The 1996 Premiership stands as a defining and widely celebrated moment in Contax history, breaking arch-rival Garville’s four-year reign as State League Champions.
The three-goal win was a victory of great significance, coming at a time of transition for the sport. The impending introduction of the National League in 1997 brought both excitement and uncertainty, raising questions about the future strength of State League competition as many leading players prepared to take the next step in their careers.
For Contax, that transition was particularly significant, with the Club proudly anticipating the elevation of the majority of its squad to the national stage.
Contax’s triumph in 1996 was richly deserved, marking a fitting conclusion to a defining era of South Australian local league netball as it was then known.
We are forever proud of our 1996 Champions, an incredibly talented group led by coach Margaret Angove and captain Kathryn Harby, with an unwavering determination and a fierce desire to secure their place in history.
Thirty years later, as Contax prepares to contest the 2026 Premier League Grand Final, the anniversary takes on even greater significance.
Remarkably, the connections between that premiership team and the group representing Contax on Grand Final day in 2026 remain incredibly strong.
Leanne Eichler was a player in the 1996 premiership team. Thirty years later, she will lead the Blues into the 2026 Grand Final as Contax Premier League Head Coach.
Fellow 1996 premiership player Sarah Sutter will also have a very personal connection to this year’s team, with her daughter Jazz McKay taking the court for Contax in the Grand Final.
And the connection to 1996 premiership coach Margaret Angove now spans three generations.
Marg led Contax to that famous victory 30 years ago. Her daughter Sarah Vidmar is an Assistant Coach of the 2026 Premier League team, while her granddaughter Jordi Vidmar will take the court as one of Contax’s co-captains.
Three decades apart, the links between the two teams are a wonderful reflection of the generations of players and families who have contributed to Contax and remained connected to the Club.
A Premiership at a Turning Point in Netball
The significance of the 1996 premiership extended well beyond the result itself.
Australian netball was on the verge of a new era, with the introduction of the national Commonwealth Bank Trophy competition in 1997.
For South Australian clubs, it represented a major change. State League had long featured many of the state’s leading players, and there was understandable uncertainty around what the introduction of a national competition would mean for the strength and profile of the local league.
Contax was at the centre of that transition.
The quality of the 1996 squad was reflected in the number of its players preparing to progress to the national stage the following year. It made the premiership not only a celebration of an exceptional season, but a fitting finale for a group that had achieved so much together at State League level.
And standing between Contax and that premiership was one of the Club’s oldest rivals.
Garville entered the Grand Final having won the previous four State League premierships, making Contax’s three-goal victory all the more memorable.
It was a result that ended Garville’s remarkable run and returned the State League premiership to the Blues.
