In September 2016, Geitz announced she would be taking a break from netball for the birth of her first child but after a long period away from the game she missed playing at the high intensity.

"It was only until I was at the first Diamonds camp that I realised how much I loved playing netball at the highest level," she said.

After the birth of her son Barney in February last year, Geitz started preparing for the upcoming Suncorp Super Netball season with her beloved Queensland Firebirds. 

During this time, Geitz joined the Diamonds in Canberra as a training partner, which doubled as a simulation camp, her first time with the Diamonds since May 2016. 

The camp played a part in the selection for Australia's Commonwealth Games squad but also gave Geitz the chance to get use to playing at a high level once again. 

Geitz will be one of the most experienced players in the squad when the Games kick-off in April.

It will be her third Games after competing in New Dehli and Glasgow. 

She is excited to be back with the squad and is prepared to provide support to the squad. 

"While it has been 18 months since I have played at such high intensity, I am over the moon to be back in the mix and really challenge myself by training against the best," Geitz said

"I understand the importance of a great preparation leading into a major tournament such as a Commonwealth Games and take that very seriously."

Training in Canberra during the Diamonds camp was made easier for Geitz as she was allowed to bring Barney along.

 

BRG and his SQUAD 💚💛

A post shared by LAURA GEITZ (@lmgeitz) on

"The support I’ve received from the netball family to return to the sport with a young baby has been invaluable," she said

"I hoped it wouldn’t be a distraction but the girls really embraced it.

"It’s an amazing step forward for women’s sport and netball in Australia to allow and help us to be a mum and a player," Geitz said

The Commonwealth Games will be special for the Diamonds, especially for Geitz, who will play in her home state. 

"It’s a wonderful feeling – representing my country is something I cherish, but as a proud country Queenslander I am so delighted that the Commonwealth Games will put a spotlight on my home state and show the world what an amazing place we live in."

However, it won't be easy for the Diamonds who are not only the defending gold medalist from Glasgow but also sit number one in the world rankings. 

"Defending a Commonwealth Games gold medal definitely brings pressure, along with competing in our own backyard also brings a certain amount of pressure in itself," Geitz said.

"It is going to be a really interesting Commonwealth Games.

"The other nations such as South Africa, Jamaica and England have really raised the bar over the past four years," she said. 

South Africa and England challenged Australia in the Netball Quad series in January, pushing them all the way in into the final quarter of their matches but in the end Australia prevailed. 

During her time off Geitz was approached by Suncorp to be an ambassador for the #TeamGirls program and she said it just made so much sense to be part of the movement.

The program is there to promote and foster girls' confidence through sports participation.

"For me, those most memorable moments in my life in netball have been all about my teammates achieving those premierships and gold medals alongside me," Geitz said.

"I had a tough time breaking into netball – I was so conscious of my height as a teenager and so awkward.

"I felt very out of place and uncomfortable when I was attending selection events, and it was a friendly face, a helping hand or a pat on the back from another girl which was exactly what I needed to keep going," she said.