A $5000 average wage for footballers in the AFL's women's league is a reasonable start for the pioneers soon to embark on what - officially - will be a five-month commitment, according to Collingwood president Eddie McGuire.

A new-look Collingwood is unveiled to the rapture of club president Eddie McGuire. This super fit, fresh, athletic incarnation is black and white clad, will sing 'Good Old Collingwood Forever' in victory. It has a coach, a general manager and will call the Holden Centre home.

When Arawang forced its way into the Netball ACT State League grand final, Leigh Kalsbeek was 40,000 feet in the air.

Caitlin Bassett believes netball's new pay deal makes it an "amazing" time to be a female playing sport in Australia.

Rival Netball ACT grand finalists Jo Pivac and Tess Pennell believe Netball Australia's new pay deal will ignite interest in the sport.

Madi Robinson can not talk about her destination - Collingwood - until her contract is signed and cleared by the compliance manager employed to police netball's expanded $675,000 salary cap.

In a new era for women's sport in Australia, the game with more than 500,000 participants is finally rewarding the elite few at the pointy end with a significant step towards the full-time professionalism it is hoped will arrive within five years.

Jo Weston and Gretel Tippett have been added to the Diamonds' squad for the four Constellation Cup netball Tests against New Zealand.

Australian captain Laura Geitz won't play netball for at least the next year after it was announced she's pregnant with her first child.

Change is looming for the all-conquering Queensland Firebirds after two settled years and consecutive trans-Tasman titles, with brilliant centre Kim Ravaillion revealed as the latest high-profile name committed to joining Collingwood's star-studded list.

Fears that new the birth of powerful new rival Collingwood would diminish the nine-year-old Melbourne Vixens have been realised, with captain Madi Robinson set to defect to the Magpies for the inaugural national league season. 

The ANZ Championship may exist no longer, but the trans-Tasman rivalry has entered its next exciting phase, Diamonds shooter Caitlin Bassett logging an international best 52 goals in Australia's 60-55 win over New Zealand in Melbourne.

Arawang have advanced to the State League netball grand final with a 61-52 victory over Canberra at the ACT Netball Centre on Saturday.

If the question is which tenacious blonde Queensland Firebirds triple-premiership defender has  captained the Diamonds with distinction this year, the answer is not the one you might think. No, not the feted and decorated Laura Geitz, but her lower-profile teammate and close friend Clare McMeniman.

Lisa Alexander, maths teacher, is wary of using numbers to measure sporting performance. But Lisa Alexander, Australian Diamonds head coach, estimates the amount of improvement needed to beat New Zealand in Sunday's inaugural Quad Series decider is a minimum of 20 per cent.

Australia's Diamonds have cruised to victory over England in the Netball Quad Series on the back of a dominant performance from shooter Caitlin Bassett.

The Melbourne Vixens' greatest player, Sharelle McMahon, is among Collingwood's latest recruiting targets, as clubs unable to officially finalise player contracts continue to assemble coaching teams for next year's revamped national league.

​ Australia's Diamonds have dismissed talk of complacency as they prepare to take on England in the Netball Quad Series on Wednesday.

Netball Australia has ruled out introducing a two-point shot in next year's revamped national league, but says it remains under consideration.