| Team Name: | Contax Netball Club |
| Founded: | 1952 |
| Location: | Adelaide |
| Regions: | South Australia |
| Venue: | Netball SA Stadium |
| Captain: | Georgia Beaton |
| Coach: | Leanne Eichler |
| Premierships: | 20 |
| League: | Netball South Australia Premier League Esso/Mobil Superleague |
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| Pattern B1: | thinnavysides |
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| Body2: | navy |
| Pattern B2: | thinbluesides |
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| Url: | www.contax.net.au |
Contax Netball Club are an Australian netball team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Their senior team currently plays in the Netball South Australia Premier League. Between 1989 and 1996, Contax represented Netball South Australia in the Esso/Mobil Superleague. They were premiers in 1994. They were originally known as Contax Basketball Club, when netball was known as women's basketball. During the Esso/Mobil Superleague era, they were also referred to as Adelaide Contax. Between 1995 and 2012, when the club was sponsored by ETSA, and then ETSA Utilities, they were known as ETSA Contax.
Contax Basketball Club was formed in 1952 by a group of young girls who had played for the 1951 junior South Australia team. The team was originally based in Woodville. The team was named after the Contax camera. It was suggested by the brother-in-law of the inaugural captain, Margaret Rankin. He was a camera enthusiast and suggested using a short and simple name. Contax won their first South Australia state league premiership in their debut season, defeating Tango in the 1952 grand final. The team was captained by Rankin and included three future Australia internationals – Gaynor Flanagan, Betty Rowe Whelan and Lorraine Wright. Contax initially only organized adult teams. However, from 1966 the club started to introduce junior and youth teams with training taking place in Hectorville. In 1970 Contax won their second premiership, defeating Garville in the grand final. In 1980 Margaret Angove was appointed head coach of the senior Contax team. She remained in the position for sixteen years until 1997, when she was appointed head coach of Adelaide Thunderbirds. In 1986, with a team that included sixteen year old Kathryn Harby and Michelle den Dekker, Contax won their third premiership, defeating Tango in the grand final.[1] [2] [3] [4]
In 1988, with a team that included Michelle den Dekker and Kathryn Harby, Contax won their fourth premiership, defeating Garville in the grand final. This marked the beginning a rivalry between Contax and Garville. Between 1986 and 1996 Contax and Garville contested every South Australia state league grand final. The rivalry saw the two clubs compete in nine consecutive state league grand finals, plus one Mobil Super League final, with both clubs winning five finals each. With a team that included Harby and Julie Nykiel, a former Australia women's basketball international, Contax won their fifth and sixth premierships in 1990 and 1991. After finishing as runners-up to Garville for four successive grand finals, a Contax team featuring Jacqui Delaney won the club's seventh premiership in 1996. [1] [2] [5]
Between 1995 and 2012 when Contax were sponsored by ETSA, and then ETSA Utilities, the team became known as ETSA Contax. In 2000 with a squad that included Laura and Natalie von Bertouch, Bianca Reddy and Tracey Neville, Contax won their eighth South Australia state league after defeating the Australian Institute of Sport in the grand final. Between 2002 and 2004 Contax won three successive state league premierships. Natalie von Bertouch, Kirby Mutton, Carla Dziwoki and Lauren Nourse were all members of the 2002 winning squad. ETSA Contax subsequently won further premierships in 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012.[1] [2] [10] [13]
During the 2010s Contax won a further six premierships. During the 2010s their main rivals were Matrics. Between them Contax and Matrics played in every South Australia state league grand final during the decade.[14] [15] [16] [17]
| Season | Winners | Score | Runners Up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Contax | Tango | ||
| 1970 | Contax | Garville | ||
| 1973 | Contax | |||
| 1984 | Tango | Contax | ||
| 1986 | Contax | Tango | ||
| 1988 | Contax | Garville | Apollo Stadium | |
| 1989 | Garville | Contax | ||
| 1990 | Contax | Garville | Apollo Stadium | |
| 1991 | Contax | Garville | ||
| 1992 | Garville | Contax | ||
| 1993 | Garville | Contax | ||
| 1994 | Garville | Contax | ||
| 1995 | Garville | Contax | ||
| 1996 | Contax | Garville | ||
| 1997 | Matrics | Contax | ||
| 1999 | Contax | |||
| 2000 | Contax | Australian Institute of Sport[18] | ||
| 2002 | Contax | |||
| 2003 | Contax | |||
| 2004 | Contax | |||
| 2005 | Matrics | Contax | ||
| 2006 | Contax | |||
| 2007 | Contax | |||
| 2008 | Contax | |||
| 2009 | Oakdale | Contax | ||
| 2010 [19] | Contax | Matrics | ||
| 2012 [20] | Contax | Phoenix | ||
| 2013 [21] | Contax | 34–33 | Matrics | Netball SA Stadium |
| 2015 [22] | Contax | 51–39 | Matrics | Netball SA Stadium |
| 2016 [23] [24] [25] | Matrics | 49–47 | Contax | Netball SA Stadium |
| 2017 [26] [27] [28] | Contax | 59–50 | Matrics | Netball SA Stadium |
| 2018 [29] [30] | Contax | 73–39 | Garville | |
| 2019 [31] [32] | Matrics | 55–47 | Contax | Priceline Stadium |
| 2020 [33] | Matrics | 60–56 | Contax | Priceline Stadium |
| Season | Winners | Score | Runners Up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Melbourne City | 52–42 | Adelaide Contax | State Sports Centre |
| 1991 [34] | Sydney Pulsars | 59–36 | Adelaide Contax | Bruce Stadium |
| 1992 | Sydney Pulsars | 59–45 | Adelaide Contax | State Sports Centre |
| 1994 [35] | Adelaide Contax | 61–58 | Adelaide Garville | |
Contax play the majority of their state league home games at the Netball SA Stadium.
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| Season | Players |
|---|---|
| 1974, 1975 | Kay Smerdon |
| 1977 | S. Lehmann |
| 1979 | Kerry Hussey |
| 1983 | Ros Natt |
| 1985 | Rhonda Kraft |
| 1986 | |
| 1987 | Wendy Frost |
| 1988 | Kathryn Harby/Karen Schulz |
| 1989 | Karen Schulz |
| 1990 | Sarah Angove |
| 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996 | |
| 1995 | Rebecca Sanders |
| 1997 | Vicki Neale |
| 1998 | Leanne Oats |
| 1999 | |
| 2000 | |
| 2001 | |
| 2002 | Leanne Oats |
| 2004 | Rebecca Sanders |
| 2005 | Amanda Martin |
| 2006, 2007 | Leanne Eichler |
| 2008, 2009, 2012 | Jane Fitzgerald |
| 2010 | Kirby Mutton |
| 2011 | Kristen Heinrich |
| 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 | Georgia Beaton |
| 2016 | Gia Abernethy |
| 2018 | Georgie Horjus |
| 2019 | Amehlia Schmidt |
| 2020 | Chelsea Lemke |
| Years | |
|---|---|
| Class A Jewellers | 1990–1993 |
| Fairmont Homes | 1994 |
| ETSA | 1995–1999 |
| ETSA Utilities | 1999–2012 |
| SA Power Networks | 2012– |