Julie Corletto (née Prendergast) - 2015 VU Sport Hall of Fame inductee
A world champion defender whose resilience and leadership helped Australia dominate international netball.
2015 VU Sport Hall of Fame (netball)
Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Education – Secondary) 2008, Graduate Diploma of Secondary Education 2009
Julie Corletto (née Prendergast) is one of Australia’s most accomplished netballers and a proud Victoria University alum whose career is defined by resilience, leadership and success at the highest level of the sport.
Raised in Kerang, Victoria, Julie began playing netball at age ten and quickly demonstrated the talent and determination that would take her to the international stage. At just 16 she made her Commonwealth Bank Trophy debut for the Melbourne Phoenix, where her defensive skill and composure earned her Netball Australia’s Best New Talent award.
By 17 she had been selected in the Australian open squad, and in 2005 she captained the Australian Under-21 team to a bronze medal at the World Youth Championships, overcoming a stress fracture in her foot to return to competition.
Julie’s senior international career began in 2007 when she made her debut for the Australian Diamonds against Jamaica. Later that year she was part of the Australian team that won the 2007 World Netball Championships.
In 2008 she joined the Melbourne Vixens for the inaugural ANZ Championship season. The following year proved to be one of the finest of her career: the Vixens won the premiership, Julie finished runner-up in the club’s Best and Fairest award and she received the prestigious Liz Ellis Diamond as Australia’s best netballer.
Despite undergoing double knee surgery in 2010, Julie returned strongly in 2011 and regained selection for the Diamonds’ World Championship squad. After the 2012 season she moved to New Zealand to play with the Northern Mystics, while continuing to represent Australia internationally.
Her achievements with the Diamonds included gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and a remarkable final season in 2015. Despite competing with two injured knees and a broken foot, Julie helped Australia win the Netball World Cup before retiring from international competition.
Across her career she won three World Championship titles and a Commonwealth Games gold medal, establishing herself as one of Australia’s most respected defenders.
Her induction into the Victoria University Sport Hall of Fame recognises both her outstanding achievements and her enduring contribution to netball.