In a dominant performance at the 2024 National Netball Championships in Frankston, Victoria the NSW 19 & Under State Team have taken home the gold medal, while the state’s 17 & Under side secured a top-four finish.
Winning nine out of nine games, the NSW 19s were a class above throughout the tournament as they finished off the weekend in fine style with a 10-goal Grand Final win over a strong Queensland side (42-32).
Defenders Frederika Schneideman, Katarina Sinceck and Eugenie Little were outstanding, forcing the opposition to make multiple mistakes due to the pressure they applied which enabled NSW to turn over plenty of ball.
Hope White was prolific in wing attack with Neveah Metenga dominating in centre. The midcourters had the ball on a string throughout the match, driving hard to the circle edge and delivering pin-point feeds into the NSW attack circle.
The strength and accuracy of Monika Ötai and Grace Whyte was a pleasure to watch as they rewarded the great work of the team’s efforts in all areas of the court.
The depth in Amber Cross’s 19 & Under side, the majority of whom were Nationally Identified in 2023, was exceptional and the effort, team culture and energy from each athlete was a standout characteristic over the course of the whole competition.
Meanwhile there was heartbreak for the NSW 17 & Under side who missed out on a bronze medal after an extra time thriller against Victoria.
The sides played out a draw earlier in the week and in the third-place playoff the Victorians weren’t able to shake off a resilient NSW side who got back in level terms just before fulltime. Unfortunately, they were unable to get over the line in added time, and they went down fighting 47 – 44.
Netball NSW General Manager Performance and Pathways Mardi Aplin was extremely proud of all the athletes across the week:
”Both NSW teams played with immense pride and passion the whole week,” she said.
“For our 19s to go through undefeated is testament to their character, resilience and hard work in the lead up to Nationals and their team work and determination throughout the tournament.
“While the 17s side will be understandably disappointed, the fight they showed in that final game is something they should be very proud of and they will learn so much from this year’s Nationals and will continue to grow as both an athletes and people.
“A huge thank you goes not only to the athletes who represented NSW so well but also the team behind the team who led from the front this entire campaign.”
To cap off a terrific week NSW 19U defender Frederika Schneideman was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player while Hope White was Player of the Grand Final.
19 & Under Team
Charlie Hawkins (Randwick)
Eugenie Little (Manly Warringah)
Freddie Schneideman (Randwick)
Grace Whyte (Tumut)
Hope White (Newcastle)
Isabella Degei (Penrith District)
Katarina Sincek (Penrith District)
Monika ‘Otai (St George District)
Nevaeh Matenga (Liverpool City)
Nicola Barge (Sutherland Shire)
Olivia Harris (Penrith District)
Yasmeen Janschek (Randwick)
Head Coach – Amber Cross (Wyong District)
Assistant Coach – Stephanie Harrison (Camden & District)
Apprentice Coach – Sam May (Penrith District)
Team Manager – Jenny Gage Trail (Northern Suburbs)
Head Physiotherapist – Jess Harrison (Newcastle)
Assistant Physiotherapist – Hayley Simmons
17 & Under Team
Acacia Elers (Newcastle)
Ellie Hart (Campbelltown District)
Ellie Stacey (Maitland)
Emily McPherson (Wagga Wagga)
Evie Economou (Sutherland Shire)
Grace Tracey (Illawarra District)
Harlym Jennings (Liverpool City)
Kelis Ogle (Liverpool City)
Matilda Fanning (Sutherland Shire)
Matilda Percival (Newcastle)
Monique Johnson (Sutherland Shire)
Siulolo Richter (Liverpool City)
Skye Thompson (Sutherland Shire)
Head Coach – Abbey McCulloch (Sutherland Shire)
Assistant Coach – Nardia Trevor (Baulkham Hills Shire)
Apprentice Coach – Gima Crowdy (Woy Woy)
Team Manager – Kate Carneiro (Sutherland Shire)
Head Physiotherapist – Chris Portlock (Central Coast Heart)
Assistant Physiotherapist – Emily Brisbane (Orange)