| Commonwealth Bank Trophy | |
| Pixels: | 150 |
| Founded: | 1997 |
| Folded: | 2007 |
| Teams: | 8 |
| Country: | Australia |
| Champion: | Sydney Swifts (4th title) |
| Most Champs: | Melbourne Phoenix (5 titles) |
| Replaced: | ANZ Championship |
| Sponsor: | Commonwealth Bank |
The Commonwealth Bank Trophy, also referred to as the National Netball League, was the top level national Australian netball league between 1997 and 2007. The league was organized by Netball Australia. Its main sponsor was the Commonwealth Bank. Melbourne Phoenix were the competition's most successful team, winning five premierships. Sydney Swifts were the second most successful team, winning four premierships. Between them, Phoenix and Swifts played in every grand final, except in 1999 when Adelaide Thunderbirds won the second of their two premierships. Ahead of the 2008 season, the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league effectively merged with New Zealand's National Bank Cup to form the ANZ Championship.
The founding members of the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league included Adelaide Ravens, Adelaide Thunderbirds, Melbourne Kestrels, Melbourne Phoenix, Perth Orioles, Sydney Sandpipers, Sydney Swifts and Queensland Firebirds. The majority of the teams were named after native Australian birds including ravens, kestrels, orioles and sandpipers. Adelaide Thunderbirds were initially going to be named Adelaide Falcons but the name was changed at the request of the rugby union team.[1] In 2003 Ravens were replaced by AIS Canberra Darters[2] [3] and in 2004 Sandpipers were replaced by Hunter Jaegers.[4] [5] [6] [7]
In 2008, when the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league was replaced by the ANZ Championship, Thunderbirds and Firebirds became founders of the new league.[8] Several other Commonwealth Bank Trophy teams were transformed to form ANZ Championship teams. Swifts and Jaegers merged to become New South Wales Swifts,[9] Kestrels and Phoenix merged to become Melbourne Vixens[10] and Orioles were rebranded as West Coast Fever.[11] [12] Meanwhile the Australian Institute of Sport and Canberra Darters ended their partnership and in 2008 entered two separate team in the Australian Netball League.[13] [14]
| Team | Region | Debut season | Final season | Replaced by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide Ravens | South Australia | 1997 | 2002 | AIS Canberra Darters |
| Sydney Sandpipers | New South Wales | 1997 | 2003 | Hunter Jaegers |
| Season | Winners | Score | Runners Up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997[15] | Melbourne Phoenix | 58–48 | Adelaide Thunderbirds | The Glasshouse |
| 1998[16] | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 48–42 | Sydney Swifts | Netball SA Stadium |
| 1999[17] [18] | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 62–30 | Adelaide Ravens | Netball SA Stadium |
| 2000[19] | Melbourne Phoenix | 52–51 | Adelaide Thunderbirds | The Glasshouse |
| 2001[20] [21] [22] | Sydney Swifts | 57–32 | Adelaide Thunderbirds | State Sports Centre |
| 2002[23] [24] | Melbourne Phoenix | 49–44 | Adelaide Thunderbirds | John Cain Arena |
| 2003[25] | Melbourne Phoenix | 47–44 | Sydney Swifts | Sydney SuperDome |
| 2004[26] [27] [28] | Sydney Swifts | 52–51 | Melbourne Phoenix | Sydney SuperDome |
| 2005[29] [30] | Melbourne Phoenix | 61–44 | Sydney Swifts | John Cain Arena |
| 2006[31] [32] | Sydney Swifts | 65–36 | Adelaide Thunderbirds | State Sports Centre |
| 2007[33] [34] [35] | Sydney Swifts | 45–37 | Melbourne Phoenix | Sydney SuperDome |
| Season | Winners |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| 1998 | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| 1999 | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| 2000 | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| 2001 | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| 2002 | Melbourne Phoenix |
| 2003 | Melbourne Phoenix |
| 2004 | Sydney Swifts |
| 2005 | Sydney Swifts |
| 2006 | Sydney Swifts |
| 2007 | Melbourne Phoenix |
| Season | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Jacqui Delaney | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Catherine Cox | Perth Orioles | |
| 2002 | Liz Ellis | Sydney Swifts |
| 2003 | Cynna Neele | Melbourne Kestrels |
| Natalie Sloane | ||
| Mo'onia Gerrard | ||
| 2004 | Janine Ilitch | Melbourne Kestrels |
| Raegan Jackson | Hunter Jaegers | |
| 2005 | Natasha Chokljat | Melbourne Phoenix |
| 2006 | Perth Orioles | |
| Caitlin Thwaites | Melbourne Kestrels | |
| 2007 | Leah Shoard | AIS Canberra Darters |
| Season | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | ||
| 1998 | Sarah Sutter | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| 1999 | Jacqui Delaney | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| 2000 | Sharelle McMahon | Melbourne Phoenix |
| 2001 | Liz Ellis | Sydney Swifts |
| 2002 | Sharelle McMahon | Melbourne Phoenix |
| 2003 | ||
| 2004 | Catherine Cox | Sydney Swifts |
| 2005 | Bianca Chatfield | Melbourne Phoenix |
| 2006 | Liz Ellis | Sydney Swifts |
| 2007 | Selina Gilsenan | Sydney Swifts |
| Season | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Julie Fitzgerald | Sydney Swifts |
| 2005 | Julie Hoornweg | Melbourne Phoenix |
| 2006 | Julie Fitzgerald | |
| 2007 | Julie Fitzgerald | |
ABC were the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league's official broadcast partner.[27] [33]