Rising netball star Gretel Tippett is proving her brother Kurt isn't the only member of her family who can form a deadly attacking partnership with a high-scoring superstar.
Kurt Tippett forms one half of a formidable Sydney Swans key forward partnership with Lance Franklin, who has kicked more AFL goals than any other current player.
His younger sister, ex-basketballer Gretel, 21, has emerged as a potential bolter for Australia's netball World Cup team.
It comes after developing a lethal shooting combination at the Queensland Firebirds with Jamaican Romelda Aiken, the all-time leading scorer in trans-tasman competition history.
Their burgeoning partnership has helped the Firebirds to a nine-match unbeaten streak and title favouritism.
Gretel acknowledges parallels between her partnership with Aiken and Kurt's with Franklin, but her brother wasn't as convinced.
"They are pretty different sports," said 28-year-old Kurt with a chuckle.
"I like watching her play. Each week, it's probably the thing I look forward to most, is watching my little sister play netball on the weekend."
Sandwiched between them in age is 26-year-old sibling Joel, a defender with North Melbourne, who made his AFL debut in 2011 for Gold Coast against an Adelaide side containing Kurt.
"They weren't (playing )on each other which was good, I wouldn't have been able to watch," Gretel said.
She did watch last weekend when Kurt kicked a personal season-high four goals for the Swans against Melbourne.
"I found it hard to get to sleep Saturday night before the (Firebirds) game on Sunday, because I was so excited for him," Gretel said.
"It definitely inspires me watching my older brothers play."
Her sparkling form in her first season with the Firebirds since moving from the NSW Swifts has caught the eye of Australian coach Lisa Alexander.
She attended a three-day camp in Canberra earlier this month, when she was one of five invitees working alongside the 18-player Diamonds squad ahead of the World Cup.
"I've got to build on a fair few things, but my main focus is on the Firebirds," Tippett said when asked about her Diamonds aspirations.
It's only three years since she gave up a promising basketball career and decided to move to netball, though she didn't make an auspicious start.
"That was a bit of a shock to the system. I think I got 13 air balls in my first game," Tippett recalled.
She has caused quite a stir this year with her basketball moves, often opting for "lay up" shots.
"I'd rather step in any day than take the long shots," Tippett said.
It was Firebirds' coach Roselee Jencke who gave Gretel the green light to show her hoops moves on a netball court after seeing a video of her playing basketball.
"I've never been given the licence to do any basketball moves previously, so I was very excited with that," Tippett said.
She played in Australian teams at the under-17 and under-19 basketball world championships, and among the future hoops stars she shared court time with was 2012 Olympian Liz Cambage.
"I got glandular fever in my final year playing basketball and I was a bit burnt out from all the junior representative stuff and living down in Canberra for a year and completing year 12," she said.
"I spent time off to reassess my goals and see if that was what I really wanted to do and I started playing netball for fun and I really enjoyed it and that changed my mind."
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