Four Victorian athletes have been selected in the Australian 21/Under squad, including Victorian Fury teammates Emily Andrew, Maggie Caris and Zara Walters and Collingwood Magpies star Zali Anderson.
The 17-player squad will complete a four-day training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport in September which will provide athletes with specialist coaching, match play and off court education opportunities.
Vixens squad member Andrew was outstanding at last week’s Australian Netball Championships (ANC), shooting 220 goals at 93 per cent accuracy and earning tournament MVP honours. This is Andrew’s first selection in the 21/U national squad, having been a member of the 19/U squad in 2021 and 2022.
An exciting midcourter with speed to burn, Anderson played a crucial role in the Magpies’ championship-winning performance at ANC. The Gippsland-born young gun came into the tournament off the back of a strong season with runners up Boroondara Express in the Victorian Netball League (VNL). This marks her first selection in a national squad, having been part of the Victorian 19/U team in 2021.
The announcement marks Caris’ second year in the 21/U squad, the defender having previously been named in 17/U (2018, 2019) and 19/U (2020, 2021) squads. Originally from Horsham in Victoria’s north west, Caris is a stalwart in defence with Melbourne University Lightning in the VNL and has been a Melbourne Vixens squad member since 2022.
Midcourter Walters made her Fury debut at ANC and led the competition in goal assists with 152. The 19-year-old from Colac has played for Geelong Cougars in the VNL since 2019 and continues to state her case as a rising star of the Victorian pathway; her selection in the 21/U squad follows selections in the national 17/U (2020) and 19/U squads (2021, 2022).
Fury’s Tepaea Hobson and the Magpies’ Olivia Wilkinson have also been named on the squad invitee list as underage invitees.
Hobson joined Fury as a replacement player ahead of the tournament and impressed in her time on court, collecting 12 gains in five appearances. The circle defender plays for Melbourne University Lightning’s championship-winning 19&Under side in the VNL and was named in the 2023 19&Under Team of the Year.
Wilkinson was named MVP in the Magpies’ ANC gold medal match win, shooting 32 from 34 attempts at 94 per cent. The 190cm goaler was a Collingwood Magpies SSN training partner in 2023 and has been a star for Peninsula Waves in the VNL since 2020. She has previously been named in national 17/U and 19/U squads.
“Congratulations to all athletes named in the squad, it’s fantastic to see their hard work and dedication rewarded with this opportunity,” said Netball Victoria General Manager Vixens, Performance & Pathways, Megan Simpson.
“Having such strong Victorian representation in national squads is an exciting reflection of the depth of talent in our Victorian netball pathway.”
AUSTRALIAN 21/U SQUAD
Zali Anderson (Collingwood Magpies / VIC)
Emily Andrew (Victorian Fury / VIC)
Ava Black (Sunshine Coast Lightning Bolts / QLD)
Maggie Caris (Victorian Fury / VIC)
Jess Conlan (QBE Swifts Academy / NSW)
Liz Dronfield (West Coast Fever Reserves / WA)
Ashleigh Ervin (Sunshine Coast Lightning Bolts / QLD)
Sophie Fawns (QBE Swifts Academy / NSW)
Charli Fidler (GIANTS Academy / NSW)
Jessie Grenvold (Adelaide Thunderbirds Futures / SA)
Georgie Horjus (Adelaide Thunderbirds / SA)
Matisse Letherbarrow (GIANTS Netball / NSW)
Audrey Little (QBE Swifts Academy / NSW)
Erin O’Brien (GIANTS Academy / NSW)
Millie Roach (GIANTS Academy / NSW)
Amy Sligar (GIANTS Academy / NSW)
Zara Walters (Victorian Fury / VIC)
