Metcalf and Cardwell aim for gold after returns to action

Of England's gold medal-winning netball squad from the 2018 Commonwealth Games, only one player remains in the group for this year's event in Glasgow.

Former captain Natalie Metcalf won gold eight years ago on the Gold Coast to help make history as the Red Roses reigned supreme for the first time in the Games.

Fast forward to today and the 33-year-old is hoping to inspire a new generation, but for different reasons than simply winning gold - having given birth to her daughter Miller just 14 months ago.

"I think it feels even more special with having had Miller and getting back to the game and everything like that," she told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"Any time you represent England and your country is an absolute honour. So, to be selected for my third Commonwealth Games is just massive for me and I'm so grateful."

Metcalf missed out on gold on her return to home soil during the 2022 Games in Birmingham, having captained the side who were defeated by New Zealand in that year's bronze medal final.

The wing attack returned to action last December after giving birth and subsequently won the Netball Super League with Manchester Thunder last season.

"When I was pregnant with Miller, it was something that I had as a long-term goal and long-term ambition to want to aim and get back for," she added.

"So knowing that Miller's going to be there in the stands watching mummy go and do her thing is super exciting.

"She absolutely loves watching netball. She comes down to camps and the girls are amazing. So I think just for her to be surrounded by these girls and these role models this much is just phenomenal for her."

As she embarks on another Commonwealth Games campaign, Metcalf is aware of the impact that being a sporting mum can have on those watching from home, much in the same way as England's 2018 gold medal-winning display inspired the next generation of netball superstars.

"So many women have reached out to me since I became pregnant with Miller and getting back to the game. And so many people reach out and share their stories about returning to the game and what their journey back to the court looked like," she said.

"Eboni Usoro-Brown, she played in the 2022 Games and had little Savannah and I just was in awe of what she did. So there are loads of mummies out there that are doing it in lots of different sports and now to be part of that community and talking to the other mums out there, I absolutely love it."

Metcalf's Thunder team-mate Eleanor Cardwell comes into this summer's games off the back of domestic success having returned to England following a similarly prosperous stint playing in Australia having won the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) title in Australia with Adelaide Thunderbirds.

Her recent successes, however, came laced with difficulty after she snapped one meniscus and suffered a full root detachment of her lateral meniscus during a three-match series against Australia in October 2024.

Despite her career looking like it was coming to a premature end, Cardwell fought back, returned to England and is targeting gold this time around having been part of the squad that missed out on a medal four years previously.

"You don't know how long your netball career is going to go on for. Athletes can't last forever," she said.

"It is really just soaking up every single experience, making sure you're involved in everything and, and not trying to get too swept up."

As for continuing a legacy for England and going all the way, Cardwell admitted that the calibre of the sport has grown in recent years and it should be an entertaining spectacle with so many countries in the fight for a medal this time around.

"The top end of world netball at the minute is as tight as it's ever been. You've got Australia, New Zealand, England, Jamaica, South Africa. You've got Uganda, Trinidad and Tobago, everyone is competing now," Cardwell added.

"And that is all the Commonwealth Games teams. So it's a fight for the semi-finals, to be honest and I don't think it's been like that in the past. I think it's been very set with who the four would be. But now it's a fight for who gets in there."