Mo'onia Gerrard
Encyclopedia
Mo'onia Gerrard is a Tonga
n-Australian netball
player. Gerrard is a current member of the Australian national team
, and from 2011 is playing for the New South Wales Swifts
in the ANZ Championship
. She is the sister of Australian rugby union
player Mark Gerrard
.
, Gerrard played five years with the Sydney Sandpipers
and during that time received the 1999 Best New Talent Award and shared the Player's Player Award in 2003.
Late 2003 saw the demise of Gerrard's Sandpipers team, so she relocated to cross-town rivals the Sydney Swifts
. Gerrard's relocation was followed by a string of serious injuries, with an ankle injury keeping her out of the 2004 season, and a knee reconstruction curtailing her comeback in 2005. This knee reconstruction also prevented Gerrard from competing at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
, in which Australia lost the gold-medal match to New Zealand.
Shortly after the 2007 Netball World Championships
Gerrard announced that she was relocating from Sydney to play with the Adelaide Thunderbirds
in the new ANZ Championship
. Gerrard played three seasons with the Thunderbirds, reaching the playoffs in all three years and winning the championship in 2010.
Later in 2010, Gerrard announced that she will return to Sydney to play for the New South Wales Swifts
.
In 2011, played her first season with the Swifts since 2007. At the ANZ Championship, Gerrard played her 50th ANZ Championship match against the West Coast Fever in round 4. Gerrard also played her 150th domestic match in round 5 against the Canterbury Tactix. Both of these matches were played in Sydney.
to take on the Silver Ferns
on Australian soil in November 2004. A series of injuries curtailed her participation in competitive netball throughout 2005, and forced her to miss the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Gerrard made her comeback to competitive netball in 2006, and quickly fought her way back into the Australian team. Her strong defensive combination with Sydney Swifts teammate Liz Ellis played a major role in Australia reversing their losing streak against New Zealand in mid-2006, and Gerrard has laid claim to the goal defence position ever since.
In November 2007 Gerrard played a key role for Australia when it won the Netball World Championships
beating New Zealand in Auckland. She missed the Diamond's inaugural World Netball Series
campaign in 2009 with an ankle injury, but rejoined the national team for the 2010 Commonwealth Games
in Delhi, winning silver. She also played at the 2011 World Netball Championships in Singapore, primarily as a wing defence.
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
n-Australian netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
player. Gerrard is a current member of the Australian national team
Australia national netball team
The Australia national netball team, commonly known as the Australian Netball Diamonds, represent Australia in international netball tests and competitions. The team was formed in 1938 and played in the first international game of netball, against New Zealand...
, and from 2011 is playing for the New South Wales Swifts
New South Wales Swifts
The New South Wales Swifts are an Australian netball team based in Sydney that compete in the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship. The Swifts were formed in 2007 as an amalgamation of two teams from the Commonwealth Bank Trophy – the Sydney Swifts and the Hunter Jaegers...
in the ANZ Championship
ANZ Championship
The ANZ Championship is the pre-eminent netball league in the world. The competition is held annually between April and July, comprising 69 matches played over 17 weeks. It is contested by ten teams, five from Australia and five from New Zealand...
. She is the sister of Australian rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player Mark Gerrard
Mark Gerrard
Mark Gerrard is an Australian professional rugby union footballer. He currently plays for the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby competition. In 2011 he was one of 10 players nominated to become the competition's Super Rugby player of the year....
.
Domestic career
In the Commonwealth Bank TrophyCommonwealth Bank Trophy
The Commonwealth Bank Trophy was the pre-eminent national netball competition in Australia from 1997 to 2007.It was established in 1997 as a true national league to replace the ailing, state club-based Mobil League. Designed from the beginning to be more marketable to the general public, it saw...
, Gerrard played five years with the Sydney Sandpipers
Sydney Sandpipers
The Sydney Sandpapers were one of the inaugural teams in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy, Australia's national women's netball league. Based out of University of Sydney, the team's strip was a vivid sky blue and they competed from 1997 to 2003, after which the Sydney Swifts were left as the only New...
and during that time received the 1999 Best New Talent Award and shared the Player's Player Award in 2003.
Late 2003 saw the demise of Gerrard's Sandpipers team, so she relocated to cross-town rivals the Sydney Swifts
Sydney Swifts
The Sydney Swifts were an Australian netball team, playing in the national Commonwealth Bank Trophy. They were based out of Acer Arena and Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre in the suburb of Homebush. Following the 2003 demise of the Sydney Sandpipers, the Swifts were the only team representing the...
. Gerrard's relocation was followed by a string of serious injuries, with an ankle injury keeping her out of the 2004 season, and a knee reconstruction curtailing her comeback in 2005. This knee reconstruction also prevented Gerrard from competing at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
, in which Australia lost the gold-medal match to New Zealand.
Shortly after the 2007 Netball World Championships
2007 Netball World Championships
The 2007 World Netball Championships was the 12th staging of the World Netball Championships, a quadrennial international netball world championship co-ordinated by the International Federation of Netball Associations , inaugurated in 1963....
Gerrard announced that she was relocating from Sydney to play with the Adelaide Thunderbirds
Adelaide Thunderbirds
The Adelaide Thunderbirds are an Australian netball team based in Adelaide that currently compete in the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship. The Thunderbirds were formed as one of the foundation teams of the Commonwealth Bank Trophy , previously the premier netball league in Australia, which was...
in the new ANZ Championship
ANZ Championship
The ANZ Championship is the pre-eminent netball league in the world. The competition is held annually between April and July, comprising 69 matches played over 17 weeks. It is contested by ten teams, five from Australia and five from New Zealand...
. Gerrard played three seasons with the Thunderbirds, reaching the playoffs in all three years and winning the championship in 2010.
Later in 2010, Gerrard announced that she will return to Sydney to play for the New South Wales Swifts
New South Wales Swifts
The New South Wales Swifts are an Australian netball team based in Sydney that compete in the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship. The Swifts were formed in 2007 as an amalgamation of two teams from the Commonwealth Bank Trophy – the Sydney Swifts and the Hunter Jaegers...
.
In 2011, played her first season with the Swifts since 2007. At the ANZ Championship, Gerrard played her 50th ANZ Championship match against the West Coast Fever in round 4. Gerrard also played her 150th domestic match in round 5 against the Canterbury Tactix. Both of these matches were played in Sydney.
International career
She was first selected in the Australian netball teamAustralia national netball team
The Australia national netball team, commonly known as the Australian Netball Diamonds, represent Australia in international netball tests and competitions. The team was formed in 1938 and played in the first international game of netball, against New Zealand...
to take on the Silver Ferns
Silver Ferns
The New Zealand national netball team, commonly known as the Silver Ferns, represent New Zealand in international netball. The team take their nickname from the Silver Tree Fern , which is an iconic emblem for many New Zealand sports teams. The Silver Ferns were formed in 1938 as a representative...
on Australian soil in November 2004. A series of injuries curtailed her participation in competitive netball throughout 2005, and forced her to miss the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Gerrard made her comeback to competitive netball in 2006, and quickly fought her way back into the Australian team. Her strong defensive combination with Sydney Swifts teammate Liz Ellis played a major role in Australia reversing their losing streak against New Zealand in mid-2006, and Gerrard has laid claim to the goal defence position ever since.
In November 2007 Gerrard played a key role for Australia when it won the Netball World Championships
Netball World Championships
The World Netball Championships is a quadrennial international netball world championship co-ordinated by the International Federation of Netball Associations , inaugurated in 1963. Since its inception the competition has been dominated primarily by the Australian national netball team and the New...
beating New Zealand in Auckland. She missed the Diamond's inaugural World Netball Series
World Netball Series
The World Netball Series is an international netball competition that was contested for the first time in October 2009. The new competition features modified "fastnet" rules, and has been likened to Twenty20 cricket and rugby sevens...
campaign in 2009 with an ankle injury, but rejoined the national team for the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
in Delhi, winning silver. She also played at the 2011 World Netball Championships in Singapore, primarily as a wing defence.
External links
- 2008 Adelaide Thunderbirds profile. Retrieved on 14 March 2009.