Contax captain Jane Fitzgerald plays 200th game for club
JANE Fitzgerald has become the third Contax Netball Club player on record to reach the 200-game milestone.
JANE Fitzgerald has become the third Contax Netball Club player on record to reach the 200-game milestone.
But few people know the 31-year-old goal defender actually began her state league journey at Contax's fierce rival Garville.
Fitzgerald moved to Adelaide from her southeast hometown Hatherleigh in 1997 to board at Loreto College.
She followed a family friend to Garville and played in its top junior team, only to switch to Contax after one season.
"The coaching and people involved were the main reasons I moved across, as well as being friends with a lot of the Contax girls through the state team," Fitzgerald says.
"When I did swap it was kind of like going to the enemy.
"I don't think too many people know I was at Garville to start with - it's not something I say.
"I'm certainly glad I made the move and don't think I'd be the player I am or had the success if I hadn't have moved."
Fitzgerald, of Hawthorn, followed in the footsteps of former teammates Leanne Eichler and Amanda Martin when she reached the 200-game milestone against Phoenix at Netball SA Stadium on Friday, July 12.
It is another honour on an already impressive playing CV, which includes five state league premierships, the past five years as Contax captain, three club best and fairests and two seasons with Adelaide Thunderbirds.
"It's been a privilege to be honest to be able to play at that level at Contax.
"Playing with a great bunch of girls and having a good administration behind you makes things a lot easier."
The Contax-Garville rivalry, which peaked in the 1990s when the sides routinely faced off in grand finals, had subsided over the past decade as Garville struggled to match Contax's on-court success.
Fitzgerald is unsure how long she will continue to play, but with Garville now a premiership contender again she says she would love to play against them in a grand final before she retires.