 of their 13 matches during the regular season and finished second behind Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. Swifts subsequently defeated Magic in both the major semi–final and the grand final to become the inaugural ANZ Championship winners.
The 2010 New South Wales Swifts season saw New South Wales Swifts compete in the 2010 ANZ Championship. Swifts went through the entire regular season home and away undefeated, winning 13 consecutive matches and finishing as minor premiers. They were the first team in the history of the ANZ Championship to do this. However they subsequently lost both the major semi-final and the preliminary final to Adelaide Thunderbirds and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic respectively and finished the season in third place.
The 2014 New South Wales Swifts season saw New South Wales Swifts compete in the 2014 ANZ Championship. Rob Wright replaced Lisa Beehag as head coach. Swifts finished the regular season in third place but subsequently lost to Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in the minor semi-final.
The 2016 New South Wales Swifts season saw New South Wales Swifts compete in the 2016 ANZ Championship. Swifts finished the regular season in second place in the Australian Conference. In the play-offs, they defeated Melbourne Vixens and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic but lost twice to Queensland Firebirds, including 69–67 in the grand final.
The 2014 Melbourne Vixens season saw Melbourne Vixens compete in the 2014 ANZ Championship. With a team coached by Simone McKinnis, captained by Bianca Chatfield and also featuring Tegan Caldwell, Geva Mentor, Madison Robinson and Catherine Cox, Melbourne Vixens won both the minor premiership and the overall championship. Vixens defeated Queensland Firebirds in both the major semi-final and the grand final as they won their second premiership. They won their first in 2009.
The 2014 Queensland Firebirds season saw the Queensland Firebirds netball team compete in the 2014 ANZ Championship. Firebirds finished second during the regular season and in the overall championship. Firebirds lost both the major semi-final and the grand final to Melbourne Vixens.
Briony Akle is an Australian former netball player and current netball coach. Between 1999 and 2004, Akle played for Sydney Swifts in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league. Akle was a member of the Sydney Swifts teams that won premierships in 2001 and 2004. Since 2017 she has been head coach of New South Wales Swifts, guiding them to the 2019 and 2021 Suncorp Super Netball titles.
Julie Fitzgerald is a veteran Australian netball coach. Between 1997 and 2007, Fitzgerald served as head coach of Sydney Swifts in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league. She guided Swifts to premierships in 2001, 2004, 2006 and 2007. Between 2008 and 2011, she served as head coach of New South Wales Swifts in the ANZ Championship. In 2008, she guided Swifts to the inaugural ANZ Championship title. Between 2014 and 2016, she guided Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic to the Finals Series every year in the ANZ Championship. Since 2017, Fitzgerald has served as head coach of Giants Netball in Suncorp Super Netball, guiding them to two grand finals and two minor championships. In 2020, Fitzgerald was made a Member of the Order of Australia.