Melbourne Kestrels


The Melbourne Kestrels were an Australian netball team. They were based out of the State Netball and Hockey Centre in Melbourne, Victoria and were one of two teams from the city to compete in the national Commonwealth Bank Trophy, alongside the Melbourne Phoenix. The Kestrels were coached by Jane Searle and co-captained by Rebecca Bulley and Chelsey Tregear. Their colours are orange, blue and lime.
The Kestrels were one of the Commonwealth Bank Trophy's founding teams in 1997, and initially played at the Waverley Netball Centre. They moved to the then-new, much larger State Netball and Hockey Centre as their main home in 2001, but returned to Waverley for some home games in 2006. The club's major sponsor is Allied Pickfords.
Though the Kestrels had made the finals several times, they never played in a grand final, and were often been seen as a lesser cousin of the rival Melbourne Phoenix. The rivalry between the two clubs was exacerbated by the shock defection of Kestrels captain Cynna Kydd to the Phoenix in April 2006, on the eve of the 2006 season, echoing the move of Janine Ilitch from Phoenix to Kestrels years ago. However the loss of Kydd was balanced by the emergence of Caitlin Thwaites, a young former elite volleyball player, as a promising shooter.
The Kestrels merged with the Melbourne Phoenix in 2008 due to the new trans Tasman trophy, the ANZ Championship. This meant only twelve players from the Phoenix and the Kestrels were chosen for the 2008 squad, leaving less chance for the younger players of both teams to develop as players at an elite level. The remaining players forged together to become the Melbourne Vixens.

Players