Australian · Mordialloc, Victoria, Australia · Born 27 January 1972Australian circle defender who represented the Diamonds and played in the inaugural Commonwealth Games netball gold-medal team.
Janine Claire Ilitch, née Lynch, was born on 27 January 1972 in Mordialloc, Victoria, and held an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship in 1993 before studying at Monash University. Standing 1.83 metres tall, she developed into a reliable defender at both goal defence and goal keeper. Ilitch was first selected for the Australian national team in 1995, but spent years playing behind the accomplished defensive pairing of Kathryn Harby-Williams and Liz Ellis before finally cracking the starting seven in November 2004, forming a defensive combination with captain Ellis that helped deliver a series victory over New Zealand. That partnership was short-lived, as Ilitch took the 2005 season off following the birth of her second child, and Ellis subsequently withdrew from the national team with a knee injury. Ilitch was a member of two Australian World Cup-winning squads, including the triumphant 1999 side, and played her final matches for Australia at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Ilitch played her entire domestic career with the Melbourne Kestrels in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy, captaining the team in 2004, and retired at the end of the 2006 season having established herself as one of the most patient and ultimately rewarded careers in Australian netball's defensive ranks.
Australian defender and 1998 Commonwealth Games gold medallist
Career Honours
- Commonwealth Games gold 1998
- World Championship silver 1999
- Melbourne Phoenix premierships
Australian Athletes