Eloise Southby-Halbish (born 6 July 1976) is an Australian sports commentator and former

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

player. She was co-captain of the

Melbourne Phoenix Melbourne Phoenix were an Australian netball team that represented Netball Victoria in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy. Between 1997 and 2007, together with Melbourne Kestrels, they were one of two teams to represent Netball Victoria in the Comm ...

with fellow goaler,

Sharelle McMahon Sharelle Jane McMahon (born 12 August 1977) is an Australian former netball player who captained the Australia national netball team. She played in the goal attack and goal shooter positions. Domestic career Born in Bamawm, Victoria, McMahon ...

, and also played for the Australia national netball team.

Netball career

Southby-Halbish appeared in 132

Commonwealth Bank Trophy 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 Ba ...

matches for the Phoenix and represented Australia in 34 Tests in the positions goal shooter and goal attack. Identified early in her career as a highly talented shooting prospect, Southby-Halbish made her international debut in early 1998, at the age of 21. Southby-Halbish's arrival on the international scene coincided with a period where Australia was rich in shooting talent - with the likes of

Vicki Wilson Vicki Wilson, OAM, (born 11 February 1965 in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian netball coach and retired international player. She is the current head coach of the Netball Fiji side. Netball career Wilson was a part of the Australian nat ...

, Nicole Cusack, and Jennifer Borlase all laying claim to the main shooting positions. This overflow of talent saw Southby-Halbish overlooked for the

1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel 1998)'', officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel ke-16)'', was a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This edition is marked by several unprecedent ...

and 1999 Netball World Championships, however she was recalled to the team in 2000. Southby-Halbish was renowned for her accuracy, strength, and netballing acumen. Her combination with international-level shooter Sharelle McMahon was one of the most successful shooting combinations, with Southby-Halbish's vision and timing complementing McMahon's speed and athleticism. Southby-Halbish's career received a blow when she was forced to withdraw from the squad to represent Australia at the

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...

with a recurring ankle injury. She subsequently retired just before the start of the interstate home and away season, after playing a starring role in Melbourne Phoenix's comprehensive premiership in 2005. Southby-Halbish won five premierships with Melbourne Phoenix, a Commonwealth Games gold medal in 2002, and a World Championships silver medal in 2003.

Media commentator

Following her retirement, Southby-Halbish became a commentator with

ABC Sports ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Televisi ...

, calling Commonwealth Bank Trophy matches and international tests. Southby-Halbish co-wrote a novel ''Anna Flowers'' with a netball theme. Southby-Halbish moved to

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the Fo ...

as commentator for the new

ANZ Championship The ANZ Championship, also known as the Trans-Tasman Netball League, is a former netball league featuring teams from both Australia and New Zealand. Between 2008 and 2016, it was the top-level league in both countries. The competition was owned ...

competition in 2008.

Personal life

Eloise Southby-Halbish is the daughter of

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

premiership player

Geoff Southby Geoff Southby (born 27 October 1950) is a former Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League (VFL). An attacking full-back who ran hard from defence and stopped the best full-forwards, Southby was a key contributor to C ...

and occasionally appeared on

Fox Footy Fox Footy (stylised as FOX FOOTY) is an Australian rules football subscription television channel dedicated to screening Australian rules football matches and related programming. It is owned by Fox Sports Pty Limited, operated out of their Me ...

's ''Living With Footballers''.

References

External links

Stride Sports Management profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Southby-Halbish, Eloise 1976 births Living people Australian netball players Australia international netball players Netball players at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Commonwealth Games medallists in netball Netball players from Victoria (Australia) Melbourne Phoenix players Esso/Mobil Superleague players Australian netball coaches Australian netball commentators 2003 World Netball Championships players Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games