# 2011 ANZ Championship season

The 2011 ANZ Championship season was the fourth season of the ANZ Championship. The 2011 season began on 13 February and concluded on 22 May. With a team coached by Roselee Jencke, captained by Lauren Nourse and featuring Romelda Aiken, Laura Geitz, Clare McMeniman and Natalie Medhurst, Queensland Firebirds finished the season undefeated. They became the first team in the history of the ANZ Championship to go through the regular season and the playoffs without losing a single match. In the major semi-final, Firebirds defeated Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic and in the grand final they defeated Northern Mystics, winning their first premiership. This marked the beginning of a golden age for Firebirds. Between 2011 and 2016, Jencke guided them to five grand finals and three premierships.

## Transfers

| Player | 2010 team | 2011 team |
| Bianca Giteau | | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Cody Lange | Southern Force | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Maddy Proud | Contax | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Kara Richards | Melbourne Vixens | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Kate Beveridge | Adelaide Thunderbirds | Melbourne Vixens |
| Madison Browne | West Coast Fever | Melbourne Vixens |
| Geva Mentor | Adelaide Thunderbirds | Melbourne Vixens |
| Sarah Wall | Queensland Firebirds | Melbourne Vixens |
| Carla Dziwoki | Leeds Carnegie | New South Wales Swifts |
| Mo'onia Gerrard | Adelaide Thunderbirds | New South Wales Swifts |
| Chelsea Pitman | Canterbury Tactix | Queensland Firebirds |
| Ameliaranne Wells | Queensland Fusion | Queensland Firebirds |
| Ama Agbeze | Central Pulse | West Coast Fever |
| Courtney Bruce | Western Sting | West Coast Fever |
| Alicia Janz | Western Sting | West Coast Fever |
| Kasey Evering | Import | Canterbury Tactix |
| Finau Pulu | Northern Mystics | Canterbury Tactix |
| Donna Wilkins | | Canterbury Tactix |
| Caitlin Thwaites | Melbourne Vixens | Central Pulse |
| Victoria Smith | Canterbury Tactix | Central Pulse |
| Jade Topia | Southern Steel | Central Pulse |
| Megan Dehn | Southern Steel | Northern Mystics |
| Rachel Rasmussen | Central Pulse | Northern Mystics |
| Natasha Chokljat | Melbourne Vixens | Southern Steel |
| Paula Griffin | Central Pulse | Southern Steel |
| Jamilah Gupwell | Central Pulse | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic |
| Julianna Naoupu | Southern Steel | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic |
| Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick | Northern Mystics | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic |

### Notes

* ^1 In 2009, Bianca Giteau played for West Coast Fever.
* ^2 In 2009, Donna Wilkins played for Southern Steel.

## Head coaches and captains

| Team | Head coach | Captain |
| Adelaide Thunderbirds | Jane Woodlands-Thompson | Natalie von Bertouch |
| Melbourne Vixens | Julie Hoornweg | Sharelle McMahon Bianca Chatfield |
| New South Wales Swifts | Julie Fitzgerald | Catherine Cox |
| Queensland Firebirds | Roselee Jencke | Lauren Nourse |
| West Coast Fever | Jane Searle | Johannah Curran |
| Canterbury Tactix | Helen Mahon-Stroud | Maree Bowden Donna Wilkins |
| Central Pulse | Yvette McCausland-Durie | Katrina Grant |
| Northern Mystics | Debbie Fuller | Temepara George |
| Southern Steel | Robyn Broughton | Wendy Frew Liana Leota |
| Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | Noeline Taurua | Laura Langman |

## Pre-season
### Tournaments

| Tournament | Date | Winner | Score | Runners-up | Venue |
| NSW Swifts Tournament | 22–23 January | New South Wales Swifts | | | Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre |
| Queenstown Pre-Season Tournament | 28–30 January | Queensland Firebirds | 50–46 | Central Pulse | Queenstown Events Centre |

### Notes

* ^3 Other participants included Melbourne Vixens, Adelaide Thunderbirds, West Coast Fever
* ^4 Other participants in Queenstown included Canterbury Tactix and Southern Steel

### Matches

Northern Mystics, New South Wales Swifts and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic played a series of five-quarter matches.

## Regular season

In order to be concluded before the 2011 World Netball Championships, the regular season used a more condensed format. It still featured 65 games, but included several new features including three "double rounds" which featured seven or eight matches, rather than the traditional four or five. The "bye" rounds were dropped and Thursday night matches were introduced for five of the regular rounds.

### Round 7: Rivalry Round

Round 7 featured five Australia verses New Zealand matches. Goals scored by Australian and New Zealand teams were added together and the country with the most goals won the Rivalry Round Trophy. Australia won the 2011 Rivalry Round with an aggregate score of 263–239 over New Zealand.

### Round 8

Sources:

### Round 9

Sources:

### Round 12

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#### Notes

* ^5 The Round 3 match between Canterbury Tactix and Northern Mystics was due to be played on 27 February. However it was postponed due to the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The match was rescheduled for 7 April.
* ^6 The Round 4 match between Canterbury Tactix and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic was originally scheduled to be played in Christchurch. However following the earthquake, the match was moved to Rotorua. It was still regarded as a "home" match for Tactix.

### Final table

2011 ANZ Championship laddervte :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | G% | Pts |
| 1 | Queensland Firebirds | 13 | 13 | 0 | 758 | 587 | 171 | 129.13 | 26 |
| 2 | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 13 | 10 | 3 | 647 | 578 | 69 | 111.94 | 20 |
| 3 | New South Wales Swifts | 13 | 9 | 4 | 677 | 606 | 71 | 111.72 | 18 |
| 4 | Northern Mystics | 13 | 9 | 4 | 684 | 619 | 65 | 110.5 | 18 |
| 5 | Melbourne Vixens | 13 | 8 | 5 | 664 | 610 | 54 | 108.85 | 16 |
| 6 | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 13 | 5 | 8 | 662 | 737 | -75 | 89.82 | 10 |
| 7 | Southern Steel | 13 | 4 | 9 | 533 | 594 | -61 | 89.73 | 8 |
| 8 | Central Pulse | 13 | 3 | 10 | 599 | 683 | -84 | 87.7 | 6 |
| 9 | West Coast Fever | 13 | 3 | 10 | 646 | 754 | -108 | 85.68 | 6 |
| 10 | Canterbury Tactix | 13 | 1 | 12 | 621 | 723 | -102 | 85.89 | 2 |
| Updated 8 March 2021 ||||||||||
Qualified for Major semi-final Qualified for Minor semi-final
* Pld = Games played
* W = Win (2 points)
* L = Loss (0 points)
* GF = Goals For
* GA = Goals Against
* GD = Goals Difference (= GF−GA)
* G% = Goal percentage (= 100 × GF/GA)
Pts = Points
Source:

## Playoffs

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final |
| 9 May – Gold Coast | 9 May – Gold Coast | 9 May – Gold Coast | | | | 22 May – Brisbane | 22 May – Brisbane | 22 May – Brisbane |
| Queensland Firebirds | Queensland Firebirds | 50 | | | | Queensland Firebirds | Queensland Firebirds | 57 |
| Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 39 | 15 May – Hamilton | 15 May – Hamilton | 15 May – Hamilton | Northern Mystics | Northern Mystics | 44 |
| | | | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 42 | | | |
| 8 May – Sydney | 8 May – Sydney | 8 May – Sydney | Northern Mystics | Northern Mystics | 43 | | | |
| New South Wales Swifts | New South Wales Swifts | 44 | | | | | | |
| Northern Mystics | Northern Mystics | 49 | | | | | | |

### Minor semifinal

| Sunday 8 May 14:20 (UTC+10) | New South Wales Swifts | 44–49 | Northern Mystics | Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre Umpires: Rachael Ayre (Australia) Mandy Nottingham (New Zealand) Reserve umpire: Jemma Carlton (Australia) | TEN SKYSport |
| TEN SKYSport |||
| Sunday 8 May 14:20 (UTC+10) | Catherine Cox 28/36 (78%) Amorette Wild 8/8 (100%) Susan Pratley 8/10 (80%) | | Cathrine Latu 25/28 (89%) Maria Tutaia 24/29 (83%) | Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre Umpires: Rachael Ayre (Australia) Mandy Nottingham (New Zealand) Reserve umpire: Jemma Carlton (Australia) | TEN SKYSport |
Source:

### Major semifinal

| Monday 9 May 19:40 (UTC+10) | Stats | Queensland Firebirds | 50–39 | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre | TEN SKYSport |
| TEN SKYSport |||
| Monday 9 May 19:40 (UTC+10) | Stats | Romelda Aiken 29/33 (88%) Natalie Medhurst 21/27 (78%) | | Irene van Dyk 17/19 (89%) Jamilah Gupwell 16/18 (89%) Julianna Naoupu 6/8 (75%) | Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre | TEN SKYSport |
Source:

### Preliminary final

| Sunday 15 May 18:20 (UTC+12) | Stats | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 42–43 | Northern Mystics | Mystery Creek Events Centre | TEN SKYSport |
| TEN SKYSport |||
| Sunday 15 May 18:20 (UTC+12) | Stats | Irene van Dyk 27/28 (96%) Julianna Naoupu 14/19 (74%) Jamilah Gupwell 1/3 (33%) | | Cathrine Latu 15/17 (88%) Maria Tutaia 28/30 (93%) | Mystery Creek Events Centre | TEN SKYSport |
Source:

### Grand final

| Sunday 22 May 14:30 (UTC+10) | Stats | Queensland Firebirds | 57–44 | Northern Mystics | Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre Attendance: 3,541 Umpires: Sharon Kelly (Australia) Mandy Nottingham (New Zealand) Reserve umpire: Rachael Ayre (Australia) | TEN SKYSport |
| TEN SKYSport |||
| Sunday 22 May 14:30 (UTC+10) | Stats | Romelda Aiken 35/40 (88%) Natalie Medhurst 22/24 (92%) | | Cathrine Latu 21/21 (100%) Maria Tutaia 23/31 (74%) | Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre Attendance: 3,541 Umpires: Sharon Kelly (Australia) Mandy Nottingham (New Zealand) Reserve umpire: Rachael Ayre (Australia) | TEN SKYSport |
Source:

## Season statistics

Top 5 Goals scored :
| Pos. | Player | Team | GS | GA | G% |
| 1 | Romelda Aiken | Queensland Firebirds | 523 | 607 | 86.2 |
| 2 | Caitlin Bassett | West Coast Fever | 478 | 538 | 88.8 |
| 3 | Cathrine Latu | Northern Mystics | 449 | 482 | 93.2 |
| 4 | Irene van Dyk | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 446 | 485 | 92.0 |
| 5 | Caitlin Thwaites | Central Pulse | 431 | 530 | 81.3 |
Top 5 Goal assists :
| Pos. | Player | Team | G/A |
| 1 | Kimberlee Green | New South Wales Swifts | 197 |
| 2 | Temepara George | Northern Mystics | 195 |
| 3 | Madison Browne | Melbourne Vixens | 179 |
| 4 | Laura Langman | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 148 |
| 5 | Natalie Medhurst | Queensland Firebirds | 141 |
Top 5 Rebounds :
| Pos. | Player | Team | Reb. |
| 1 | Romelda Aiken | Queensland Firebirds | 63 |
| 2 | Cathrine Latu | Northern Mystics | 42 |
| 3 | Laura Geitz | Queensland Firebirds | 41 |
| 4 | Casey Williams | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 40 |
| 5 | Irene van Dyk | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 37 |
Top 5 Centre-pass receives :
| Pos. | Player | Team | CPR |
| 1 | Leah Shoard | West Coast Fever | 263 |
| 2 | Natalie Medhurst | Queensland Firebirds | 256 |
| 3 | Chelsea Pitman | Queensland Firebirds | 250 |
| 4 | Maria Tutaia | Northern Mystics | 228 |
| 5 | Emily Beaton | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 214 |
Top 5 Intercepts :
| Pos. | Player | Team | Int. |
| 1 | Laura Geitz | Queensland Firebirds | 57 |
| 2= | Casey Williams | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 33 |
| 2= | Anna Scarlett | Northern Mystics | 33 |
| 4= | Leana de Bruin | Southern Steel | 30 |
| 4= | Sonia Mkoloma | New South Wales Swifts | 30 |
Top 5 Deflections :
| Pos. | Player | Team | Defl. |
| 1 | Laura Geitz | Queensland Firebirds | 92 |
| 2 | Anna Scarlett | Northern Mystics | 91 |
| 3 | Leana de Bruin | Southern Steel | 85 |
| 4 | Casey Williams | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 70 |
| 5= | Bianca Chatfield | Melbourne Vixens | 53 |
| 5= | Katrina Grant | Central Pulse | 53 |
Top 5 Penalties :
| Pos. | Player | Team | Pen. |
| 1 | Laura Geitz | Queensland Firebirds | 264 |
| 2 | Anna Scarlett | Northern Mystics | 245 |
| 3 | Susan Fuhrmann | West Coast Fever | 231 |
| 4 | Casey Williams | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 222 |
| 5 | Bianca Chatfield | Melbourne Vixens | 202 |
Top 5 Turnovers :
| Pos. | Player | Team | Turn. |
| 1 | Cathrine Latu | Northern Mystics | 81 |
| 2 | Temepara George | Northern Mystics | 68 |
| 3 | Romelda Aiken | Queensland Firebirds | 59 |
| 4 | Erin Bell | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 50 |
| 5 | Maree Bowden | Canterbury Tactix | 49 |
Sources:

## Award winners
### ANZ Championship Most Valuable Player

| Winner | Team | Points |
| Leana de Bruin | Southern Steel | 18 |
| Natalie Medhurst | Queensland Firebirds | 18 |
| Romelda Aiken | Queensland Firebirds | 16 |
| Caitlin Bassett | West Coast Fever | 16 |
| Natalie von Bertouch | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 16 |
Sources:

### Best Young Player

| Winner | Team | Votes |
| Kayla Cullen | Northern Mystics | 20 |
| Chelsea Pitman | Queensland Firebirds | 15 |
| Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 12 |
| Ashleigh Brazill | New South Wales Swifts | |
| Kate Shimmin | Adelaide Thunderbirds | |
Sources:

### All Star Team

| Position | Player | Team |
| GS | Romelda Aiken | Queensland Firebirds |
| GA | Sharelle McMahon | Melbourne Vixens |
| WA | Emily Beaton | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| C | Natalie von Bertouch | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| WD | Kayla Cullen | Northern Mystics |
| GD | Anna Scarlett | Northern Mystics |
| GK | Leana de Bruin | Southern Steel |
| Coach | Roselee Jencke | Queensland Firebirds |
Sources:

### Australian Netball Awards

| Award | Winner | Team |
| Australian ANZ Championship Player of the Year | Laura Geitz | Queensland Firebirds |
| Liz Ellis Diamond | Laura Geitz | Queensland Firebirds |
| Australian ANZ Championship Coach of the Year | Roselee Jencke | Queensland Firebirds |
Sources:

## Gallery

* 7 April 2011, Vector Arena: Canterbury Tactix 45–58 Northern Mystics.