A crowd of more than 11,000 gathered to watch as Lisa Alexander coached her last game at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, after nearly a decade at the helm of Australia’s national team.
Since Alexander took on the role of head coach in 2011, she has coached 102 Tests and helped Australia maintain their world No. 1 ranking.
As a coach, she has an impressive 81 per cent win rate.
Thanks for the memories, Lisa. 👏💐
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Diamonds player Caitlin Thwaites, who also played her last game for The Diamonds on Sunday, said Alexander’s legacy goes far beyond her winning record.
“I don’t think she gets acknowledged for half of the things that she actually does behind the scenes, the things she fights for the player, in terms of their rights,” Thwaites said.
“It’s a really huge job and they’re really huge shoes somebody has to fill.”
In a shock to many, Alexander’s coaching contract was not renewed after the Diamonds lost the World Cup to New Zealand by a single goal last July.
When asked about her legacy, Alexander acknowledged her efforts to elevate the game in Australia.
“We’ve tried to build a high-performance program that’s the envy of the world and we’ve certainly done that,” Alexander said, when asked about her legacy.
“We’ve left it in a great position for whoever takes over this team and it’s very exciting for the future.”