Australian Netball Awards 2023: Courtney Bruce claims Liz Ellis Diamond, Team of the Year revealed

Courtney Bruce has capped off an incredible year, joining an elite group after claiming her second Liz Ellis Diamond, as Netball’s Team of the Year was revealed, writes Linda Pearce.

Courtney Bruce has crowned a year of Diamonds’ team dominance with a second Liz Ellis Diamond as Australia’s best-performed individual at the annual Australian Netball Awards in Melbourne on Saturday night.

The 29-year-old, named “Defender of the Tournament” at the World Cup in August and the Quad Series in January, also claimed the International Player of the Year gong, becoming the sixth athlete to double-up in the past decade.

Since its inaugural presentation in 2008, the Liz Ellis Diamond has rewarded excellence at both international level and domestically in Super Netball. Bruce is the third multiple winner, joining Madi Browne (2012, 2014) and current Diamonds captain Liz Watson (2018, 2022).

(L-R) Liz Watson, Donnell Wallam, Paige Hadley, Jamie-Lee Price, and Courtney Bruce pose onstage after receiving the SSN Team of the Year award during the 2023 Australian Netball Awards. Picture: Getty Images

Like Watson, the outgoing West Coast Fever skipper will join the Sunshine Coast Lightning for 2024 under second-year coach and former Fever assistant Belinda Reynolds. Bruce’s exceptional SSN season included 35 intercepts, 103 deflections and 38 rebounds in the last of her 11 seasons with in Fever green.

Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan opened the evening by confirming that the Super Netball players had chosen not to attend due to the ongoing pay dispute, but that all parties were working to resolve the protracted stand-off. The world champion Diamonds were in the room.

Powerful statement made by the Diamonds players on social media ahead of the Aus Netball Awards tonight. pic.twitter.com/p5e6bVM5Jz

— Marnie Vinall (@marnievinall) November 25, 2023

Despite her incredible year for the Diamonds, Bruce was pipped for a place in the starting seven of Super Netball’s Team of the Year by Thunderbirds’ premiership goal keeper Shamera Sterling, who interrupted fellow Jamaican Jhaniele Fowler’s five-year dominance of the SSN Player of the Year Award following Geva Mentor’s success in the inaugural season.

Emily Andrew (L) poses after receiving the Australian Netball Championships Player of the Year award. Picture: Getty Images

A new judging system was introduced for the SSN Player and Team of the Year awards in 2023. Instead of coaches and players, an independent three-person panel submitted votes on a 3-2-1 basis for each match.

The 28-year-old Sterling logged 46 intercepts, 118 deflections and 38 rebounds to finish ahead of the Swifts’ English goal attack Helen Housby and the Firebirds’ Donnell Wallam, the only Australian on the podium.

Promising young shooter Lucy Austin was named Rookie of the Year for her first season in the T-birds contracted 10, having played a key role in the overtime grand final after shooting 108 goals at 82 per cent accuracy in the preliminary rounds.

Adelaide Thunderbirds shooter Lucy Austin (right) was named Rookie of the Year for her first season. Picture: Getty Images

In other awards, the Diamonds’ Stacey Marinkovich was honoured as the Joyce Brown Coach of the Year; her 2023 win-loss record an exceptional 16-3 while sweeping the World Cup, Quad Series and South Africa series, plus retaining the Constellation Cup against New Zealand on goal difference.

Former playing and coaching great Jill McIntosh was elevated to Legend status in the Netball Australia Hall of Fame in which the two new inductees were Pam Redmond and Sue Kenny.

The Service Award went to former physiotherapist Sean Mungovan, Josh Bowring was the Lorna McConchie Umpire of the Year, Victorian Fury goaler Emily Andrew the best player at the Australian National Championships and recent Diamonds’ debutant Matilda Garrett capped a breakout 2023 as the Fast5 Player of the Series.

Originally published as Australian Netball Awards 2023: Courtney Bruce claims Liz Ellis Diamond, Team of the Year revealed