It’s that time of year with the Victorian 17/U and 19/U state trials in full swing. Although the official squads are yet to be decided upon, things are heating up for Victorian netballers.
The top 50 players from both age groups have been announced with the next stage set to happen on the weekend which will see the group cut down to 25 as selectors and coaches alike hone in on potential state representatives.
It has been an exciting time for a host of Victorian athletes who have been plying their trade in hope to progress through the pathways. Head coach for the 17/U squad, Tracey Brereton, has had the pleasure of formulating the group over the past couple of weeks.
“It’s been really exciting actually! I need to commend all the athletes and the coaches in the talent academy space because they’ve had such an interrupted year and to have them ready to go for the inter academy weekend. They’ve done such a great job.”
Despite having limited netball throughout the year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic this was a great opportunity to get the athletes out on court according to head coach.
“We didn’t know as selectors how the girls were going to go because they haven’t played for so long. But they really put themselves out there and made our jobs easy.”
There is no denying that choosing a squad is not for the light-hearted with Brereton highlighting the multiple aspects she takes into consideration when picking an athlete to join the fold and potentially represent the state.
“Selecting is not an easy job. When you get to a certain level or age group when they’re already screened and put into talent academies. They’ve already got a degree of talent it’s then trying to watch and pick out the main things.”
“The difference is probably how much more their basic skill level has progressed, how well they can play their position, how well they can work with others. Even if there is actual x-factor about them that could make them Victoria’s next state player.”
One key takeaway from the past few weeks of trials has been the level of preparedness and commitment from the players. Given the reduced access to courts and lockdowns, the up and coming players have found a way to hit the ground running and make a name for themselves.
“I think that they’ve impressed. We walked away from the three things we just had – our screening day we just had our, metro academy and country academy. We walked away as selectors, quite impressed with what they produced and didn’t walk away thinking they hadn’t played much netball. We walked away thinking geez this is a great competitive space.”
“It’s a bit brutal, you pick your top 50 athletes and get cut straight away to 25. We’ve had to make hard decisions as it is.
Aside from the U/17 squad the U/19 squad has also started to take shape. It is filled with a couple of familiar faces including Fionnuala McKeagney-Stubbs, Olivia Wilkinson, Keeley Burgmann, Dee Dee Deng, Charli Nicol and Tara Watson who have been named in the Australian 17/U National squad. Keep an eye out for more news and details next week with the finalised squad set to be announced.
To see the full list of players named in the U/17 and U/19 squad click here.
