Born South Perth, WA
January 23, 1969
Danielle Woodhouse (nee Gusterson) played water polo for Australia during the team’s golden era from 1995 through to the historic Sydney Olympics triumph in 2000.
Sharing goalkeeping duties for some of that time with NSW’s Liz Weekes, Woodhouse, who played alongside her immensely talented sister, Bridgette, was regarded as world-class.
A powerhouse with her local club Triton, Woodhouse played 154 games for Australia between 1993 and 2000.
Later known as the Stingers, the women’s water polo team won the world cup in Sydney in 1995 before taking silver in the Olympic Year Tournament behind the Netherlands in 1996.
They added more silverware in 1997 in France with a world cup bronze and then Woodhouse was in goals during another bronze medal triumph, at the world championships in Perth in 1998.
Through that period, the Australians went unbeaten for 14 months before settling for silver against the Dutch at the 1999 world cup in Winnipeg, Canada.
David Neesham, a celebrated figure in Australian men’s water polo and who coached the national women’s team from 1995 to 1998, said Woodhouse was top-shelf.
“She was the first-choice goalie for much of that period, though in the end Liz Weekes and Danni were pretty much on a par,” Neesham recalled.
“Dani was a world class goalie who was a great competitor, gave 100 per cent every time she was in the water and, probably more importantly, she performed well under pressure.
“Through that time I was coach, we were ranked in the top three and Dani was regarded as an elite international keeper. She certainly ranks as one of the best goalies to have played for Australia.”