Sharelle Jane McMahon (born 12 August 1977) is an Australian former

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

player who captained the

Australia national netball team The Australia national netball team, also known as the Australian Diamonds, represent Netball Australia in international netball tournaments such as the Netball World Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the Constellation Cup, the Netball Quad Se ...

. She played in the goal attack and goal shooter positions.

Domestic career

Born in Bamawm, Victoria, McMahon captained the

Melbourne Vixens Melbourne Vixens is an netball in Australia, Australian professional netball team based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Since 2017 Suncorp Super Netball season, 2017 they have represented Netball Victoria in Suncorp Super Netball. B ...

in the

ANZ Championship The ANZ Championship, also known as the Trans-Tasman Netball League, is a former netball league featuring teams from both Australia and New Zealand. Between 2008 and 2016, it was the top-level league in both countries. The competition was owned ...

and played 11 seasons for the

Melbourne Phoenix Melbourne Phoenix were an netball in Australia, Australian netball team that represented Netball Victoria in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy. Between 1997 in Australia, 1997 and 2007 in Australia, 2007, together with Melbourne Kestrels, they were o ...

(as a captain for four seasons) in the previous Commonwealth Bank Trophy. She led the Vixens to the ANZ Championship title in 2009, defeating the

Adelaide Thunderbirds Adelaide Thunderbirds are an netball in Australia, Australian professional netball team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Since 2017 Suncorp Super Netball season, 2017 they have played in Suncorp Super Netball. Between 2008 ANZ Championship s ...

in the grand final. McMahon captained the Vixens from its inaugural season in 2008 until 2011, sharing the captaincy with Bianca Chatfield from 2009. McMahon was best and fairest for the Vixens in 2009 and 2010, having previously been voted best and fairest for Melbourne Phoenix four times between 2000 and 2007. On 31 March 2011, McMahon ruptured her Achilles tendon in an ANZ Championship game against Queensland Firebirds. Following surgery, she withdrew from the 2011 Netball World Championships in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, and was considering her playing future. Australian coach Norma Plummer described McMahon as "probably the most athletic player of natural talent" to have played the game. McMahon confirmed during the off season that she would be returning to the

in the 2012

. But after playing one pre season match McMahon announced that she was pregnant and withdrew from the Vixens team for the 2012 season. Her son Xavier was born on 30 August 2012 and her daughter Ruby was born on 27 November 2015. On 25 October 2012 it was announced that McMahon would return to the Melbourne Vixens for the 2013 season. McMahon officially retired at the end of the 2013 season. At the end of each season, the Melbourne Vixens' most valuable player is awarded the Sharelle McMahon Medal. In 2017 McMahon joined the match review panel of the

AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football competition for women's Australian rules football, female players. The 2017 AFL Women's season, first season of the l ...

football league in its inaugural year.

International career

McMahon's international career began when she was selected in the Australian Under 21 team in 1996 following her performances in the Victorian Under 21 team. In 1997, she made her début for the

against the

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

. She was the youngest member of the Australian team which won the netball gold medal at the

1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ( Malay: ), officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games (Malay: ), were a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 1998 games were the first held in Asia and the last Commonwealth Games of the 20th cen ...

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

. In September 2009, McMahon made her 100th appearance for the national side, captaining Australia to a 36–33 win against New Zealand. McMahon captained the Australian team at the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...

in Delhi and was selected as the Australian flagbearer for the opening ceremony. In 2010 McMahon won the Australia's Favourite Diamond award. Late in 2011, McMahon considered her 2012 future in the Australian Diamonds. ''I had some thoughts of how it would be nice to finish my career and it definitely didn't involve being carried off the court with a snapped Achilles,'' McMahon said. ''There's a lot that has to happen before I do make it back in the team,'' she said. ''They've won a world championship without me so I'm certainly not expecting to walk straight back in.'' In October 2016, she was inducted as an Athlete Member of the

Sport Australia Hall of Fame The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Don Bradman, Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and ...

References

External links