Cynna Kydd

She scored her 500th goal with the Kestrels in the middle of the season, and excelled against some particularly difficult opponents, including then-Australian captain Kathryn Harby-Williams.

Cynna Kydd (née Neele; born 18 September 1981 in Kyabram, Victoria) is a former Australian professional netball player.

Kydd achieved some success in netball and swimming in her early life, and played in the Dairy Farmers State League at the age of 16.

She played for local and Goulburn Valley representative teams as a teenager and, in 1998 at the age of 16, was selected to play for the dominant Eastside Netball Club in the state Dairy Farmers State League competition, alongside three national league players.

Despite a regular three-hour commute and having to juggle sporting commitments with studies at Kyabram Secondary College, she played an integral role in Eastside's premiership that year.

She was also selected for the national under-21 team in 1999 and was accepted by the Australian Institute of Sport, before launching her professional career.

She was subsequently named in the state under-21 squad for the annual Australian National Netball Championships and in the Melbourne Kestrels squad for the 1999 season.

Despite never having played a national league game, Kydd was selected in the national under-21 (U-21) team in 1999, which, as a result of reforms made that year, automatically saw her admitted to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).

She spent the 1999 season playing for the AIS team in the Victorian state league, before switching to their South Australian counterparts for the 2000 season.

Kydd, at 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) tall, established a reputation as an effective shooter, and despite often missing matches as a result of her national U-21 team was a key part of the team.

She was integral in helping the Kestrels make the semifinals for the first time since 1999, and was the third-highest scorer in the league.

Kydd was a goal shooter for the Melbourne Kestrels in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy from 2000 to 2006, serving as club captain for the last two years.

Kydd made her debut for the Melbourne Kestrels in April 2000 but, because of her relative inexperience, was asked to play only two games for them over the season.

She earned selection in the U-21 national squad to tour Jamaica in May, followed by a successful stint with the team as part of the squad for the Youth World Cup in Wales.

At season's end Kydd was named in the state open team for the national championships and, while remaining in the U-21 squad, was also named in the initial national open squad, despite having only played two national league games.

However, the national squad was at the time enjoying an unusual glut of shooters, and she was cut amidst fierce competition from six other prominent players, all aiming at just three positions in the final team.

Kydd graduated from high school at the end of 2000, and moved to Kensington, an inner suburb of Melbourne, in February 2001 to study tourism and hospitality at Victoria University.

Her disappointment was, however, partly offset when she won the Commonwealth Bank Trophy's Best New Talent award, worth A$5,000, in February 2001.

At the beginning of the 2001 season, two of the Kestrels' main stars, Shelley O'Donnell and Janine Ilitch, both announced that they would be sidelined for most or all of the season because of pregnancy, and Kydd was called upon to fill the vacancy.

She became a core player instantly, and although the Kestrels struggled, Kydd formed an effective combination with goal shooter Amanda Burton (who she had previously played with in the interstate competition).

Kydd was among the team's standout performers and was frequently praised in the media for both her accuracy and consistency, coming away at season's end with 390 goals and the fifth highest scoring average in the competition.

She continued to represent Australia in under-21 competition, being selected for several home matches against England and a tour of New Zealand, and was again selected in the national open squad in the lead-up to the 2002 Commonwealth Games, but was once again cut from the final team.

Though she had missed out on Commonwealth Games selection, Kydd had established a reputation as a particularly difficult opponent by the beginning of the 2002 Commonwealth Bank Trophy season.

She was consistently among the league's top goalers, particularly after she was again paired with Burton, due to the axing of struggling new recruit Kristy Doyle.

She was also a frequent member of the Australian national netball team from 2003 to 2005.

Kydd was again named in the extended national squad at the end of the season, and finally survived the cut, being named in the squad to tour Jamaica in early 2003, beating rival shooters Jane Altschwager and Megan Dehn (née Anderson) for the vacancy caused by the retirement of veteran player Jacqui Delaney.

At only 21 Kydd was the youngest player on the tour of Jamaica and, while she toured with the remainder of the team, was overlooked for a Test position.

She finally made her full début against South Africa not long afterwards, and managed to cement her position with a superb performance, managing an accuracy rate of 94% in the third Test.

This performance, along with similar form in the national league, led to her selection in the starting squad for the 2003 Netball World Championships.

She played every game in the world championships in July at the expense of ageing veteran Eloise Southby, a decision which was the cause of some controversy.

She subsequently helped the Kestrels to the elimination final and, at the end of the season, was named as the team's new vice-captain, with predecessor Janine Ilitch assuming the captaincy.

She also won the coveted Commonwealth Bank Trophy Player's Player Award, and tied for third in the Most Valuable Player count.

An accurate and high-scoring shooter, she was one of the league's top players of that era, winning the competition's Most Valuable Player award for 2004.

With the experience gained from several seasons in the national league, Kydd reached her peak in 2004.

Her career was hampered by injury and poor form in later years, and she struggled after being dropped from the national side in early 2005 and missing out on a return in time for the 2006 Commonwealth Games after sustaining a serious concussion late in the year.

Kydd made the surprise decision at the beginning of the 2006 season to transfer from the Kestrels, where she had been captain, to the club's more successful rival, the Melbourne Phoenix, but she lasted only one season before walking away from the club to travel overseas.

She subsequently signed with New Zealand club Canterbury Flames for the 2007 National Bank Cup season, but withdrew her services before playing a game due to injury.

She subsequently moved to England, where she played mixed minor grade netball.

Kydd was born in the Victorian regional town of Kyabram, and began playing competitive netball at age nine.

Though also a talented swimmer, she was forced to make a choice between the two sports, and ultimately chose netball.