Janine Ilitch

Janine Ilitch (born January 27, 1972) is an Australian netball player.

She has been a frequent member of the Australian national team, playing in her usual positions of goalkeeper and goal defence, since being first selected in 1995. Ilitch has also been a key member of the Melbourne Kestrels in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy ever since the competition's founding in 1997, and served a stint as captain in 2004.

Nicknamed "inspector gadget", Ilitch's was famous for her incredible reach and armspan. Her speed and elevation made her a formidable opponent for most shooters, and she was equally as effective at goal defence as she was at goal keeper.

After years of playing second-fiddle to accomplished defenders Kathryn Harby Williams and Liz Ellis, Ilitch finally cracked the Australian starting 7 in November 2004, where her combination with Australian captain Ellis played a major role in Australia's series victory against New Zealand. This combination was never to reach its true potential, when Ilitch took the 2005 season off due to being pregnant with her second child, and Ellis withdrew from the Australian team with a knee injury upon Ilitch's return.

Ilitch stayed an inspirational comeback from the birth of her second child, to win a place in Australia's silver-winning Commonwealth games team in 2006. After playing limited games with the Melbourne Kestrels in the 2006 Commonwealth Bank Trophy season, Ilitch announced her retirement after a distinguished and colourful career.