Castlemaine netballer Shae Clifford has been selected to represent the Victorian Under 19 netball squad at the National Netball Championships in Darwin in April.
The talented Castlemaine District Netball Association squad member and Sandhurst Football Netball Club netballer said she was absolutely thrilled to make the cut for the final squad of 12.
“I have tried out a few times and made it to the top 20 in the Under 17s and last year with the Under 19s, but this is the first time I have got through to represent the state,” Shae said.
“All up I had to attend about 21 hours of try outs. It was pretty grueling,” Shae said.
Shae has also been selected to represent the Banyule Blaze in the Victorian Netball League 19 & Under competition for the first time in 2023 and looks forward to taking part in the elite competition which kicks off on March 15.
Shae is currently juggling fulltime work at Jefferies Dental with training with the state squad and VNL squads in Melbourne.
“I am travelling to Melbourne two or three nights a week for training at the moment,” she said.
Shae is also looking forward to playing a practice match against South Africa at Melbourne Sports Centre (MSAC) in the lead up to the national event.
“It should be an incredible experience,” she said.
Shae enjoys playing in the midcourt in the Wing Attack, Wing Defence and Centre positions.
“I am most at home in Wing Attack and Centre,” Shae said.
It was been a whirlwind 12 months for the netballer who was proud to play her first full A Grade Open netball season with Sandhurst helping her side to a premiership.
“It was terrific to finally get a full season in with them in the wake of covid. I feel like during my time with Sandhurst and with specialist coaching at state level my netball is continuing to improve with every year and I am excited to see how far I can go,” Shae said.
CDNA squad coach Vanessa Saunders said they are incredibly proud of how far Shae has come.
“Shae started out in our Net, Set Go! training program at just four years old and has played domestic and squad netball with the association. She represented the Castlemaine Magpie Under 17s and then stepped up to Open competition at Sandhurst. However, covid disruptions have not enabled her to really develop her skills at the highest level,” Vanessa said.
“Shae was twice selected to represent the Northern Region at the State Titles but these too were cancelled during that period. We are delighted to see her take the next step along the pathway like other locals netballers before her and wish her every success. She is a great ambassador for the association and gives back by helping coach our junior squads,” Saunders said.
Shae thanked her family and all her coaches for supporting her opportunities to develop and progress.
“There are some big expectations on our Vic squad and I hope we can do everyone proud,” she said.