Sunshine Coast Lightning Captain and Australian Diamonds Vice Captain, Steph Wood has today announced her retirement from international netball.
The announcement comes off the back of the recent 2023 Netball World Cup, where Wood and the Australian Diamonds were crowned champions for the 12th time in history.
The 31-year-old made her debut at the 2016 Netball Quad Series against South Africa and went on to play 56 test matches — retiring a Commonwealth Games gold medallist (2022) and most recently a Netball World Cup champion.
Wood was named vice-captain in 2021, alongside captain Liz Watson, and under their leadership the Diamonds won every major tournament, including the Netball Quad Series (2022 and 2023), Constellation Cup (2022) and England Series (2022).
Reflecting on her years with the Diamonds, Wood said while she has experienced some of her best memories with the team, it felt like the right time.
“It was a dream of mine to play for the Diamonds and the past seven years have been amazing,” she said.
“The friendships and relationships that I have made are lifelong, and the experiences that we have all shared are some of my best memories.
“It feels like the right time for me to make way for the next generation of Diamonds. I am very content with what I have achieved and given to international netball.”
Wood will return to the Sunshine Coast this week for a well-deserved rest before the 2024 Suncorp Super Netball preparations begin.
