Laura Geitz the right schoice as Diamonds captain, says Liz Ellis Queensland Firebirds captain Laura Geitz will lead the Diamonds. DIAMONDS legend Liz Ellis has hailed the decision to appoint Queensland Firebirds golden girl Laura Geitz as Australia's new captain. Geitz, 25, will today be unveiled as the Diamonds' 23rd skipper, taking over the reins from the retired Natalie von Bertouch. ``It's a great choice," said Ellis, who had two stints as Australian captain between 2003 and 2007. Star defender Geitz edged out Kim Green (NSW Swifts), Bianca Chatfield (Melbourne Vixens), Renae Hallinan (Adelaide Thunderbirds) and her former Firebirds teammate Natalie Medhurst for the prized role. Her first assignment will be against archrivals and world No.1 ranked New Zealand in the five-Test Constellation Cup starting in Invercargill on September 15. ``I'm a little biased towards Laura because she's a goalkeeper like I was, but she's proven her leadership credentials," Ellis said. ``She was acting captain when the Firebirds won the (national) competition two years ago and this year she took a very young Firebirds team to the grand final. ``One of her great strengths is she leads the way on court. That can be affected when you're made captain because you start to worry about everybody else but that clearly didn't affect her. Ellis was also in awe of Geitz for the way she was able to remain an on-court force despite the tragic death of her father Ross in May following an accident at her family's property at Allora, on the Darling Downs. ``With the sad news of her father passing away she was still able to get out and lead by example on court. That's a great attribute in a captain," Ellis said. Firebirds coach Roselee Jencke said Geitz had ``all the qualities that Netball Australia would be looking for in a captain. ``Geitzy is a wonderful captain for the Firebirds," Jencke said. ``She really does provide a lot of support for myself, the players and the whole program. ``She's a tremendous role model for the sport and she's a really loyal person. ``She leads by example on and off the court and she's really grown in her maturity. She has really embraced the role. ``It doesn't suit all people but she has really grown in the role. Geitz, who debuted for the Diamonds in 2008 and has been capped 35 times, is the first Queenslander to captain the Firebirds since the legendary Vicki Wilson, who led Australia from 1996 to 1999.