Lucia Grace Ngauamo could not contain her excitement after receiving news of her selection in the School Sports Victoria 15 and under netball team.
The MacKillop College year 9 student will be part of a 12-player Victorian roster that will travel to Adelaide for the national championships later this year.
“I was very happy, jumping up and down the school hall,” Ngauamo said.
“It’s a big thing for me.
“It’s really exciting.”
It will be the first time Ngauamo has travelled to play representative netball.
The 14-year-old from Werribee admits to having a mixture of nerves and excitement, but she will be ready to bring down the best goal shooters and goal attacks in her age group.
A goal defence/goal keeper, Ngauamo’s strengths lie in the one-on-one battles and the rebounding.
Ngauamo has benefitted from a great support network, in particular coaches Darren Abela and Marg Lind.
Abela is Ngauamo’s local club coach at the Westside Saints, while Lind, the head coach of state championship netball side City West Falcons, runs elite training programs for talented youngsters.
“They’ve told me to be more aggressive to the ball,” Ngauamo said.
“They give me tips on my foot work and strength and conditioning.”
Ngauamo has begun training with the Victorian team. She is learning the team’s defensive structures and getting familiar with her teammates. The goal is clear for all the players in the Big V camp.
“I think we can win the whole comp,” Ngauamo said.
Ngauamo, who admires Australian and Collingwood Magpies netball Sharni Layton for her “dedication to the game and intensity she puts on to the court”, is putting no ceiling on what she can achieve in her netball career.
“I want to go far with my netball,” Ngauamo said. “I want to play in the Suncorp Super Netball and play for the Australian team.”
