One of the longest and most enduring representative careers in any sport is set to draw a close this year.
It is such massive news that this blogger who normally tends to stay away from netball, has decided he can't miss any of it.
Irene van Dyk has today announced her retirement from international netball, effective immediately - Noeline Taurua probably must have said something to her - at the age of 41. In rugby union, league and football, 41 would be considered ripe, ripe old, but not so much in netball even with so many youngsters coming through the ANZ Championship teams.
van Dyk may not don the Silver Ferns top but she will continue to play at domestic level for her home club, Central Pulse.
We all know the van Dyk story very well - she started her international career 20 years ago wearing the colours of her birth country, South Africa, before moving with her family to Wellington, New Zealand like many other South Africans in 2000, and thereafter playing for her adopted country.
It has been quite a sensational career with wins in the World Netball Champs, Commonwealth Games and the new World Fastnet Series - all of those with New Zealand, plus one silver for South Africa in the World Netball Champs in 1995. Then there's domestic honours for Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic whether it's in the National Bank Cup or the trans-tasman ANZ Championship - her Magic side are still the only NZ side to win the competition.
Some might devalue van Dyk's achievements because of the fact that only three countries really have any chance in international netball, and that the sport only became professional in the last 6 years.
But excellence in sport is a pipe dream for many athletes and without a doubt, van Dyk has more than comfortably achieved excellence in her sport and should be considered one of, if not the greatest netballer to play the game.
And no doubt, international netball without the 6 ft 3 frame of Irene van Dyk will never quite be the same again.
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