Cynna Kydd - Defection To The Melbourne Phoenix

Defection To The Melbourne Phoenix

After withdrawing from the Commonwealth Games squad, Kydd took a four-month hiatus from the sport in order to recover from injury and regain motivation. She married fiancée Garth in April 2006, and though widely known by her maiden name, decided to take on her husband's surname. Kydd began the process of re-signing with the Kestrels for the 2006 season, and returned to training with the club with March 2006, but stunned the team when she defected to more successful rival Melbourne Phoenix only three weeks before the start of the season. The defection caused notable antagonism between the traditional rivals with Kydd's former coach, Jane Searle and several team-mates expressing shock at the suddenness of the switch.

After six years at the Kestrels, the defection saw Kydd forced to adapt to a new shooting combination with veteran international Sharelle McMahon. As she had had little opportunity to train with the new team before the opening of the season, the pair initially had some difficulty adjusting to each other's style. After a tenuous start, however, the pair found form, and were able to form a relatively successful combination. Kydd scored 360 goals in the season, and assisted the Phoenix in becoming the top scoring side for the season, although occasionally patchy form from the team as a whole saw the Phoenix slip outside the top two at season's end. Kydd was overlooked for a return to international selection during the 2006–07 season.

In October 2006, Kydd announced that she was leaving the Phoenix after just one season, a move that stunned coach Julie Hoornweg. Kydd said that she was travelling overseas with her husband, leading to speculation she would play in New Zealand. Hoornweg said that if she had known that Kydd would not keep her long term commitment, then she would have rather invested in young talent, referring to Kydd as a "player at risk". In November, New Zealand's Canterbury Flames announced Kydd in their squad for the 2007 National Bank Cup. Her contract was to start in February 2007, so that she could fulfil work commitments with Youth Hostels Association, Victoria. However, Kydd withdrew her services to the Flames without playing a match, citing medical advice, due to a concussion incident. In late 2007, Kydd was playing mixed netball in the United Kingdom in the PIM Mixed A competition.