Natalie Medhurst

Natalie Medhurst
Personal information
Full name	Natalie Medhurst
Born	(1984-01-20) 20 January 1984 Warracknabeal, Victoria
Height	178 cm (5 ft 10 in)[1]
School	Mercedes College (Adelaide)
Netball career
Playing position(s): GA, GS, WA
Years	Club team(s)	Apps
2004–09	Adelaide Thunderbirds
2010–2013	Queensland Firebirds
2014–2018	West Coast Fever
2019-	Collingwood Magpies
Years	National team(s)	Caps
2007–present	Australia	86
Medal record Representing  Australia Netball World Championships 2007 Auckland Netball 2011 Singapore Netball 2015 Australia Netball Commonwealth Games 2014 Glasgow Netball 2010 Delhi Netball World Netball Series 2009 Manchester Fastnet
Last updated: 27 March 2012

Natalie Medhurst (born 20 January 1984) is an Australian netball player, currently playing for the Collingwood Magpies in the Suncorp Super Netball league.

Netball career

Born in Warracknabeal, Victoria, Medhurst rose to prominence in 2004, when the then-twenty-year-old had a strong debut for the Adelaide Thunderbirds. Replacing club stalwart Jacqui Delaney, Medhurst put many of the world's best defenders to task with her accuracy, speed, and elusive nature.

Medhurst went on to represent Australia at the 2005 World Youth Championships, in Fort Lauderdale Florida, where they finished in third place. She continued to develop as a player at open level, and in 2007 she finally made her debut with the Australian Netball Team against Jamaica on 8 July 2007. Her shooting accuracy was 100% during the quarter she was on, shooting 7 from 7.

Medhurst continued her strong debut season for Australia during the 2007 Netball World Championships, where she ended the preliminary rounds as the third-most accurate shooter at the championships, with a strike rate of 91%. Her rise continued in the grand final against New Zealand, when she was brought on in the final quarter when Australia's senior shooters were struggling. She calmly converted all three of her attempts at goal, with Australia winning the final 42–38, making Medhurst a world champion.

With the start of the ANZ Championship, Medhurst re-signed with the Adelaide Thunderbirds for the inaugural season in 2008. But in September 2009, she signed with the Queensland Firebirds for the 2010 season. She won the ANZ Championship in 2011 with the Firebirds and was named the season's MVP^[2]

In 2013, at the preseason tournament in Melbourne, Medhurst played many quarters at wing attack, but was only rarely seen there during the ANZ Championship season proper.

In 2014, Medhurst moved to Perth to play for the West Coast Fever,^[1] reuniting with her former Australian coach Norma Plummer, shifting with Firebirds wing attack Chelsea Pitman, and forging stronger links with Australian goal shooter Caitlin Bassett. Later, she was announced as their Captain. Later that year Medhurst was named in the Australian Netball Diamonds to compete at the 2014 Commonwealth Games who went on to win gold, the Team's first gold medal in 12 years.

2015 was a year that saw Medhurst reach the elite ranks and become 1 of only 8 players to win 3 Netball World Championships. Australia played host to the World Championships in Sydney, where the Team went on to play arch rivals the NZ Silver Ferns in the gold medal match. After losing to the Silver Ferns in the minor rounds, Australia came out firing in the first quarter of the game taking a 12-goal lead. Medhurst, once again with her court craft, played a crucial supporting role to shooter Bassett that saw the Diamonds win their third-straight World Championship, winning 58-55. Medhurst and teammate Julie Corletto both made their debut together in 2007 and finished with their third World Championship, with Corletto retiring from netball following the Tournament.

In 2017, the Suncorp Super Netball League was formed and Medhurst signed a new 3-year deal with the West Coast Fever that will see her playing with the Club until the end of 2019. Medhurst was renamed Captain of the Club for 2017. In July 2017, Medhurst was dropped from the Australian team for the first time in ten years. Unfortunately a poor SSN season with the less experienced West Coast Fever, saw her form drop and she was not afforded the opportunity to prove her form in the high performance environment, even within the extended squad. A controversial omission, and disappointment for Nat. However, she has indicated she will fight on.

Controversially, Medhurst's final year option with the West Coast Fever was not picked up after their 2018 campaign ended up in a grand final loss. On 14 September 2018, Collingwood Magpies Netball announced they had signed her on a two year deal.^[3]

References