Excitement levels were at an all-time high and athletes were bursting with anticipation to hit the court for the first round of 15&U State Team and Emerging Talent Program selection trials on Sunday May 22nd. 83 participants from all over the state converged on Hobart Netball and Sports Centre to put their skills to the test in front of the selection panel. Netball Tasmania Performance Pathway Manager, Jo Marsh, arranged nine teams to play 2 x 10-minute quarters. Invited athletes were identified by Netball Tasmania Selectors from Association Carnivals throughout 2021 and in consultation with associations.
It was a celebration of the entire netball community working collaboratively to support such a large-scale event. Rachael Stebbings, Umpire Development Manager, arranged for umpires to officiate matches, and umpire coaches to assist with developing skill pathways amongst our enthusiastic fraternity of officials. High Performance Coach, Jon Fletcher, coordinated a panel of selectors including Katie O’Neill (Head Coach), Marsha Batchelor (Assistant Coach) and Andrew Jackson (Selector), who leant on their significant experience in the area to narrow down the cohort of athletes to a smaller squad for the second phase of trials. Each of the nine teams were led by a Tasmanian Netball League accredited coach, who generously volunteered their time to support the Netball Tasmania Pathway program. Thanks and gratitude goes to Shane Fish, Erin Baker, Alicia Sargent, Kellie Tahiri, Clair Jones, Renee Godfrey, Karen Leonard and Rose Navickas for their professional guidance, mentoring and sharing of knowledge. Thanks also must go to Ella Marsh and Ash Turner, who capably supported the teams during the morning of the event.
The second phase of 15&U trials continues next Sunday in the north of the state in Launceston. During this part of the process, the pool of 30 identified athletes will be narrowed even further to a final team of 12 who will participate in the School Sports Australia Championships in Canberra in July. All athletes from the squad of 30 will form the Emerging Talent tier of the Elite Development Program, and will be joined by a number of other participants from the wider group of 83 athletes to continue to develop skills and netball sense in the later half of the year.
