THE Draft Central Compare the Pair series will aim to analyse two players from different Australian Diamonds eras, with the next showcasing goal attacks Sharelle McMahon and Gretel Bueta (nee Tippett). Two gamechanging, explosive and recognisable names in the netball world, Sharelle McMahon and Gretel Bueta are polar opposites in their gameplay but both changed the netball landscape with their impressive movement, accuracy and dynamic play. While goal attacks typically play second fiddle to their respective goal shooter, neither of these players dulled their shine for the goal shooter to take all the credit, instead taking on a larger role and stepping up when required to do whatever it takes to get the goals on the board. While different in their approach to the game, there’s no question that while Bueta is credited with changing the face of modern netball, McMahon and her dazzling career walked so Bueta could run. With an international career spanning 14 years, 118 international caps and four years as captain of the Australian Diamonds, McMahon is a household name in the netball community for her leadership, cleanliness and ability to turn a game on its head. Debuting for the Diamonds at only 21-years-old, McMahon went on to shoot the winning goal in the 1999 World Netball Championships while her domestic career was just as illustrious, playing over 200 matches for the Melbourne Phoenix and Vixens. With clean hands, an impressive split and one of the most recognisable shooting actions, McMahon was light on her feet and easily able to evade her defenders again and again, making her a crucial player on the court even towards the end of her career. McMahon was inducted into The Sport Australia Hall of Fame 2016 after retiring from the sport in 2013. Bueta is a vastly different player to McMahon but shares a few common traits, namely the impressive split and ability to impact on the game. An ex-basketballer, Bueta brings her athleticism and aerial ability to the forefront on the netball court, able to find the ball with ease while her height and endurance makes her hard to stop on the court. While her physicality had eyebrows raising early in her netball career, Bueta has since found a happy medium contesting the netball, with her pressure, volume and accuracy seeing her dominate time and time again. Bueta shot 394 goals in the 2019 Suncorp Super Netball season with 96 per cent accuracy, while her international form has rarely faltered, able to step back into goal shooter if need be thank to her height at the post. While she typically shoots from close range and whips out the fancy footwork with her signature layup shot, Bueta has proved she can apply scoreboard pressure further from the post when confident making her a real danger to the opposition. _ Sharelle McMahon 118 caps, 1998-2011 Gretel Bueta (nee Tippett) 35, 2015-present *at time of publish