Netball: 7 WA players named in national development squads

SEVEN of WA’s top young netballers have been named in Netball Australia’s 17 and under, 19 and under and Tall Athlete squads, ahead of the high performance pathway camps in June and September.

The three squads were named by national selectors Cathy Fellows, Jo Macdermid, Maria Lynch, Melinda Clarke, Jill McIntosh, Tania Obst and Stacey West following evaluation of athletes’ performances at last month’s National Netball Championships.

Sunday Aryang, Sloan Burton and Jessica Repacholi have been named in the 17 and under squad, with Natalie Bright, Olivia Lewis and Alkira Rodney selected in the 19 and under squad, while Molly Warne has been named in the Tall Athlete Squad.

Aryang, Burton, Repacholi and Warne were all members of the WA 17 and under side that finished fourth at the National Netball Championships, while Bright, Lewis and Rodney were part of the WA 19 and under side that claimed bronze.

Bright and Lewis are also West Coast Fever training partners, while Aryang was named Most Valuable Player of the 17 and under competition.

All three were part of the gold medal-winning Western Sting side in the Australian Netball League.

Netball WA chief executive Simon Taylor congratulated the athletes on their selection.

“We are extremely proud to see Western Australia so strongly represented across all three squads,” he said.

“These athletes’ selection is testament to their hard work and strong performances in the National Netball Championships, as well as the strength of our player pathway here in the West.”

The 17 and under camp will focus on developing players in their positions and their skill set in the attack and defence units, while the 19 and under and Tall Athlete camps will look to extend the athletes’ knowledge and application in specialised skills.

All three camps will be held at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, with the 19 and under and Tall Athletes camps beginning in June and the 17 and under camp in September.