Laura Geitz knew when her time with the Diamonds was up

Laura Geitz has confirmed her retirement from international netball.

Laura Geitz announced her retirement from international netball while at the Queensland State Age Championships in Ipswich yesterday. Picture: Peter Wallis

Laura Geitz knew the moment she walked off the court after Australia’s Commonwealth Games heartbreak last April that her Diamonds days were done.

Former captain Geitz announced her retirement from international netball yesterday, a decision she said had been three years in the making. The defender made her debut for the Diamonds a decade ago and through her career amassed 71 caps, including two World Cup wins (2011, 2015) and Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow in 2014.

Geitz said she knew as far back as the 2015 World Cup in Sydney that she wanted to step away from international competition after the Gold Coast Games.

She came agonisingly close to adding another title to her collection but the Diamonds lost a thrilling gold-medal match to England courtesy of a last-second goal from Helen Housby, a shock result that left her and her Diamonds teammates in tears.

“I did know, actually, when I walked off the court that that was probably the last time I would wear the green and gold,” Geitz said yesterday.

Geitz, 30, gave birth to her son Barney last year and had a lengthy break from netball but always planned to return for the Commonwealth Games. “There was this desire for me to represent Australia again at a Commonwealth Games and particularly at home,” she said.

“But I never had that same desire to go on past that moment.

“And whilst it wasn’t the result that we would have loved, playing in front of my family and friends and in my home state and having my little boy in the crowd was very fitting for me and something that I’ll treasure forever.”

Geitz appears likely to play on for the Queensland Firebirds in Super Netball, admitting she isn’t ready to give up the sport altogether.

“To call it quits on everything would be particularly hard and that’s a decision I’ll have to mull over for a little bit longer yet,” she said.

Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander said Geitz’s presence around the national team would be sorely missed.

“Laura has been a champion for the Diamonds, the ultimate professional, always setting the benchmark for other players, so they knew exactly what was expected to play at this level,” Alexander said.

Meanwhile, Adelaide Thunderbirds have confirmed the appointment of former Australia youth team coach Tania Obst as their new head coach for the next three season.

The Thunderbirds, who are yet to win a game this season and won just one game in 2017, said Obst was the natural choice to lead them in a new strategic direction.

Dan Ryan was informed last month that his contract would not be extended after it expired at the end of this season.

“I can’t wait to explore and support the outstanding local talent that exists in South Australia, to invest in the players, nurture and guide them,” Obst said in a statement yesterday.

Obst has been assistant coach of Giants Netball for the last two years and was assistant coach of Commonwealth Games gold medal winners England.

She also coached the Australian under-21 team to a silver medal at the 2017 Netball Youth World Cup.

AAP