This year, netball's name is Sharelle McMahon.

The 33-year-old captain of the Diamonds became the first netballer - and only the fourth woman - to carry the Australian flag at the Commonwealth Games.

Sharelle was the only member of the netball side to have played at all three previous Commonwealth Games, winning two gold medals and a silver medal - and it was her own performance throughout the bitterly fought netball competition that catapulted Sharelle and netball into public consciousness as never before.

Her fierce competitiveness, mastery and misery after the Diamonds defeat in golden goal time to New Zealand was so overwhelming that her part in the greatest contest the Games had ever seen was lost on her.

But Australia noticed, and elevated the quick, gutsy captain to sporting icon.

After starting netball at the age of seven in tiny Bamawm -180 kms north of Melbourne - Sharelle first came to attention in 1996 with her performance in the Victorian 21/U team, which won the Qantas Nationals.

She first started playing for Australia at the age of 20, making her international debut against the Jamaican national team in Jamaica in 1997.

At this time she began a habit of shooting the final goal in matches decided by the slimmest of margins.

She was the youngest member of the Australian team which won the inaugural netball gold medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.

They played the Silver Ferns (60-55) at the 1999 World Championships.

At the 2007 World Netball Championships, McMahon teamed up with long-time partner Catherine Cox to begin the final against New Zealand, she was removed at half time and replaced by Susan Pratley, who was soon concussed. McMahon re-took the court with Natalie Medhurst and the speed of the two smaller shooters took Australia to a win.

On September 13, 2009, Sharelle played and captained her 100th test cap against the New Zealand Silver Ferns, winning the match 36-33.

Sharelle co-captains the Melbourne Vixens with best friend Bianca Chatfield, having played 11 seasons for the Melbourne Phoenix (as a captain for four seasons) in the previous Commonwealth Bank Trophy. She led the Vixens to their first ANZ Championship premiership in 2009.

At the end of the 2010 season, Sharelle won the New Idea Favourite Diamond Award.