Mandurah netball star Ella Sigley will be hoping to catch the eye of Australian team selectors when she takes to the court at the under 19s National Netball Championships in Brisbane this month.
The young gun will represent Western Australia as they take on each state across the seven-day carnival, hoping to stake her claim as she eyes off a spot on the national under 19s squad.
At just 17-years-old, Sigley enters the tournament as one of WA's bottom-age players, but she's adamant her age won't be holding her back.
"It's good in a way, because you go in with no pressure on you," she said.
"I can still play this same carnival next year so no one really expects much from bottom-age players, but I still plan on making the most of it.
"Hopefully I can play well and really challenge of a few of the older girls."
The Mandurah Netball Association product survived a rigorous trial process to make the team, saying she was thrilled to make the cut.
"It's definitely something I've been working towards for a while now, so to find out you've made the team is really special," she said.
"Playing for your state is always something to be proud of."
Sigley's selection to WA's under 19s outfit follows a whirlwind few months for the rising star, which included a training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport as part of her selection to Australia's under 17s side.
The camp, hosted by Netball Australia, gave players elite-level mentoring from national coaches and pitted them against their England and New Zealand-based counterparts in exhibition matches.
Sigley said she will be hoping to take the lessons learned from the camp into her upcoming nationals campaign.
"To have people that are so knowledgeable and know so much about the game giving you one on one lessons is such a huge thing," she said.
"I think it really helped take my game to another level so hopefully it shows when we fly out in a week."
Upon her return Sigley will continue her preparation for her upcoming WA Netball League season with the East Fremantle Sharks.
The first game of her National Championships campaign will be played against the Northern Territory on Tuesday, April 17.
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
