By Amelia Barnes
Dasha Taylor has been selected in the 19/U Victorian state squad for two consecutive years and is simultaneously making her way through the Netball Victoria umpire pathway – and it all started at Association Championships.
A netballer from around six years of age, the attacking midcourter was talent identified (TID) for the first time at an Association Championships (a competition for representative teams from around Victoria) in 2021, when playing in Parkville’s 15&U team.
As a result, Taylor was selected in Netball Victoria’s Talent Academy (Central West) – a pathway program for talented athletes to improve their technical and tactical development, wellbeing, and physical preparation.
Taylor said getting TID at Association Championships was the confidence boost she needed at the time to continue chasing her netball dreams.
“I hadn't really been progressing that far through the pathway [before then], so to make something that high of a level, I was pretty stoked,” she said.
“It was a bit of a reassurance thing that pushed me to keep going and keep trying to go higher up in levels… and not to give up because you haven't made things the first time around.”
In 2023, when playing in Bendigo Football Netball League’s 17&U representative team, Taylor was once again TID at Association Championships – this time for a chance to trial in the 19/U Victorian State Squad.
She was successful in making the squad, which starts out at 50 athletes, and is eventually narrowed down to 12 players who will represent the state in the National Netball Championships.
Taylor subsequently made the top 25 of the 19/U Victorian state squad in 2023, and top 50 in 2024.
Taylor said the experience of trialling for the Victorian state squad was a great learning experience and motivation for her to keep developing.
“Some of the girls that I was trialling and doing training with had made Vic [state teams] and past Australian teams… so playing with some of those girls, I was a bit in awe.”
In addition to advancing through the Netball Victoria athlete pathway, Taylor has also been progressing as an umpire.
When officiating at an Association Championships event in 2023, she was once again TID, and subsequently selected in the inaugural Talent Academy Umpire Program.
Outside of the opportunities within the Netball Victoria pathway, Taylor takes every opportunity to enhance her game.
She began playing for Gisborne Football Netball Club in the Bendigo Football Netball League (BFNL) in 2023, which she credits for improving her physical strength and passing finesse as a WA/C.
Taylor won a 17&U premiership in her first year at the club and played a vital role in 2024 across both their premiership-winning B and A grade sides.
The hard work is paying off, with Taylor being recently awarded the 2024 BFNL Rising Star award and being ranked in The Weekly Times’ list of the top 100 country netball players of season 2024.
She’s thankful for the foundational skills instilled in her by coaches Chris Hernando and Jessica Maitland-Smith at Strathmore Netball Club, and game smarts developed by coaches Tarryn Rymer and Rylee Connell at Gisborne.
Taylor’s biggest supporter is her mum, Harlee Taylor, who has spent countless hours watching her daughter play netball across the state.
“We're totally proud of her. She's worked really hard, and she's had knock backs… she’s had a few injuries along the way, and it's never really stopped her. She’s never ever said ‘I don't want to play anymore,’” said Harlee Taylor.
The mother and daughter spend several hours a week together – with mum behind the wheel – travelling between Melbourne and Bendigo, and Melbourne and Gisborne, for the teenager’s BFNL and Bendigo rep netball commitments.
“People ask me all the time, ‘Why do you put so much effort in?’, but I enjoy watching her enjoy something, and if she’s putting the effort in, we'll always put the effort in to help her get where she needs to be,” said Harlee Taylor.
2025 will be a big year of netball for 18-year-old Taylor after graduating high school.
She’s been selected in the Western Warriors’ 23&Under Victorian Netball League (VNL) team and is looking forward to making her mark on the state league.
“We started pre-season maybe about a month ago and I've already learned so many new things. It's a really big step up to what I've been doing,” Taylor said.
“I’m excited to be playing a lot of higher quality netball and making a lot of friends and memories.”
First things first though – getting her driver’s licence.
Find out more about Netball Victoria’s Association Championships
