Caitlin Thwaites

Caitlin Thwaites
Thwaites in 2015
Personal information
Full name Caitlin Thwaites
Born (1986-12-29) 29 December 1986 (age 37)[1]
Height 188 cm (6 ft 2 in)[2]
School Girton Grammar School
Netball career
Playing position(s): GS, GA
Years Club team(s) Apps
2002, 2004–2007 Melbourne Kestrels
2008–2010 Melbourne Vixens
2011–2013 Central Pulse
2014–2016 New South Wales Swifts
2017–2018 Collingwood Magpies
2019– 2020 Melbourne Vixens
Years National team(s) Caps
2012–2019 Australia 55
Medal record
Representing  Australia
Netball World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Australia Netball
Silver medal – second place 2019 Liverpool Netball
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2014 Glasgow Netball
Silver medal – second place 2018 Gold Coast Netball
Last updated: 1 November 2019

Caitlin Thwaites (born 29 December 1986) is a former Australian netball player and volleyballer.

Career

Caitlin Thwaites was born in Bendigo, Australia. Thwaites began her career at for the Melbourne Kestrels of the Commonwealth Bank Trophy at the age of 16. However, once the ANZ Championship was founded in 2008 she moved to the Melbourne Vixens.[1] Thwaites played for the Vixens from 2008 to 2010 and was part of the 2009 premiership team which defeated the Adelaide Thunderbirds. In 2011 she joined New Zealand–based ANZ Championship side the Central Pulse. In 2012 Thwaites made her international debut for the Australian Diamonds.[2] Thwaites performed a vital role for the Pulse, scoring 431 goals for an accuracy percentage 81.3 per cent in the 2011 season. Thwaites later became the only New Zealand–based player to be picked for the Australia national team.[3][4] She returned to Australia to play her domestic league netball in 2014 with the New South Wales Swifts and won the club's MVP award in 2015.[5][6]

Thwaites began playing for the Collingwood Magpies in the Suncorp Super Netball competition from 2017, where she won the league's leading goalscorer award, scoring 594 goals in the regular season.[7] She was awarded the Magpies' best and fairest for her efforts that year.[1] On 5 September 2018, after not being offered another contract at the Magpies, Thwaites announced she would be signing with the Melbourne Vixens for the 2019 season.[8][9]

Thwaites has won gold medals representing Australia at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2015 Netball World Cup, as well as a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She was selected in the Australian Diamonds squad for the 2018/19 international season and featured in the Diamonds’ 2019 Netball World Cup squad.[10] She announced her retirement from international netball in October 2019, finishing with 55 caps for the national team.[11] Thwaites was part of the Melbourne Vixens premiership team that won the 2020 Grand Final; she announced her retirement from netball after this match.[12]

Volleyball

Thwaites has also represented Australia in women's volleyball, most notably at the 2004 Olympics qualifications.[1][13]

Netball career facts

Sources:[1]

  • Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist in 2014
  • Commonwealth Games Silver Medallist in 2018
  • ANZ Championship winner in 2009 (Vixens)
  • Member of the Diamonds’ World Cup winning squad in 2015
  • Diamonds debut in 2012
  • NSW Swifts MVP 2015
  • Central Pulse MVP 2011
  • Magpies Netball 2017 Best and Fairest
  • Magpies Netball 2017 Players' Player
  • Magpies Netball vice-captain 2018

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Caitlin Thwaites Bio". Collingwood Magpies. Archived from the original on 4 May 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Caitlin Thwaites". netball.com.au. Netball Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Thwaites selected for Diamonds camp". Bendigo Advertiser. 1 November 2012.
  4. ^ "Borrego to help adopted country defend world title". The Age. 1 November 2012.
  5. ^ "Goal shoot Thwaites joins Swifts". SBS News. 26 August 2013.
  6. ^ "Caitlin Thwaites named NSW Swifts MVP for 2015". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 July 2015.
  7. ^ "Bulley's Giants foil Magpies' Super Netball flag hopes; Caitlin Thwaites ends season as leading goal scorer". Bendigo Advertiser. 4 June 2017. Archived from the original on 22 June 2017. Thwaites finished the night with 37 goals to be the highest individual goal scorer on the court. It capped statistically her best season at the top domestic level, having topped the league's goal scoring with 594, five goals ahead of perennial top goal scorer Caitlin Bassett.
  8. ^ "Thwaites Returns". Melbourne Vixens. 5 September 2018. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  9. ^ "Full goal circle: Caitlin Thwaites return to Vixens for 2019". Fairfax Media. 5 September 2018.
  10. ^ "17-strong Diamonds squad named for International Test Series". Netball Australia. 15 July 2018.
  11. ^ "Thwaites Calls End To Diamonds Career". Australian Diamonds. 24 October 2019.
  12. ^ "Thwaites retires on winning note as Vixens claim Super Netball flag". Bendigo Advertiser. 18 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Victorian Institute of Sport profile". Archived from the original on 31 July 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2009.