Netball great to get statue

AUSTRALIAN netball great Sharelle Mcmahon will be immortalised in bronze as part of the Victorian government’s Celebrating Female Sporting Icons initiative.

The statue of the former Diamonds captain will stand in front of Victoria’s home of netball, John Cain Arena.

Mcmahon, a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist and two-time World Cup champion who represented Australia 118 times, will become the fifth woman to receive the honour.

She joins Olympians Betty Cuthbert, Shirley Strickland and Nova Peris, and AFLW star Tayla Harris.

“It’s a wonderful individual accolade, but it’s a real recognition of the sport of netball and the contribution that the sport of netball has made to Victoria,” said Mcmahon, who played for the Melbourne Phoenix and the Melbourne Vixens.

The honour is also part of the Statues for Equality project, a global movement aimed at balancing gender and racial representation in public statues.

Netball Victoria CEO Rosie King said Mcmahon’s achievements being celebrated in bronze “highlighted the importance” of the honour to “aspiring netballers and girls and women across the country”.

“Whilst we can’t rewrite history, we can ensure that the story of Australia’s sporting landscape more accurately reflects the impact that women have,” King said.

“Sharelle Mcmahon is an icon of our great game of netball.

“However, her statue isn’t just about netball, it’s about giving the community the chance to reflect on the legacy that women have created and will continue to create for generations to come.

“It’s an important story to tell and Sharelle Mcmahon is the right person to tell it.”