Mo'onia Gerrard
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Mo'onia Gerrard (born 15 November 1980) is a Tongan Australian netball player. She was first selected in the Australian National Netball Team to take on the Silver Ferns on Australian soil in November 2004.
In the Commonwealth Bank Trophy, Mo’onia played five years with the Sydney Sandpipers and during that time received the 1999 Best New Talent Award and shared the Player’s Player Award in 2003.
Late 2003 saw the demise of Gerrard's sandpiper team, so she relocated to cross-town rivals the Sydney Swifts. Gerrard's relocation was followed by a string of serious injuries, with an ankle injury keeping her out of the 2004 season, and a knee reconstruction curtailing her comeback in 2005. This knee reconstruction prevented the talented defender from participating in the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Gerrard made her comeback to competitive netball in 2006, and quickly fought her way back into the Australian team. Her strong defensive combination with Sydney Swifts teammate Liz Ellis played a major role in Australia reversing their losing streak against New Zealand in mid-2006, and Gerrard has laid claim to the goal defence position ever since.
Athletic and elusive, Gerrard is one of the most exciting netballers to have ever graced a netball court. Her speed, impressive vertical leap, and intimidating nature, make her a nightmare opponent for any opposition shooter.
In 2007 she played a key role for Australia when it won the Netball World Championships beating New Zealand in November in Auckland. Shortly after the World Championships she announced she was relocating from Sydney to play with the Adelaide Thunderbirds in the new ANZ Championships.